It’s Comical, Part 1 (Updated)

Hey, kids, yesterday we focused on books.  Today, I thought we’d cover a different kind of book–comics!  When I was a kid, one of my favorite comic books were the ones about Chimpy Archie and his gang. The Betty and Veronica series was probably my favorite, but the Alberto Gonzales and Monica Goodling Berty and Monica ones were pretty funny, too!

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With Justice For None

From CROOKS & LIARS:

From the moment he entered the White House, President Obama’s attitude towards the crime, corruption and politicization of the Bush Justice Department has been to “look forward and not backwards.” As we’ve seen for the third time in just the last several days, that’s working out just fine for the Bush lawyers.

On Wednesday, prosecutor Nora Dannehy [assigned by Gonzales’ successor Michael Mukasey]  announced she would bring no charges against Alberto Gonzales, Karl Rove, Harriet Miers, Monica Goodling or any of the key players behind the purge of 9 U.S. attorneys.

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Smell that? The turds must be blossoming!

Editorial from The New York Times:

Last year, Karl Rove defied a Congressional subpoena ordering him to testify about the politically driven hiring and firing of United States attorneys. The House Judiciary Committee has now issued another subpoena. Congress and the Obama administration should do everything they can to compel him to testify.

Americans deserve a full accounting. Monica Goodling, a top aide to Alberto Gonzales, admitted that she hired lawyers for nonpartisan jobs based on their politics. The Justice Department’s inspector general found that Bradley Schlozman, the onetime head of the civil rights division, politicized his staff and made false statements to Congress. Other witnesses have told investigators that prosecutors were allowed to keep their jobs or were fired based on whether they brought cases that helped Republicans win elections.

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Stupid Has Left the Station, All Aboard the Train of Thought

From Forbes:

President-elect Barack Obama’s historical whistle stop tour to Washington has gotten under way after an enthusiastic send-off from Philadelphia, the cradle of American democracy.

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U.S. Attorney’s Office in Pittsburgh is the pits!

From Think Progress:

Mary Beth Buchanan was appointed by President Bush to serve as U.S. attorney in Pittsburgh in Sept. 2001. Buchanan has held several significant posts within the Bush/Ashcroft/Gonzales Justice Department, most notably serving as director [of] the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys.

Just last month, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Buchanan’s reign was expected to end. Indeed, when a new president is elected, U.S. attorneys of both parties generally submit their resignations to make way for the new appointees. But Buchanan has other plans:

1. Despite a new administration coming into power, U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan said she plans to stick around.

“It doesn’t serve justice for all the U.S. attorneys to submit their resignations all at one time,” she said yesterday. […]

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When the Inmates Take Over

From The New York Times:

WASHINGTON — Immigrants seeking asylum in the United States have been disproportionately rejected by judges whom the Bush administration chose using a conservative political litmus test, according to an analysis of Justice Department data.

The analysis suggests that the effects of a patronage-style selection process for immigration judges — used for three years before it was abandoned as illegal — are still being felt by scores of immigrants whose fates are determined by the judges installed in that period.

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Cruel and the Gang

Kids, are you confused about all the Chimpy White House scandals? Too many to keep track of? Well, the good folks at Slate have made life a little bit easier for you. They have a wonderful post with an awesome graphic that sorts out the Crimes and Misdemeanors of Chimpy & Company.

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Gonzogate: Department of Just Asses

Oh, kids! I had something else planned for this evening, but when I got home, I noticed that there was news of Gonzogate, and you know I just cannot resist a Monica Goodling story! Sorry that this is a bit of a rush job.

From the Los Angeles Times:

WASHINGTON — Top aides to former Atty. Gen. Alberto R. Gonzales employed a political and ideological litmus test to weed out candidates for career and other positions at the Justice Department, an internal department report concluded Monday.

The audit by the department’s Office of Inspector General and Office of Professional Responsibility concluded that former Gonzales aides Monica Goodling and Kyle Sampson violated department policies and federal civil-service laws.

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