Well, if Holder won't do his job ...

[ThomWV]

How would this do? An Office of Special Prosecutors, one for every Agency and Department authorized to look for wrongdoing within and between them over the last 8 years and longer if the need be. Remember GSA's Lurita Doan testifying with great delight how she had politicized her Agency in clear violation of the law? One is certainly needed to review activity at the Department of Justice, Defense, and State. How about a division of Prosecutors just to look at the war against Iraq. Any chance of hidden wrong doing at NSA or CIA? Send in a team of cleared Prosecutors and if they find something let them try the criminals in the FISA Court - that would certainly be the very heart of irony.

That is what the country seems to need most. The President is doing all one man can and he is right to focus his attention on the lifeblood of our democracy, the economy. However as time goes by memories fade, facts are hidden, evidence disappears. The Government has been so all pervasively and systemically polluted that it will take a team of prosecutors to ferret out all the crimes that have been committed. Now is the time to start.

PS: All those empty slots at Justice that Republicans are holding up could be filled with recess appointments any holiday weekend.

[EFerrari]

1. I'm no Holder fan at all but remember, the man walked into a sewer.

You can't have a tea party in a sewer. First, you clean up.

Also, there are IGs in all of those departments. How compromised they may be is another thing but of all the horrible scandals of the last eight years, iirc, there has only been 1 IG that has been fingered. If I were Holder, I'd be tapping them.

[MADem]

3. Obama just has to get back to the Congressional guidance WRT IGs

At the request of Rep. Henry A. Waxman, this report examines the backgrounds of the 43 IGs appointed under the Inspector General Act by Presidents Bush and Clinton over the last 12 years. It finds that IG appointments have become increasingly politicized during the administration of President Bush. Whereas President Clinton typically appointed nonpartisan career public servants as IGs, President Bush has repeatedly chosen individuals with Republican political backgrounds. Over 60% of the IGs appointed by President Bush had prior political experience, such as service in a Republican White House or on a Republican congressional staff, while fewer than 20% had prior audit experience. In contrast, over 60% of the IGs appointed by President Clinton had prior audit experience, while fewer than 25% had prior political experience.

Specifically, the report finds:

Connections to White House: Over one-third of the IGs appointed by President Bush worked in Republican White Houses prior to their appointments as IGs. In contrast, President Clinton appointed no IGs who had worked in any Democratic White House prior to their appointments.

Other Political Connections: In total, 64% of the IGs appointed by President Bush held some sort of political position, such as a political appointment in a Republican administration or a position with a Republican member of Congress, before their appointments as IGs. Only 22% of the IGs appointed by President Clinton had worked in political positions before their appointments.

Political Campaign Contributions: Over half of the IGs appointed by President Bush had made contributions to his campaign or other Republican candidates. In comparison, only 25% of the IGs appointed by President Clinton had made any federal campaign contributions.

Substantive Audit Experience: Only 18% of the IGs appointed by President Bush had previous audit experience, such as experience in an IG’s office, at the Government Accountability Office, or at a private accounting firm. In contrast, 66% of IGs appointed by President Clinton had audit experience prior to their appointments.

Prior political experience does not mean that an IG will act in a manner inconsistent with his or her responsibilities. Nonetheless, there have been several high-profile instances of questionable actions by Bush Administration IGs. For example, Janet Rehnquist, the former IG of the Department of Health and Human Services, delayed the release of a critical audit of Florida’s pension system until after the reelectio n of Florida Governor Jeb Bush; Dara Corrigan, Ms. Rehnquist’s successor at HHS, refused to investigate whether HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson or White House officials participated in the decision to withhold Medicare cost estimates from Congress; and Lt. Gen. Paul Mikolashek, the U.S. Army IG, reported that the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison were the result of “unauthorized actions taken by a few individuals,” not the fault of senior military officials or Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. These actions may be a symptom of the increasing politicization of IGs under President Bush.

http://oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=726

[ThomWV]

5. Well - you've certainly settled that question. So much for the IG's.

The first couple of paragraphs just make your jaw drop.

[MADem]

6. I know. I worked with IGs on the odd occasion.

The difference between the Bubba Bunch and the Porgie Posse was just...mind blowing. Capable, concise, honest and open-minded on the one hand, and fucking stupid partisan idiots (that's not quite strong enough, but it will have to do) on the other.

[ThomWV]

4. The IGs are a big question in my mind to tell you the truth - and I agree

Holder walked into a pocket of puss if you ask me. All those born-again zombies that were hired out of the Christian law schools. I swear to god, when we get to see the few of them that have had to testify it looks to me like they were chosen to be breeders for the Master Race. I pitty the man his task.

[waiting for hope]

2. Don't forget Don Siegleman too -

Lots of hinky stuff during his trail as well.

[Dogmudgeon]

7. It's only been 78 days

I do NOT want to see an investigation and/or punishment of these crooks derailed because anyone was in a hurry.

Let Mr. Holder and Team Obama build an airtight, politically-immune case. With the FULL support of the American people AND the world.

No errors. No mistakes. Every i dotted and t crossed. This is the Constitution we're talking about here.

I want them to do it in such a way that speaks to the ages: Torture Will Not Be Tolerated By The People And Their Law.

Build it as a monument to our rejection of this vulgar, atavistic evil. Beam by beam, brick by brick. Every nut and every bolt, every chip on the board.

If we have to do it slowly and deliberately, then we do it slowly and deliberately.

Let the wheels of justice turn at their own rate, and may they turn without stopping.

--d!

[ThomWV]

8. And tomorrow it will be 79 and next month it will be 109

This is no skin off Obama's butt and if Holder is somehow hogtied then somebody else has to do it. Delay in starting is inexucsable. What do you think they are doing - carefully planning to start? Hell, the planning is the start! So announce it and get the show moving.

[EFerrari]

9. Do you believe those "wheels" turn all on their own?

Or, because politicians are so justice starved that they put their shoulders to them?

Wake up. Nothing will happen unless we make it happen.