Why Little Rock?
Posted on March 23, 2007
| buzz-it! | Huff it!
The first of the U.S. Attorneys to be fired in order for the administration to replace them with political operatives was Bud Cummins, in Little Rock Arkansas. The Washington Post reports today on emails demonstrating the “machinations” of the administration as early as April 06 to make a place for Karl Rove protege Tim Griffin. The question that continues to nag is “why Little Rock?”
The U.S. Attorney’s office in Little Rock is one of the smaller ones, hardly the plum job for someone the Justice Dept. finds “more qualified to hold that position than most of the people who came to that job in the first term” as the Post quotes Mark Corallo, a former Justice Dept. communications director. There were other locations with more prestige which lacked appropriately loyal “bushies.”
The term “loyal Bushies:” — is this starting to sound like a cult? If not a cult, certainly it is an exclusive, invitation-only club. Being loyal to the president does not buy entrance; your loyalty has to be acknowledged from on high. What kind of government is it that categorizes who is loyal and who is not, and politicizes all positions and outcomes by placing loyalists even in jobs where a lack of bias should be a primary qualification?
If the question is raised, it seems certain that Griffin’s post to Little Rock will be explained by his being an Arkansas native. I’m not buying it. People leave home all the time, and especially people of education and means. Griffin’s education includes a stint at Oxford.
You have to wonder, given the eight years of Republicans trashing the Clintons while Bill was Prez, whether this placement has anything to do with getting a political operative with plenty of access into Little Rock precisely while Hillary is running for president. Her law practice was there along with the beginnings of Bill’s political career. This Karl Rove initiative smells funnier even than it looks. A U.S. Attorney would not have to find anything illegal on either of the Clintons: it need be only questionable, so the questions can be floated.
If there was a specific objective in Little Rock, what about the other U.S. Attorneys to be appointed without Senate advice and consent? What are the objectives for other interim appointees?
Sphere ItComments
One Response to “Why Little Rock?”
Leave a Reply
Why Little Rock? : John Paul McCarty…
The first of the U.S. Attorneys to be fired in order for the administration to replace them with political operatives was Bud Cummins, in Little Rock Arkansas. The Washington Post reports today on emails demonstrating the “machinations” of the admi…