Progressive Minds

Here's a memo to some of the clueless Republican apologists making excuses for George W. Bush's purging of 8 prosecutors in the middle of his 2nd term.

I know you're so eager to use the 'Clinton did it too!' defense.  But before you make yourself look even more ignorant of the facts, let me save you from yourself.  Because I love you, I'm going to keep you from comparing apples with oranges, and give you the FACTS! (Which I know you have no use for.  The facts can be a very inconvenient thing).

Bill Clinton fired most of the prosecutors when he first came into office in 1993, as many Presidents do.  George Bush did it himself when he assumed office in 2001.  It is quite customary for new Presidents to select U.S. attorneys of their own choosing once they assume the presidency.

What is NOT customary, is for a President to start purging prosecutors that they selected in the first place, and for purely political reasons.  When he was selected President by the Supreme Court, George W. Bush dimissed attorneys from the Clinton administration, and make his own selection of people he wanted to serve as U.S. attorneys.  Nothing wrong with that at all.  Ronald Reagan did it as well.

The problem comes in when George W. Bush dismissed the very same attorneys that he had asked to serve in the first place, and for what appears to be purely political reasons.  One U.S. attorney, David C. Iglesias was fired for not indicting Democrats for voter fraud, when he found no evidence of voter fraud to indict them on!

It's also interesting that another purged attorney, Carol Lam, had successfully prosecuted former Republican Congressman Duke Cunningham on curruption charges.