WH Excuse Du Jour: Uh, Can't Remember/Don't Recall, Eh?

White House cites 'hazy memories' in fired U.S. attorneys - CNN.com

technorati tags:PurgeGate, White House, Rove, BushCo, scandal, Justice, Snowjob

Who's Defrauding Whom?

Phony Fraud Charges - New York Times:

In its fumbling attempts to explain the purge of United States attorneys, the Bush administration has argued that the fired prosecutors were not aggressive enough about addressing voter fraud. It is a phony argument; there is no evidence that any of them ignored real instances of voter fraud. But more than that, it is a window on what may be a major reason for some of the firings.

In partisan Republican circles, the pursuit of voter fraud is code for suppressing the votes of minorities and poor people. By resisting pressure to crack down on “fraud,” the fired United States attorneys actually appear to have been standing up for the integrity of the election system.

The Republicans only want to win, even if it means tearing down the walls of justice and defrauding the American people. Like I said, they should be run out of town on rails, repatriated with cattle prods until they see the light of democratic freedom in the Constitution and know it by heart, taxed one-half of their total worth, which monies to be used to eliminate poverty and fix inner-city schools, and then and only then allowed back into the fold or civilization. Until then they should be seen as terrorists and thieves and treated as such.

Meanwhile, The Terrorists Are Growing Their Membership

A New Face of Jihad Vows Attacks on U.S. - New York Times:

Mr. Abssi has shown himself to be a canny operator. Despite being on terrorism watch lists around the world, he has set himself up in a Palestinian refugee camp where, because of Lebanese politics, he is largely shielded from the government. The camp also gives him ready access to a pool of recruits, young Palestinians whose militant vision has evolved from the struggle against Israel to a larger Islamic cause.

Intelligence officials here say that he has also exploited another source of manpower: they estimate he has 50 militants from Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries fresh from fighting with the insurgency in Iraq.

This is what we breed when we don't pay attention to the real problems in the world but create more of them.

They Lied To Congress? Again?

Rove Is Linked to Early Query Over Dismissals - New York Times:

WASHINGTON, March 15 — Karl Rove, the senior presidential adviser, inquired about firing United States attorneys in January 2005, e-mail messages released Thursday show. The request prompted a Justice Department aide to respond that Alberto R. Gonzales, soon to be confirmed as attorney general, favored replacing a group of “underperforming” prosecutors.

The e-mail messages, part of a larger collection that the Justice Department is preparing to turn over to Congressional investigators, indicate that Mr. Rove and Mr. Gonzales, then the White House counsel, had considered replacing prosecutors earlier than either has previously acknowledged.

I'm shocked, shocked and dismayed, that any of my highly placed government lackeys officials would attempt to fool mislead Congress in order to cover up explain their own totally illegal possibly unethical conduct or the conduct of the president others. Shocked, I tell you. Shocked. (Please note lack of exclamation points; a sure indicator of tongue-in-cheek understated sarcasm.)

Heat Rises; Can You Hear Me, Karl?

March 15, 2007 — - New unreleased e-mails from top administration officials show that the idea of firing all 93 U.S. attorneys was raised by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove in early January 2005, indicating Rove was more involved in the plan than the White House previously acknowledged. The e-mails also show how Alberto Gonzales discussed the idea of firing the attorneys en masse while he was still White House counsel -- weeks before he was confirmed as attorney general.

The e-mails put Rove at the epicenter of the imbroglio and raise questions about Gonzales' explanations of the matter.

ABC News: E-Mails Show Rove's Role in U.S. Attorney Firings

technorati tags:Rove, Gonzales, PurgeGate, scandal, justice

...And I'll Cry If I Want To...

G.O.P. Voters Voice Anxieties on Party’s Fate - New York Times:
"After years of political dominance, Republican voters now view their party as divided and say they are not satisfied with the choice of candidates seeking the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll."

Bwah-ha-hah! They're going to have to dig deep to find anybody that can run who will run and look any better than the clowns they have now. Like about six feet. What gets me is, they think Reagan was great. Yeesh! If I were Republican, I think I'd shoot myself. Of course, I'm not, and I'm against guns, soooooo......

I Love The TGW!

Tennessee Guerilla Women: Overblown Personnel Matters:

You also have to wonder whether new signs that Mr. Gonzales and other administration officials are willing to cooperate with Congress reflect the verdict in the Libby trial. It probably comes as a shock to realize that even Republicans can face jail time for lying under oath. . . .

In other words, the truth about that “overblown personnel matter” has only begun to be told. The good news is that for the first time in six years, it’s possible to hope that all the facts about a Bush administration scandal will come out in Congressional hearings — or, if necessary, in the impeachment trial of Alberto Gonzales.

Sometimes I think they're reading my mind.

What's That Smell?!

KRT Wire | 03/11/2007 | White House says Rove relayed complaints about prosecutors

Should have seen this coming. Looks like things are about to go badly for another White House aide....

Welcome To America China?

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | 'Thousands riot' in China protest:

Thousands of protests were held last year amid growing discontent over the widening gap between rich and poor and corruption among officials at local level and above.

At least the Chinese people know how to get results.

The Chinese government has introduced a series of measures to try to address the sources of discontent in rural communities.

They include pumping billions of dollars into the rural economy in the form of farm subsidies, as well as reining in the seizures of farmland for development and tackling government corruption.

Maybe we should take a lesson or two from our Eastern friends and start raising a ruckus. Note that these public demonstrations took place in a nation without a constitution or bill of rights, and were successful.