[Vision2020] Rove, Gonzalez Linked to Firings

[Pat Kraut]

http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00612F73C540C778EDDAA0894DB494D81

The judges are political appointees at the mercy of the PRESIDENT it is a
WHITE HOUSE personnel matter. But those jumping up and down making a scene
know they can dupe those who do not know the Constitution into more 'hate
Bush at any cost' stupidity. Almost every president has done this before but
only recently has the opposition party made such a stick. I blame our
education system partially because they do not know history nor the way the
gov is run. My concern is with the depletion of the office of President. I
know that Dems have trouble with true deep thinking but they are diminishing
the position and it will come back to haunt them. Will  the next president
be forced to do everything by committee?




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tom Hansen" <thansen at moscow.com>
To: "Vision 2020" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Sent: Friday, March 16, 2007 6:17 AM
Subject: [Vision2020] Rove, Gonzalez Linked to Firings


>From today's (March 16, 2007) Spokesman Review -

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Rove, Gonzalez linked to firings
E-mail refers to 'loyal Bushies'

Ron Hutcheson and Margaret Talev
McClatchy
March 16, 2007

WASHINGTON - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales faced more pressure to resign
Thursday as new evidence suggested that he and presidential adviser Karl
Rove played bigger roles in developing plans to fire U.S. attorneys than
they've acknowledged.

Rove has been President Bush's chief political adviser since Bush's first
campaign for Texas governor, and the latest developments angered members of
Congress and created new credibility problems for the administration.

Democrats cited Rove's involvement as more evidence that the firings were
intended to purge prosecutors who refused to let partisan politics influence
criminal investigations.

Administration e-mails from early January 2005 show that Rove and Gonzales
were directly involved in the initial planning to oust prosecutors who'd
fallen out of favor. Recounting in an e-mail a conversation he'd had with
Gonzales, aide Kyle Sampson said that they'd decided to replace 15 percent
to 20 percent of the 93 U.S. attorneys while retaining those who "are doing
a great job, are loyal Bushies, etc."

At the time, Gonzales was serving as White House counsel while awaiting
confirmation to become attorney general. Sampson became his chief of staff
at the Justice Department and continued to oversee planning for a mass
firing. Sampson resigned earlier this week amid the growing controversy over
the dismissals of eight U.S. attorneys last year.

An e-mail from another White House aide said that Rove wanted to know "how
we planned to proceed regarding US Attorneys, whether we were going to allow
all to stay, request resignations from all and accept only some of them, or
selectively replace them, etc."

The e-mails, which the Justice Department released after the contents were
leaked to ABC News, call into question Gonzales' assertion that he was
essentially in the dark about the plans to dismiss federal prosecutors.

Despite expressions of support from Bush, prominent Republicans openly
discussed the possibility of Gonzales' resignation. On Capitol Hill, House
of Representatives and Senate committees pressed ahead with their
investigations into the firings.

One Republican, Sen. John Sununu of New Hampshire, has publicly urged
President Bush to fire Gonzales. Still another GOP lawmaker, this one in the
House and not ready to speak out publicly, said Thursday he planned to call
next week for Gonzales to step down. And Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., said
Thursday that Gonzales had lost the confidence of Congress.

While Gonzales prepared to defend himself, the Senate Judiciary Committee
laid the groundwork to subpoena top officials from the Justice Department
and the White House if necessary.

The White House downplayed the significance of the e-mails but backed away
from earlier statements that the plan to fire all 93 U.S. attorneys
originated with former White House counsel Harriet Miers and was swiftly
rejected by Gonzales and Rove.

"I do not have the specific answer for you as to whose idea it was," said
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino.

The Justice Department issued a statement saying that Gonzales "has no
recollection of any plan or discussion to replace U.S. attorneys while he
was still White House counsel."

In a speech earlier in the day at Troy University in Troy, Ala., Rove
dismissed the controversy as "a lot of politics" and said the U.S. attorney
firings were proper.

"We're at a point where people are playing politics with it, and that's
fine," Rove said.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Generally, as new presidents assume office they replace US attorneys either
thru attrition (allowing contracts to expire) or termination.  Although it
is true that Bill Clinton had fired all 93 US attorneys, this had occurred
during the early days of his first term.  George Bush is half way through
his second term.

Another footnote:  It appears that Karl Rove's name is being linked to more
and more questionable activities.  When will he be held accountable?

Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

**************************************************************

"A bad cause will ever be supported by bad means and bad men."

- Thomas Paine (English Writer, 1737-1809)

**************************************************************


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