Hang Bernie Kerik Around Giuliani's Neck

The Washington Post has an article about how the Bush Administration, acting on the advice of Rudy Giuliani, rushed the appointment of Bernie Kerik as Secretary of Homeland Security. Kerik had been Police Commissioner on September 11, 2001 and had partners with Giuliani in a consulting business. Although red flags were raised about the nomination, the vetting process was taken over by Alberto Gonzales when he was White House counsel. After Gonzales cleared him, Bush went forward with the nomination, only to have it collapse about a week later.

Kerik is just another example of the incompetence of the Bush Administration, but its value to Democrats isn't what it says about Bush, its what it says about Giuliani. According to the article there was evidence that Kerik was "mobbed up" with a New Jersey organized crime family. It is hard to believe that Giuliani didn't have some clues about Kerik's associates. He was, after all, Mayor of New York which, the last time we looked, is right across the river from New Jersey.

America doesn't need another administration where people who are incompetent, unethical, or worse, are put in charge of Federal agencies and departments. We saw what happens when such people are in charge of the government during the Iraq War and Hurricane Katrina: People needlessly die. Democrats need to make sure that the American people hear about "mobbed up" Bernie and the Mayor.

Bushies Not Ready for Accountability

So the Bush Administration is arguing that the New Mexico U.S. Attorney, David C. Iglesias, wasn't fired because of political pressure, he was fired because he did not aggressively pursue "voting fraud" cases. In fact the Bushies even got a New York Times reporter to write a story about that fact. There is only one problem with the story: the Bush Justice Department had selected Iglesias to present his views on voter fraud at a special seminar on the subject. This is how the Washington Post puts it in its article appearing on 3.19.2007:

David C. Iglesias, who was dismissed as U.S. attorney for New Mexico in December, was one of two chief federal prosecutors invited to teach at a "voting integrity symposium" in October 2005. The symposium was sponsored by Justice's public integrity and civil rights sections and was attended by more than 100 prosecutors from around the country, according to an account by Iglesias that a department spokesman confirmed.

So here is what we are supposed to believe: Igelsias was sufficiently aggressive in "voting fraud" cases to be chosen to present a symposium on the subject in 2005 but by 2006 was no longer sufficiently aggressive. If that makes sense to you, its because you are a confirmed Bush supporter and don't care about the facts, or you are a New York Times reporter.

What this shows is that the Bushies haven't factored in an aggressive media being egged on by Democrats who actually have power. In the past they would have floated this story in the New York Times and that would have been the end of it. Now, however, with the media in pursuit of this story, and Democrats wielding power, that stuff doesn't work anymore.
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You can read the whole Post story by clicking on the link in this entry's title.

Surprise, Surprise, Rove Involved in Firing of New Mexico U.S. Attorney

In the article linked to in this entry's title by the McClatchy Washington Bureau, the New Mexico Republican chairman admits to asking Rove to help get rid of the U.S. Attorney, David Iglesias. Rove was the person who told the Republican Chairman that Iglesias was going to be replaced. You just knew that somewhere, somehow, Rove's fingerprints would be on this mess.

Paul Krugman of the New York Times asked in a column this weekend about those U.S. Attorneys who weren't fired. Since we know that Gonzales and his puppets at the Department of Justice weren't above using the DOJ for political purposes, and since we know that most of them weren't fired, what was going on with the ones that weren't. How many politically inspired investigations did they start at the request of the Bushies? That is the question that Democratic Representatives and Senators should be asking next week when Congress reconvenes after the weekend.

Bloomberg Reports Wolfowitz Driving Away Managers at World Bank

Bloomberg News reported that managers of the World Bank are very concerned that Paul Wolfowitz, one of the geniuses who came up with idea of the Iraq War, is driving away experienced managers and replacing them with political allies. These political allies are connected to American action in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Once again the Bushies show that when it comes to government, what matters isn't competence but loyalty. Loyalty to Bush, to neo-con principles, loyalty to the cause. The Bushies trash every governmental agency or function they touch. One can only imagine the damage they will do to our country before they leave office.