White House bows on attorney reforms

This article should have been named.."White House bends over for

Congress"

What a difference a November election can make....

TMT

White House bows on attorney reforms

By LAURIE KELLMAN, Associated Press WriterFri Mar 9, 9:43 AM ET

Slapped even by GOP allies, the Bush administration is beating an

abrupt retreat on eight federal prosecutors it fired and then publicly

pilloried.

Just hours after Attorney General Alberto Gonzales dismissed the

hubbub as an "overblown personnel matter," a Republican senator

Thursday mused into a microphone that Gonzales might soon suffer the

same fate as the canned U.S. attorneys.

"One day there will be a new attorney general, maybe sooner rather

than later," Sen. Arlen Specter (news, bio, voting record), R-Pa.,

said during a Judiciary Committee meeting.

A short time later, Gonzales and his security detail shuttled to the

Capitol for a private meeting on Democratic turf, bearing two

offerings:

_President Bush would not stand in the way of a Democratic-sponsored

bill that would cancel the attorney general's power to appoint federal

prosecutors without Senate confirmation. Gonzales' Justice Department

had previously dismissed the legislation as unreasonable.

_There would be no need for subpoenas to compel testimony by five of

Gonzales' aides involved in the firings, as the Democrats had

threatened. Cloistered in the stately hideaway of Senate Judiciary

Committee Chairman Pat Leahy, D-Vt., the attorney general assured

those present that he would permit the aides to tell their stories.

The Justice Department is shifting from offense to accommodation.

"In hindsight, we should have provided the U.S. attorneys with

specific reasons that led to their dismissal that would have helped to

avoid the rampant misinformation and wild speculation that currently

exits," Justice Department spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said Friday. "We

will continue to work with Congress to reach an accommodation on

providing additional information."

It was a striking reversal for an administration noted for standing

its ground even in the face of overwhelming opposition.

Gone were the department's biting assertions that the prosecutors were

a bunch of "disgruntled employees grandstanding before Congress."

And the department no longer tried to shrug off the uproar as "an

overblown personnel matter," as Gonzales had written in an opinion

piece published Thursday in USA Today.

Agency officials also ceased describing majority Democrats as

lawmakers who would "would rather play politics" than deal with facts.

The shift was so abrupt that one of Bush's chief advisers who was

speaking out of town Thursday apparently missed the memo.

"My view is this is unfortunately a very big attempt by some in the

Congress to make a political stink about it," presidential adviser

Karl Rove said Thursday during a speech in Arkansas.

Back in Washington, a consensus was emerging among senators of both

parties, and Gonzales himself, that the firings had been botched

chiefly because the prosecutors had not been told the reasons for

their dismissals. The matter snowballed - some of those fired

complained publicly, and a senior justice department official warned

one that further complaints in the press would force the agency to

defend itself, according to an e-mail made public this week.

On Tuesday during an eight-hour marathon of congressional hearings,

the Justice Department followed through. William Moschella, principle

associate deputy attorney general, publicly enumerated the reasons

each prosecutor was fired.

Flash forward two days, to Sen. Arlen Specter, ranking Republican on

the Senate Judiciary Committee, reading Gonzales' USA Today column

into the record. He paused.

"These (prosecutors) who were plastered across the newspapers all

across the country, they will never recover their reputations,"

Specter said.

Two staunch White House allies, Sens. Jon Kyl (news, bio, voting

record) of Arizona and Jeff Sessions (news, bio, voting record) of

Alabama, lamented the damage to the prosecutors' resumes, but blamed

poor execution rather than a political purge.

The prosecutors weren't the only ones whose reputations suffered. One,

New Mexico's David Iglesias, said the dismissals followed calls from

members of Congress - Sen. Pete Domenici (news, bio, voting record)

and Rep. Heather Wilson (news, bio, voting record), New Mexico

Republicans - concerning sensitive political corruption

investigations.

Still unclear is whether Gonzales will allow his aides to speak with

the Senate panel in private or at a public hearing.

They aides are: Michael Elston, Kyle Sampson, Monica Goodling, Bill

Mercer and Mike Battle.

Sampson is Gonzales' chief of staff, Elston is staff chief to Deputy

Attorney General Paul McNulty and Mercer is associate attorney

general. Goodling is Gonzales' senior counsel and White House liaison,

and Battle is the departing director of the office that oversees the

93 U.S. attorneys.

___

On the Web:

Justice Department: http://www.usdoj.gov

"Too_Many_Tools" <too_many_tools@yahoo.com> wrote in message

news:1173491067.301129.18100@c51g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...

> This article should have been named.."White House bends over for

> Congress"

No; it should read "Bush gets caught withoutrageously dirty and corrupt

hands in the cookie jar"!

Or, the entire legal system and Congress refuse to "bend over" for herr

Bush.

On Sat, 10 Mar 2007 04:25:24 GMT, "ZenIsWhen" <onesmallstep@verizon.net>

wrote:

>"Too_Many_Tools" <too_many_tools@yahoo.com> wrote in message

>news:1173491067.301129.18100@c51g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...

>> This article should have been named.."White House bends over for

>> Congress"

>

>No; it should read "Bush gets caught withoutrageously dirty and corrupt

>hands in the cookie jar"!

>Or, the entire legal system and Congress refuse to "bend over" for herr

>Bush.

>

I know this is hopeless..asking a Useful Idiot..but .

Cites?

Gunner

"Liberalism is a philosophy of consolation for Western civilization as it commits suicide"

- James Burnham

It is probably true about Bush bending over for Congress. He bends over

for Mexico, and lost his balls right after the Iraq invasion. He's

afraid of pissing anyone off.

I especially like this.....

"The shift was so abrupt that one of Bush's chief advisers who was

speaking out of town Thursday apparently missed the memo.

"My view is this is unfortunately a very big attempt by some in the

Congress to make a political stink about it," presidential adviser

Karl Rove said Thursday during a speech in Arkansas. "

I bet old Karl was POed about being made a fool.... ;<)

And I bet MANY Wasington insiders are laughing about it.

So goes a day in the life of The Gang Who Couldn't Shoot Straight.....

TMT

On Mar 9, 7:44 pm, "Too_Many_Tools" <too_many_to...@yahoo.com> wrote:

> This article should have been named.."White House bends over for

> Congress"

>

> What a difference a November election can make....

>

> TMT

>

> White House bows on attorney reforms

>

> By LAURIE KELLMAN, Associated Press WriterFri Mar 9, 9:43 AM ET

> Slapped even by GOP allies, the Bush administration is beating an

> abrupt retreat on eight federal prosecutors it fired and then publicly

> pilloried.

> Just hours after Attorney General Alberto Gonzales dismissed the

> hubbub as an "overblown personnel matter," a Republican senator

> Thursday mused into a microphone that Gonzales might soon suffer the

> same fate as the canned U.S. attorneys.

> "One day there will be a new attorney general, maybe sooner rather

> than later," Sen. Arlen Specter (news, bio, voting record), R-Pa.,

> said during a Judiciary Committee meeting.

> A short time later, Gonzales and his security detail shuttled to the

> Capitol for a private meeting on Democratic turf, bearing two

> offerings:

> _President Bush would not stand in the way of a Democratic-sponsored

> bill that would cancel the attorney general's power to appoint federal

> prosecutors without Senate confirmation. Gonzales' Justice Department

> had previously dismissed the legislation as unreasonable.

> _There would be no need for subpoenas to compel testimony by five of

> Gonzales' aides involved in the firings, as the Democrats had

> threatened. Cloistered in the stately hideaway of Senate Judiciary

> Committee Chairman Pat Leahy, D-Vt., the attorney general assured

> those present that he would permit the aides to tell their stories.

> The Justice Department is shifting from offense to accommodation.

> "In hindsight, we should have provided the U.S. attorneys with

> specific reasons that led to their dismissal that would have helped to

> avoid the rampant misinformation and wild speculation that currently

> exits," Justice Department spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said Friday. "We

> will continue to work with Congress to reach an accommodation on

> providing additional information."

> It was a striking reversal for an administration noted for standing

> its ground even in the face of overwhelming opposition.

> Gone were the department's biting assertions that the prosecutors were

> a bunch of "disgruntled employees grandstanding before Congress."

> And the department no longer tried to shrug off the uproar as "an

> overblown personnel matter," as Gonzales had written in an opinion

> piece published Thursday in USA Today.

> Agency officials also ceased describing majority Democrats as

> lawmakers who would "would rather play politics" than deal with facts.

> The shift was so abrupt that one of Bush's chief advisers who was

> speaking out of town Thursday apparently missed the memo.

> "My view is this is unfortunately a very big attempt by some in the

> Congress to make a political stink about it," presidential adviser

> Karl Rove said Thursday during a speech in Arkansas.

> Back in Washington, a consensus was emerging among senators of both

> parties, and Gonzales himself, that the firings had been botched

> chiefly because the prosecutors had not been told the reasons for

> their dismissals. The matter snowballed - some of those fired

> complained publicly, and a senior justice department official warned

> one that further complaints in the press would force the agency to

> defend itself, according to an e-mail made public this week.

> On Tuesday during an eight-hour marathon of congressional hearings,

> the Justice Department followed through. William Moschella, principle

> associate deputy attorney general, publicly enumerated the reasons

> each prosecutor was fired.

> Flash forward two days, to Sen. Arlen Specter, ranking Republican on

> the Senate Judiciary Committee, reading Gonzales' USA Today column

> into the record. He paused.

> "These (prosecutors) who were plastered across the newspapers all

> across the country, they will never recover their reputations,"

> Specter said.

> Two staunch White House allies, Sens. Jon Kyl (news, bio, voting

> record) of Arizona and Jeff Sessions (news, bio, voting record) of

> Alabama, lamented the damage to the prosecutors' resumes, but blamed

> poor execution rather than a political purge.

> The prosecutors weren't the only ones whose reputations suffered. One,

> New Mexico's David Iglesias, said the dismissals followed calls from

> members of Congress - Sen. Pete Domenici (news, bio, voting record)

> and Rep. Heather Wilson (news, bio, voting record), New Mexico

> Republicans - concerning sensitive political corruption

> investigations.

> Still unclear is whether Gonzales will allow his aides to speak with

> the Senate panel in private or at a public hearing.

> They aides are: Michael Elston, Kyle Sampson, Monica Goodling, Bill

> Mercer and Mike Battle.

> Sampson is Gonzales' chief of staff, Elston is staff chief to Deputy

> Attorney General Paul McNulty and Mercer is associate attorney

> general. Goodling is Gonzales' senior counsel and White House liaison,

> and Battle is the departing director of the office that oversees the

> 93 U.S. attorneys.

> ___

> On the Web:

> Justice Department:http://www.usdoj.gov