No, He Will Never Be Accused of Knowing Too Much

Justice is said to be blind, and it will likely be viewed as humane, perhaps, that Lady Liberty was wearing a blindfold today, of all days.

Blind, yes, but not unctuously unconscious

We speak of, of course, the Crony General, Michael "See/Hear/Speak No Evil" Mukasey.

Mukasey Won’t Pursue Charges in Hiring Inquiry

Mr. Mukasey also said it would be unfair, and possibly illegal, for the department to go back and reassign or dismiss those lawyers and other employees who were hired in part because they were seen as trusted conservatives. “Two wrongs do not make a right,” he said.

Holy Cow!

"Two wrongs do not make a right"

How about hundreds-of-thousands of wrongs, you know, like the entire span of the regime of the Bush Grindhouse?

Just how many of their wrongs does it take to make a wrong?

Alex, from Martini Revolution;

Got that? Mukasey is not going to prosecute the political hacks who violated the law and hired less qualified political cronies selected for their political views and loyalty to the GOP cause — sort of a retarded Fuhrer principle. And he’s going to protect the illegally-hired underqualified cronies and GOP loyalists, thereby insuring that the original objectives of the illegal scheme are enduring achievements, because they are now protected by the same Civil Service laws which their very hiring violated.

"Two wrongs do not make a right"

Mukasey didn't stop at the preschool cupboard of Mother Hubbard just for that one, he also tossed the bon mots of "But not every wrong, or even every violation of the law, is a crime" and that "Negative Publicity’ Is Sufficient Punishment".

Damn, if I ever get bagged for something, I hope the roll of the judicial dice nets me a judge with the moniker of "Tabloid Ted", and just get a couple of months of "Negative Publicity".

Digby, though, offers the sobering, depressing take-away on this;

"The Democrats have achieved the worst of both worlds: conservatives will pay no price for the blatant politicization of the government during the Bush administration and the Democrats will be powerless to clean house once the government is in their hands. That worked out well."

So, as often as we have done here on The Garlic, when it comes to the Bush Grindhouse, we fade out with a link to this tune.

Tonight, we ramp it up, with the icon of pure goodness, Doris Day, from the Hitchcock gem "The Man Who Knew Too Much" (the second Hitchcock make of this, from the 1950's).

'Que Sera Sera' in "The Man Who Knew Too Much"




And, if we want to read into this, using little Hank as a symbol for lost, and trapped, justice, unfortunately, just singing this song won't bring these crooks, these dwarfs, finks, phonies and frauds, to the proper accountability they deserve.

Ahhh, if only life was like the movies.


Bonus Injustice Department Riffs

Emptywheel: I Hate to Say I Told You So…

Larisa Alexandrovna: Mukasey is no Elliot Richardson...

D-Day: Enforce The Laws? Sorry, Not My Job

Kate Klonick: Mukasey to Bar Association: "The System Failed"

Steve Benen: Attorney General tells ABA: Not every crime is a crime

Pass The Word ... Mukasey Lies!

Was The Mukasy Vote Part Of That Rovian New Math?

Retro Garlic: Is Monica Goodling Just Like Batman?

Maybe it will take another day, or two.

Some Right Wing Freak Show blog, or publication - perhaps the Wall Street Journal, again - will run an essay comparing the newest Brokeback Batman, err, The Dark Knight, to Monica Goodling.

After all, in her Pat-Robertson-educated mind, she was fighting for the American Way.

She could be equally tough and ruthless, coming out with The Commander Guy's "You're either with us, or against us" ethos, asking prospective Justice Department hirees "What Is It About GWB That Makes You Want to Serve Him?"

Oh boy, is that a loaded question ...

(Knowing, during the Bush Regime, the Republicans healthy, lusty carnal appetites, I wonder if anyone answered that question with "the twins")

So, you ask, why is this Lady Injustice back in the news again?

Well, yesterday, The Justice Department's Office of the Inspector General and Office of Professional Responsibility released findings on the investigation of how Crony General Alberto Gonzales, and his cronies Monica Goodling and Kyle Sampson, stacked the deck at the Justice Department (turning it into the Injustice Department), by skewing the hiring, dumping qualified candidates because they didn't Goose Step to the Bush Grindhouse, and hiring lame GOP lackeys for career positions.

In sum, we concluded that the evidence showed that Goodling violated both federal law and Department policy, and therefore committed misconduct, when she considered political or ideological affiliations in hiring decisions for candidates for career positions within the Department. In particular, the evidence showed that she considered political or ideological affiliations in deciding several waiver requests from interim U.S. Attorneys, in promoting several candidates for career positions, and in disapproving a candidate for an EOUSA career SES position

Yeah, I know, another "I'm shocked, shocked to find gambling going on here ..."

It may become easier to line up all the people, all of them, who worked in, and for, the Bush Grindhouse the past eight-years, and ask whoever hasn't broken the law, violated the Constitution and otherwise went about their work completely unethically, to take one step forward.

You could probably count them on one hand.

Now, one would think of the terrible scandal, the hours of hearings, followed up by indictments, trials and perp-walks to jail, however, you only need to remember that it is the 110th Congress in session, so, likely, this will slowly fade away, no trials, no jailbirds, just quietly falling off Nancy Pelosi's infamous table.

Anyway, the Retro Part;

Top Ten Cloves: If Monica Goodling's Wedding Plays Out Like Her Last Job


Bonus Lady Injustice Links

Larisa Alexandrovna: Speaking of Monica "The Good American" Goodling... did you know...

John Cole: Crooks

Think Progress: Goodling ‘frowned’ when applicant said he admired Condi Rice: ‘But she’s pro-choice.’

Greg Palast: Palast Exclusive: The Goods on Goodling and the Keys to the Kingdom

Maybe He Should Try Monster.Com ...

I could while away the hours
Conferrin' with the flowers
Consultin' with the rain
And my head, I'd be scratchin'
While my thoughts were busy hatchin'
If I only had a job.

I'd unravel ev'ry riddle
For any individ'le
In trouble or in pain

With the thoughts you'd be thinkin'
You could be another Lincoln,
If you only had a job.

Oh, I could tell you why
The ocean's near the shore,
I could think of things I never thunk before
And then I'd sit and think some more.

I would not be just a nuffin'
My head all full of stuffin'
My heart all full of pain.
I would dance and be merry
Life would be a ding-a-derry
If I only had a job--Whoa!

Well, Alberto Gonzales's head may well just be full of straw, being he sure as hell didn't show much, if any, smarts while he was the Crony General.

Let's see ... The Commander Guy (and Cheney) made all his decisions, and Karl Rove, essentially, ran the Injustice Department, so "Fredo" was, basically, an extremely well-paid hat rack.

And, it still causes a shudder to think, at one point in time, he was being touted for the Supreme Court!

What prompts this additional scorn (not that any particular reason is really needed) on the former Crony General?

It is a delicious sentence in the NYT article today ("In Searching for New Job, Gonzales Sees No Takers") on the trials and tribulations of post-Crony General life;

What makes Mr. Gonzales’s case extraordinary is that former attorneys general, the government’s chief lawyer, are typically highly sought.

Man, that's pretty bad.

How many other nitwit henchman have vamoosed the Bush Grindhouse, only to land in fat cat jobs?

I mean, even Fox News hasn't picked him up!

Wow, he really a sorry-ass case.

Cliff Schecter, in his post "Alberto Gonzales can’t get arrested" cites "I guess lying under oath and helping to destroy what was once a thriving democracy just didn’t pay off, huh Gonzo?"

And Jeff Fecke, over on Shakeville, relishes the karma in his "Alberto Gonzales Will Work for Food", but does offer Fredo a good tip on finding work.

More from the NYT article;

Despite those credentials, he left office last August with a frayed reputation over his role in the dismissal of several federal prosecutors and the truthfulness of his testimony about a secret eavesdropping program. He has had no full-time job since his resignation, and his principal income has come from giving a handful of talks at colleges and before private business groups.

The greatest impediment to Mr. Gonzales’s being offered the kind of high-salary job being snagged these days by lesser Justice Department officials, many lawyers agree, is his performance during his last few months in office. In that period, he was openly criticized by lawmakers for being untruthful in his sworn testimony. His conduct is being investigated by the Office of the Inspector General of the Justice Department, which could recommend actions from exonerating him to recommending criminal charges. Friends set up a fund to help pay his legal bills.

Yesiree Bob, nothing closes the deal like telling your prospective employer that you may need some time off, because you're likely to be indicted.

Doesn't some conservative, or some Right Wing Freak Show person need a new hat rack?

Bonus Fredo Follies

"He aggressively and successfully pursued public corruption ..."

Top Ten Cloves: How It Would Be Different If Alberto Gonzales Was The Head of March Madness

Alberto Gonzales Sings 'Justice For Sale'

Good Post Alert - Larisa Alexandrovna's "Mississippi Justice: Bush US Attorney targeted my wife, supporters and friends"

Here's yet another glimpse of the Bush Grindhouse justice system

Larisa Alexandrovna, over on The Raw Story, has a great piece today, of some serious shenanigans that played out down in Mississippi

Mississippi Justice: Bush US Attorney targeted my wife, supporters and friends

Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Oliver Diaz Jr. was indicted in 2003 on charges relating to his receipt of a loan guarantee from trial lawyer Paul Minor - a personal friend and the largest Democratic donor in Mississippi - to help defray campaign debts. A Bush-appointed US Attorney, Dunnica Lampton, brought charges of bribery against Diaz, Minor and two other Mississippi judges. Diaz was acquitted of all those charges... Within days of his acquittal, Diaz was indicted for a second time. He was again acquitted.

Normally, a criminal investigation begins after a crime is committed," Diaz told me. "Investigators are sent out to gather evidence and a list of suspects is drawn up. Sometimes an investigation is begun after a complaint is made about suspicious activity. In our case neither of these things occurred."

"In other words," he continued. "An individual was singled out for examination from the federal government and prosecutors then attempted to make his conduct fit into some criminal statute. This is not how our system of justice is supposed to operate."

More of Karl Rove's vision of an America under Republican Majority

Check it out, it's a great interview.


Bonus Links

Good Posts Alert - Larisa Alexandrovna's "The Permanent Republican Majority"

Larisa Alexandrovna: Alabama Democrats are Under Attack

This Is Huge! ... Siegalman Released On Appeal!

Larisa Alexandrovna: Alabama Democrats are Under Attack

This is getting beyond ridiculous!

The Injustice Department has already bagged one Democrat Governor, and may be setting their sights on a second, and now this screaming news from Larisa Alexandrovna;

Alabama Democrats are Under Attack

"Now for the latest nightmare - the brown-shirts arrive. Honestly, this is so unreal, I have no words (emphasis mine):

"Montgomery, AL - Alabama Democratic Party Executive Director Jim Spearman today called into question the method by which U.S. Marshals attempted to serve legislators subpoenas to appear to testify in a grand jury proceeding. Reporters were apparently tipped off by calls stating U.S. Marshals were coming to the Alabama Statehouse to serve some legislators. "The drama surrounding these actions and the U.S.

Department of Justice's disruption of a legislative session for the routine serving of a summons to appear in court sends a poor signal to Alabama citizens who are already complaining about partisan political interference into the federal prosecution of former Democratic Governor Don Siegelman," says Spearman.

These ladies and gentlemen have not been charged with a crime and could have been served by other means in their local communities, not in Montgomery during a legislative session in front of TV cameras and reporters." Spearman stated. State law actually prohibits serving members of the legislature while they are in session. Section 29-1-7 of the Alabama Code protects members from this kind of action by U.S. Marshals yesterday. In fact, the Marshals could have violated this law by their disruption of the session and have been charged with a misdemeanor."

Larisa has been all over what's going on in Alabama and you can catch up on the Siegelman Case here

So has Scott Horton, over at Harpers


And for the primer ...

The Permanent Republican Majority Part I

The Permanent Republican Majority Part II

The Permanent Republican Majority Part III

Top Ten Cloves: If Monica Goodling's Wedding Plays Out Like Her Last Job

News Item: Breaking: Monica Goodling Is Engaged!

10. In unusual step, the DOJ is notifying all Government contractors of Goodlings' Wedding Registry

9. Reception will be in a Congressional Hearing Room motif

8. Pat Robertson will offer one of his special blessings for the couple

7. All emails about the wedding will be sent "directly up to Goodling and outside the system"

6. Justice of the Peace who will perform ceremony got licensed from Regent College

5. Goodling not sure if she will say "I Do", or plead the 5th Amendment

4. Goodling had Barbara Comstock do a thorough "opposition research" on her prospective husband

3. Bridesmaids and ushers will be chosen strictly along party affiliation

2. Alberto Gonzales will pull her aside, before the wedding, to talk to her about what to say during the wedding

1. Karl Rove is planning the whole thing!


Bonus Monica/DOJ Riffs

Think Progress: Monica Goodling engaged to conservative blogger

Attaturk/FDL: Just Perfect for Marching to Wagner Together

Dana Milbank: Monica's Own Monica Problem

"He aggressively and successfully pursued public corruption ..."

Alberto Gonzales Sings 'Justice For Sale'


Here's Monica, practicing for her ring fitting

Mukasey Plays The Card ... So, Pelosi, We Need That Table - Now!

Well, the new Crony General might as well had a brass band playing behind him.

Crony General Michael Mukasey, and this was real big of him, let the House Judiciary Committee know today that - Surprise, Surprise - he has no intentions of opening criminal investigations on the Bush Grindhouse, for their admitted torture of detainees or their illegal wiretapping.

The reason?

The Department of Injustice signed off on the practices as LEGAL!

That being the previous Crony General, and the handpicked henchman, the Bush Grindhouse stocked it with.

Duh!

Didn't Woody Allen do a film like this? ... The Marx Brothers?

From David Kurtz, over on TalkingPointsMemo;

"It is as brazen a defense of the unitary executive as anything put forward by the Administration in the last seven years, and it comes from an attorney general who was supposed to be not just a more professional, but a more moderate, version of Alberto Gonzales (Thanks to Democrats like Dianne Feinstein and Chuck Schumer for caving on the Mukasey nomination.).

President Bush has now laid down his most aggressive challenge to the very constitutional authority of Congress. It is a naked assertion of executive power. The founders would have called it tyrannical. His cards are now all on the table. This is no bluff."

Steve Benen, from The Carpetbagger Report, notes in his Mukasey to honor the ‘get out of jail free’ card the administration gave itself "I’m fairly certain impeachment was developed for situations like these."

Hear that Harry Reid?

Hear that Nancy Pelosi?

Think you can, Nancy, dig up that table you so callously tossed aside, to put an end to this madness?

If not, it's still out there for anyone that wants to save this country, The Garlic laid it out last July, and it's still a good deal;

Happy 4th of July ... Okay, It May Be Down To This .... Citizen's Arrest!

Help Me Mr. Wizard!


More Mukasey Treason

dday from Hullabaloo: If The President Does It, Then It's Not Illegal

emptywheel: Mukasey Refuses to Say Whether He Was Instructed Not to Enforce Subpoenas

Justice Dept. 'Cannot' Probe Waterboarding, Mukasey Says













Hmmm ... Did Mukasey get the thick, bulging envelope up-front, or does he get it on the way out, after the job is complete?

What If Spartacus Ran The Justice Department? ...The Bush administration's dumbest legal arguments of the year

Today's a day where you can expect to be bombarded by "Year-End" lists, and such, growing out of newspapers, magazines and the World Wide Web like The Blob.

However, we have a keeper for you.

Dahlia Lithwick, a Slate senior editor, has compiled a most entertaining accounting of the the Bush Grindhouse's Injustice Department, and the Crony General, with her "Legal Fictions: The Bush administration's dumbest legal arguments of the year."

And, in all likelihood, Ms. Lithwick will have a killer list again next year, being the Crony General has been replaced with the "See-No Evil-Hear-No-Evil-Speak-No-Evil" Mukasey.

Read "The Bush administration's dumbest legal arguments of the year."

Bonus Links

Dahlia Lithwick: The Bill of Wrongs - The 10 most outrageous civil liberties violations of 2006

Top Ten Cloves: How It Would Be Different If Alberto Gonzales Was The Head of March Madness

Alberto Gonzales Sings 'Justice For Sale'


Justice Icon, or just a picture of another Bush Torture practice?

And, In The Double-Take Department ...

Gonzales Named Lawyer Of The Year

Yeah! ... When I stumbled on this a few days ago it was definitely a "WTF!"

A quick thought also flashed, could the Bush Grindhouse have also rigged this vote?

According to the Associated Press;

The monthly magazine gave the awards to lawyers who made the most news, said editor and publisher Edward A. Adams.

"Think about Time magazine's Person of the Year," Adams said in an interview. "In years past they've named people like Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin. So we're not suggesting by these awards that these are the best lawyers in any sense of the word. We are saying they are the most newsworthy — and perhaps also the best."

Most newsworthy?

What an understatement!

I expect, in years to come, the name "Crony General Alberto Gonzales" will be listed in dictionaries, under the word "corruption" and, perhaps, double-dipping with the word "incompetent".

The kids from 'Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead' could have run a better Justice Department than Fredo.

By all accounts, it would appear Gonzales (well, really Cheney, Addington and Yoo) took and twisted Donald Rumsfield's philosophical gem and applied it to the Crony General's office;

"You don't govern the country with the laws you have ... You govern it with the laws you might want, or make up at a later time ..."

Bonus Fredo

Coleen Rowley: The Law School Commencement Speech that Alberto Gonzales Did Not Give

Eugene Robinson: Gonzales's Signature Moment

Cold Body Assoc. Denounces Gonzales For Finger-Pointing, Break In Tradition; "Blaming McNulty At This Point In Time Is Scurrilous"; CBA Membership Upset, Fears Could Be "Open Season" On Scapegoats

Top Ten Cloves: How It Would Be Different If Alberto Gonzales Was The Head of March Madness

Alberto Gonzales Sings 'Justice For Sale'