Corruption: Today's standard of living in the Bush administration

Are we just so overwhelmed with the seemingly unending supply of corruption this administation has exhibited since Bush took office that we no longer care? Here's the latest news on the firing of seven federal prosecutors:

Lie 1 -
Initially, White House officials claimed that President Bush's aides saw and approved the list of prosecutors to be fired only after it had been compiled.

Truth -
Last October, President Bush talked to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales about prosecutors who were not aggressively investigating voter fraud. The president did not advocate the firing of particular prosecutors at the time but he was clearly aware that the process to identify which prosecutors would be fired was under way. Senator Pete Domenici (R), from New Mexico, complained directly to the President about a federal prosecutor in his state who was one of the seven prosecutors later dismissed. Ms. Perino, White House spokeswoman, has confirmed that White House officials did consult with the Justice Department in preparing the list.

Lie 2 -
The seven attornies were removed "based on performance and managerial reasons." --Ms. Perino

Truth -
The department first denied that the dismissals were performance related, then later said they were. Documents of an extensive e-mail conversation that Mr. Sampson and Ms. Miers had regarding the prosecutors did not provide a clear motive for the firings. There was no mention in the entire thread of public corruption inquiries or failure to pursue voter fraud cases as explicit reasons to remove the prosecutors. It has been reported that five of the seven even received good reviews from the DOJ shortly before they were dismissed.

There are other lies but who has the time to list them all? I blame the Patriot Act. In our rush to feel safer after the events of 9/11 - please note I said "feel" safer, not actually be safer - we allowed our fear to override our common sense. Now, our president is using a small provision hidden deep in the act to appoint interim U.S. attorneys for indefinite periods without having confirmation hearings by the Senate. Who does that include? Read on...

Tim Griffin, U.S. attorney for Arkansas, aide to White House political advisor Karl Rove.

Jeff Taylor, U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., aide to Sen. Orrin Hatch, counselor to Alberto Gonzales and former Attorney General John Ashcroft.

Alexander Acosta, U.S. attorney for Miami, protege of conservative Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito.

Edward McNally, U.S. attorney in southern Illinois, senior associate counsel to President Bush.

...to name a few. But do not give up hope. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) and Rep. John Conyers (D) have filed bills that would restore to federal judges the right to name interim appointees when vacancies develop. And, thankfully, Sen. Arlen Specter (R), who created this problem by inserting the language into the Patriot Act last year, is supporting Feinstein's bill. This week a debate will be held on the Senate floor over this legislation, which will roll back the provision of the antiterrorism law that allows President Bush to appoint interim U.S. attornies. And yes, it is fair to conclude that the Patriot Act is one scary piece of legislation. We should never sacrifice our civil liberties under the guise that by doing so we are made safer.