Spector -v- Gonzales

You may have understood this part of the U.S. Attorneys firing scandal , before I did.

In firing the U.S. attorneys, Gonzales was relying on a new provision in the amended Patriot Act, which gives the Attorney General the right to fill vacancies in the U.S. attorney roster permanently. The previous law, I guess, was that U.S. attorneys were appointed either with the advise and consent of the Senate, or leastways, with the approval of the Senator from the attorneys home state (the Senator of the President's political party).

Apparently, Arlen Spector was talked into sneaking the new provision on Attorney General appointments into the Patriot Act. And whatever the Administration told him 18 months ago, it was unlikely that Gonzales told Spector that in order to "fill" vacancies, the Bushies would "create" vacancies. Like the one in Little Rock, where the new U.S. Attorney is a political operative for Karl Rove. His first priority, one would assume, would be to dig up dirt on Hillary.

It was unlikely that Gonzalez clued Spector into the thing that is probably making him madder than anything else. The Patriot Act amendment diminished the power of U.S. Senators.

That's why Arlen gave Alberto such a huge public spanking, and sent him to bed without any supper.

I assume business as usual will resume soon.

It wouldn't surprise me if all the other U.S. attorneys were fired solely to create a diversion for what was going on in Little Rock. That part of the Karl Rove scheme still hasn't backfired.

Just as the Republicans learned earlier in the week in the Scooter Libby verdict, they are learning again now.

Obstruction of Justice pays huge dividends. The Attorney General is not much interested in the rule of law. Neither it seems, is anyone else.