Much more on this later, but for now, let's not get too
carried away in assessing this matter of the Justice Department's
replacement of eight U.S. Attorneys. The problem with the reporting
and commentary so far is that all sides seem to be failing to
distinguish case from case. The usual lefty suspects and their
mainstream media fellow travelers are yelling for the scalp of
everybody at Justice and in the White House, and the usual
conservatives are rushing to defend everybody involved. Hold on,
everybody. Take a deep breath. Don't paint with too broad a brush.
Some people at the White House screwed up, others didn't. Some
people at Justice screwed up, others didn't. Some of the U.S.
Attorneys merited replacement, while others didn't. And at least
one of the replacements, Tim Griffin of Arkansas by way of the
Bush-Rove White House, has been pilloried in an utterly unfair
manner, when in truth he is a tremendous public servant. (Full
disclaimer: I have known Tim for about 12 years and consider him a
friendly acquaintance, but obviously not a close one because I
haven't spoken to him for almost two years and have never spent
much time with him. I have double-checked my judgment on him with
several other knowledgeable people, and closely perused his resume,
just to make sure I am not letting that friendly acquaintance cloud
my judgment. The truth is that his OBJECTIVE qualifications speak
for themselves, and speak well.) Anyway, please watch this web site
for a much fuller report by me by week's end. For now, though,
let's say this: Some people who have not yet lost their jobs over
this "scandal" probably deserve to lose their jobs. Others are
being made to take a fall that may not be quite fair. But despite
what the lefties say, "scandal" is too strong a word for most of
what happened. Stupidity and asininity on some parts, yes, and
serious idiocy and jerkiness with regard to the treatment of at
least one of the U.S. Attorneys who was replaced (i.e., wrongly
replaced). But this pales in comparison with the absolute scandal
of the Clintons firing all 93 U.S. Attorneys at once in 1993, which
drew almost no comment, much less outrage, from the "mainstream"
(i.e. leftward biased) media.
More Thursday or Friday. GOOD stuff.
topics:
Mainstream Media
