Category: The Dish

Gonzales’ Secret Memo

Murray Waas has it:

In the order, Gonzales delegated to his then-chief of staff, D. Kyle Sampson, and his White House liaison "the authority, with the approval of the Attorney General, to take final action in matters pertaining to the appointment, employment, pay, separation, and general administration" of virtually all non-civil-service employees of the Justice Department, including all of the department’s political appointees who do not require Senate confirmation. Monica Goodling became White House liaison in April 2006, the month after Gonzales signed the order.

The existence of the order suggests that a broad effort was under way by the White House to place politically and ideologically loyal appointees throughout the Justice Department, not just at the U.S.-attorney level. Department records show that the personnel authority was delegated to the two aides at about the same time they were working with the White House in planning the firings of a dozen U.S. attorneys, eight of whom were, in fact, later dismissed.

Gonzales must go.

Pro-Torture, Proudly

Republican blogger Dean Barnett is finally copping to being pro-torture. I’m grateful for the lack of Orwellian euphemism. Republican congressman Dana Rohrabacher does one better. Facing critics of "extraordinary rendition" in Congressional hearings, he tells his interlocutors: "Well I hope it’s your families, it’s your families that suffer the consequences" if the U.S. ends its policy of torture and abuse of detainees. Alex Massie comments here. The video of Rohrabacher defending the detention and torture of innocents to protect the public safety can be seen here. Yes, this is America.