"Why I Was Fired" by David C. Iglesias

[swag]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/21/opinion/21iglesias.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

. . .

Politics entered my life with two phone calls that I received last fall, just before the November election. One came from Representative Heather Wilson and the other from Senator Domenici, both Republicans from my state, New Mexico.

Ms. Wilson asked me about sealed indictments pertaining to a politically charged corruption case widely reported in the news media involving local Democrats. Her question instantly put me on guard. Prosecutors may not legally talk about indictments, so I was evasive. Shortly after speaking to Ms. Wilson, I received a call from Senator Domenici at my home. The senator wanted to know whether I was going to file corruption charges — the cases Ms. Wilson had been asking about — before November. When I told him that I didn’t think so, he said, “I am very sorry to hear that,” and the line went dead.

A few weeks after those phone calls, my name was added to a list of United States attorneys who would be asked to resign — even though I had excellent office evaluations, the biggest political corruption prosecutions in New Mexico history, a record number of overall prosecutions and a 95 percent conviction rate. (In one of the documents released this week, I was deemed a “diverse up and comer” in 2004. Two years later I was asked to resign with no reasons given.)

When some of my fired colleagues — Daniel Bogden of Las Vegas; Paul Charlton of Phoenix; H. E. Cummins III of Little Rock, Ark.; Carol Lam of San Diego; and John McKay of Seattle — and I testified before Congress on March 6, a disturbing pattern began to emerge. Not only had we not been insulated from politics, we had apparently been singled out for political reasons. (Among the Justice Department’s released documents is one describing the office of Senator Domenici as being “happy as a clam” that I was fired.)

. . .

[Kagemusha]

1. According to Bolton on the Daily Show tonight...

These people shouldn't be insulated from politics; they should be extensions of the President's politics, and if they are not, they should be replaced because otherwise they are thwarting the democratic will of the People, as expressed by the last presidential election. In other words, if they aren't politicizing the law, they're doing something wrong.

[nashville_brook]

2. revoltin' Bolton's "democratic theory" sounds a lot like fascism

saw him TDS too. what a douche.

[Duer 157099]

3. Cripes, they're Republicans, appointed by a Republican

If that's not "an extension of the President's politics" what is?

No, clearly this has to do with something else, such as, oh, obstruction of justice.

But what would Bolton know about that?

[aquart]

4. Shortsighted spiteful Republican policy bites them in the ass again.

Clinton's aides testified.

[pepperbear]

5. yep, that'll do it. n/t

[quiet.american]

6. Why am I feeling "What I Didn't Find in Africa" deja vu?

This is most excellent. And the cherry on top is that it must give the Kool-Aid drinkers extra conniption fits that Iglesias, a Republican, has outed what was done to him not in the Wall Street Journal, but in the "lib'rul" New York Times.

[bleever]

7. "Diverse up and comer".

I hope I'm not the only one feeling that Bushco takes advantage of Republicans of "minority" status.

[heatstreak]

8. Alberto is so dead

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

9. Ever get the feeling

that this guy is really mad and ready to bring down as many of these bozos as possible? Let's hope there are more Republicans who believe that the US Attorney should not be messing with politics.

[Fluffdaddy]

10. I have a hard time feeling sorry for Iglesias

He rode with the Repubs while the times was good. If you ride with dirty dogs it will not be long before you going to get bit by blood sucking ticks. Sorry Iglesias don't be crying in the NYT editorials now. You made your bed.

[swag]

11. I don't feel sorry for him, but I do think he was canned for not pursuing

groundless, politically motivated cases at the behest of Wilson, Domenici, and those in the White House.