John Dean: 'That this must have been a White House-orchestrated operation: That fact is now clear.'

[seafan]

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales's "Reconfirmation Hearings": Why, In the End, They Will Change Nothing

By John Dean
April 20, 2007

.....

Senator Charles Schumer (D.NY) toward the end of the proceeding told Gonzales that his continued evasive answers - there were over 100 questions to which he claim he could not recall the answer - left a clear impression on the Senator: Since no one in the Department of Justice could explain how some of the names got on the list of U.S. Attorneys to be fired, he could only conclude that this must have been a White House- orchestrated operation. I think this fact has become clear.

Some of the most important and revealing information during this hearing did not come from Gonzales, but rather from the newest member of the committee, freshman Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D.RI). Senator Whitehouse is the former Attorney General of Rhode Island, and a former U.S. Attorney. He thus understands well how the Justice Department should operate, and how it actually is operating.

In a premise to a question for Gonzales, Senator Whitehouse said he had found correspondence in the files of the Senate Judiciary Committee from the days when Orrin Hatch was chairman relating to an investigation of the relationship between the Clinton White House and the Justice Department (under Attorney General Janet Reno). Hatch was concerned about the independence of the Department of Justice, so he wanted to know who in the White House could speak with whom in the Justice Department. The correspondence showed that four people in the White House (the President, Vice President, chief of staff, and White House counsel) could speak with three people in the Justice Department (the Attorney General, the Deputy Attorney and the Associate Attorney General) - period.

Senator Whitehouse discovered - and created a chart to make the point - that in the Bush White House, a shocking 417 people could speak with 30 different people in the Justice Department. It was a jaw-dropper. As Chairman Leahy said, when he asked Senator Whitehouse to continue when his time expired, in his thirty years on the Judiciary Committee, he had never seen anything like the open contacts from the White House to the Justice Department that had occurred in the Bush Administration.

Gonzales really had no response when asked about this subject. But this information shows that, in this Administration, the Department of Justice has become a mere political appendage of the White House. (I have a number of friends who are career professionals at the Department of Justice, and since Gonzales arrived, they have said that morale at the department has tanked, for they all feel the politicization of the place, and they do not like it. Many of these gifted, experienced professionals are leaving, which will hurt the Department, the government, and ultimately all of us.)

.....

Notwithstanding the lack of support Gonzales has in the Congress, and the damage he is causing the Bush Administration, he is not going to resign, and Bush is not going to fire him. Rather, Bush is going to, in effect, create a new, and far lower, standard for acceptable conduct by attorneys general. Bush is openly embracing the "Peter Principle" - the management theory that says that, as people within an organization advance to their highest level of competence, they will then be further promoted to, and remain at, a level at which they are incompetent. This has clearly occurred with Alberto Gonzales.

.....

As a former Department of Justice official, I find what Bush and Gonzales are doing to this once proud and independent department quite sad.

[Blue_In_AK]

1. I love John Dean.

He always nails it.

[bleever]

2. Me too.

K&R. Big time.

[spindrifter]

3. I have to disagree with John Dean on this one.

What * and Gonzales are doing to the DOJ is not sad, it is unconscionable. Earlier today on firedoglake there was a pdf link to an anonymous letter sent to the judiciary committee by career staff at the DOJ, pointing out the way even the entry points to Justice through the summer intern program were being screwed with by the politicos. Instead of accepting recommendations of the various screening committees, they were rejecting any candidate who had any faint aroma of Democratic or liberal ties. The prevailing view was that rather than taking outstanding students, they preferred even bottom-half of the class people if they came from Harvard or Yale.
Remember a couple of years ago when someone from DOJ--a career staffer--was complaining that the Civil Rights section was languishing with no one being placed there when attorneys resigned?
The real point of the Anonymous Career Attorneys was that the DOJ doesn't belong to the WH. It doesn't belong to the political party in power at the moment. It belongs to the American people.

We are the ones who bear the responsibillity for seeing that the Department of Justice lives up to its name. It is not simply called the Office of the Prosecutor, for Chrissake. It is the Department of JUSTICE.

[WiseButAngrySara]

13. Here is the link from firedoglake. The pdf file can be read there...

http://www.speaker.gov/blog/?p=262
The opening excerpt:

Dear Messrs. Chairman,

Many of us in the Department of Justice have been watching with admiration as you expose the overly political firing of United States Attorneys and hope that you can help in returning our beloved Department to of establishing justice in the United States. We are equally concerned, however, about the politicizing of the non-political ranks of Justice employees, offices which are consistently and methodically being eroded by partisan politics.

Many employees within the Department’s litigating divisions are sitting quietly by, hoping that you will investigate what has happened to the Attorney General’s Honors Program and even the Summer Law Intern Program (SLIP). You are surely aware that the Attorney General’s Honors Program has a long history of hiring top students from a variety of law schools, and it is the only way that young lawyers are able to come into the Department immediately after law school. This year the divisions once again pored over applications and resumes, choosing students to interview who demonstrated not only excellent grades but a real interest in the areas of law they might be hired to work in. After choosing potential candidates to interview, the division personnel forwarded their lists to the Office of Attorney Recruitment Management for what was traditionally final approval. This is no longer a final step, however, because the list had to go higher - to the Office of the Deputy Attorney General. When the list of potential interviewees was returned this year, it had been cut dramatically.

The letter then goes on to describe confusion and consternation within the divisions, and ultimately a meeting that was demanded by staff, in which Michael Ellston, Chief of Staff to Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty, “was offensive to the point of insulting” in addressing the concerns. (Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty has also testified regarding the firings of the US Attorneys.) Ellston attributed the removals from the interviewee lists to “spelling errors” and other such technical problems. The letter continues from there:

When division personnel staff later compared the remaining interviewees with the candidates struck form the list, one common denominator appeared repeatedly: most of those struck form the list had interned for a Hill Democrat, clerked for a Democratic judge, worked for a “liberal” cause, or otherwise appeared to have “liberal” leanings. Summa cum laude graduates of both Yale and Harvard were rejected for interviews.

The letter discusses further problems with the hirings, and adds that there are ample email records of the meeting that could be obtained. It concludes:

While the current political appointees repeatedly remind everyone that the U.S. Attorneys “serve at the pleasure of the President,” the Department’s career attorneys serve the people of the United States. We hope you will see fit to include this politicizing of the career ranks in your questioning of Attorney General Gonzales and his staff.
Thank you.

[Faygo Kid]

25. No wonder Gonzales is called "Fredo" - The real AG is Karl Rove

Gonzales is clearly nothing more than a water carrier - a hack at best. Karl Rove has been running the show, as it is imperative that millions of voters be disenfranchised for this crew to remain in power (yes, remain). Rigging the voting machines is too risky long term. This is much bigger than just Gonzales.

[yardwork]

39. I agree with you. This is all about stealing and suppressing votes.

I think that a lot of Democrats and progressives are still in denial about the extent of the crisis that we face. Gore Vidal refers to the "coup" that took place when bush was appointed in 2000.

These people - relatively small number of multinational businesses and politicos - seek nothing less than total domination of the global market. They will stop at nothing to get it.

[napi21]

4. Dean is right! So what questions can we ask the 08 candidates

to make sure this action doesn't continue? THAT'S what we should be thinking about.

[EVDebs]

22. Will the Lam investigation continue ? Will you pursue obstruction of justice charges against

the Bush administration ?

"It's all part of a growing ongoing investigation into corruption in defense and intelligence contracts, which already has sent former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham to prison and, legal sources say, may threaten others in Congress and the CIA. "

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12634250/

...and will you be investigating Ptech's software in the DOJ, WH, and DOE etc ?

Notable clientele
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptech

[frogcycle]

45. Too little too late

if in fact it is all about stealing elections, which I believe is a huge part of it, then they will win, and it does not matter what you asked the '08 candidates. Because whomever the pugs end up nominating will be one of them, and it WILL continue.

This cancer has to be excised before '08. The investigations of every aspect of this administration need to continue apace, and sufficient probable cause to arrest the lot of them must be unearthed.

I am not kidding. I did not know Gore Vidal called it a coup - but I have been calling it that for years. Only it did not start in 2000 - it started in the late fifties. It has had fits and starts, first when Nixon lost to JFK, then when he botched Watergate. Reagan/Bush I made great strides in furthering their agenda, with broad deregulation, tax cuts and huge deficits. Clinton was an annoying interruption whom they hounded mercilessly in effort to keep him from getting much done while they groomed the chimpster to be their puppet, and got serious about disabling this annoying tendency for the people to elect other than their puppets. It took a huge leap forward when 9/11 happened. I continue to be highly skeptical of the 9/11 "inside job" claims, but damn, that sure worked out well for them. They sure "seized the moment."

People, we are at war. Our country is being (has been?) stolen from us from within, and there are some 300 million suckers still thinking about selecting the right candidate, playing by the rules.

Go get 'em Harry Reid! Go get 'em Nancy Pelosi! Go get 'em Henry Waxman! Go get 'em Patrick Leahy!

Keep the pressure on everywhere you can, keep turning the screws, and something will crack.

My fondest dream is to see kkkarl rove behind bars. Hell, if we can get him for treason I'll beg to be the one who throws the switch.

[ms liberty]

5. K&R n/t

[young_at_heart]

6. The AG of the US and the Peter Principle? How sad for our country

Every day we have to wake up and feel such negative emotions about what has happened to our country. You say to yourself that it can't get worse, but it does.

[hang a left]

7. THanks for the article.

Well Mr. Dean has weighed in.

I agree Abu is not going anywhere.

The real pressing question I have is how is this going to be corrected before the 08s. We know the plan. We know the swing states that they are targeting. Tortuales said himself in the hearing that they were NOT going to retract the replacements. I am at a loss as to how the national election will be protected. I certainly don't want a "selected" dem candidate or president. There are 26 Senators up for re-election, I would like to see the dems have a heartier majority. This is the problem that needs to be addressed STAT!! We can put them all in jail later.

[IChing]

8. IS IT FASCISM YET?

I wish he understood that,

Great piece of writing, but it is hardly the Peter's Principle.
It is worse, it is like you have the nazi hacks running the war
and pillaging the art work of the world knowing that the time up.


The partisans are organizing and are not asleep any longer.

It is the fascist you are dealing with
not Peter or his principle, they think the masses
are sheep.

[MN ChimpH8R]

12. John Dean gets it

He's written an entire book about the authoritarianism of the modern right. It's called "Conservatives Without Conscience." He gets it just fine.

[salin]

48. That is such an important piece of work - I wish more and more people

would read, or listen (books on tape) to that book.

[pberq]

26. It's been fascisim for years now - hard to decide exactly when it started

Maybe it was December 2000 - the day the Supreme Court stole the election for Bush.

[seafan]

30. December 12, 2000 will forever be the day We The People became subjects.

And these right wing ideological-worshiping zealots, along with their vain and petulant king, have no intention of relinquishing power.

[ProudDad]

46. It started in November of 1968

And has grown in momentum and virulence.

[Cleita]

9. This is beyond Peter Principle incompetence. It's

deliberate and criminal stacking of the DOJ with Bush hacks.

[Dudley_DUright]

27. I agree Cleita

I read the Peter Principle in HS, and BushCo is not a good example. BushCo is more akin to the Mafia, where loyalty to the "Don" and a few choice criminal actions are all you need to advance.

[The Wizard]

49. At least the Mafia

has a code of honor. I would sooner trust the Mafia to run things in a democratic fashion than the power hungry zealots known as Republicans. Let's face it, there's no nice way to say Nazi.

[Mme. Defarge]

31. It's not the Peter Principle at all.

The Peter Principle has a certain objective and formulaic, though flawed, logic to it. Employees with various levels of competence being promoted, because they have been successful in their work, until promoted to positions where they are no longer capable of being effective. The intent, though misguided, is essentially benign.

What is happening in the Justice Department, where people are selected solely on the basis of loyalty to the Bush regime, and where professional competency is simply not a selection criterion, doesn't, in my view, fit Peter Principle model. The intent in this case is 100% malevolent.

[Gloria]

10. I have the overwhelming feeling that the entire country is simply

disintegrating around me. Anybody else?

[Maccagirl]

14. No, Gloria, it's not just you

:cry:

[snappyturtle]

19. Yes, Gloria I feel the same way.

The best analogy I can think of: It's being in a leaky lifeboat in the middle of the ocean with no way to plug the leaks,no life jackets and sharks circling the boat! The situation we find ourselves today started a l-o-n-g time ago, imho, for the maize of problems to exist as they do....it's a real time soap opera with no good ending in sight.

[Mme. Defarge]

32. Moi aussi -- i.e.

Yup!

[WiseButAngrySara]

11. B* himself is a perfect example of The Peter Principle... except

he was never at any level of what should have been considered competent. I love John Dean too. He is in grief over the current state of affairs, as we all are.

K & R.

[Mme. Defarge]

34. I respectfully disagree

per my previous post.

[enough]

15. k&r

[WiseButAngrySara]

16. WOW! 35 Rec's but few kicks. Another kick for the a.m. crowd. ....n/t

[Martin Eden]

17. "Department of Justice has become a mere political appendage of the White House"

THAT is what these hearings have to make abundantly clear.

The gross politicization of the DOJ perverts the rule of law upon which our nation was founded.

[malaise]

20. Bingo n/t

[EVDebs]

23. See post #22. It all protects the "others" in the GOP and CIA

who are benefitting from The Octopus, a moniker that describes what Danny Casolaro and Gary Webb were investigating.

[illinoisprogressive]

18. Thank goodness for John Dean!

[SaveOurDemocracy]

21. Sen. Whitehouse and his charts told the tale...

:grr:

...In a premise to a question for Gonzales, Senator Whitehouse said he had found correspondence in the files of the Senate Judiciary Committee from the days when Orrin Hatch was chairman relating to an investigation of the relationship between the Clinton White House and the Justice Department (under Attorney General Janet Reno). Hatch was concerned about the independence of the Department of Justice, so he wanted to know who in the White House could speak with whom in the Justice Department. The correspondence showed that four people in the White House (the President, Vice President, chief of staff, and White House counsel) could speak with three people in the Justice Department (the Attorney General, the Deputy Attorney and the Associate Attorney General) - period.

Senator Whitehouse discovered - and created a chart to make the point - that in the Bush White House, a shocking 417 people could speak with 30 different people in the Justice Department. It was a jaw-dropper. As Chairman Leahy said, when he asked Senator Whitehouse to continue when his time expired, in his thirty years on the Judiciary Committee, he had never seen anything like the open contacts from the White House to the Justice Department that had occurred in the Bush Administration....

After watching Hatch coddle Gonzo, and even state that he suspected the motives of other committee members who continued to press for REAL, FACTUAL answers ... all I can say is ...OH, THE HYPOCRICY!!

[dragonlady]

33. It has been said that Hatch wants to be the next attorney general

Assuming Bush would fire Gonzales, Hatch wants to be nice to Gonzales so he won't seem to be piling on the guy he wants to replace. I think he was the only Republican on the committee who was overtly favorable to the poor schlemiel.

[The Wizard]

50. When will the Hatch

closet be opened? Does Hatch have a secret NAMBLA membership?

[GeorgeGist]

24. If their true intent ...

is to destroy confidence in government, they are a "Catastrophic Success".

[peacetalksforall]

28. John Dean is being too careful to call this the Peter Principle.

To all DUers outside the U.S. Please tell everyone you know that the United States of America does not practice democracy. We only export it.

Bush - worst President
Cheney - worst President
Gonzales - worst Atty Genl
and on and on

Shameless.

[Mme. Defarge]

35. Mais certainment!

And it is by design. Although the power brokers who installed this regime may have hoped that the administrations incompetency and failures would not be so apparent to the majority of Americans (the majority of the world, actually), Bush and Gonzolas are faithfully following their marching orders. This is why neither will back down because of public pressure -- public perception and opinion simply doesn't matter.

[Name removed]

29. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[LiberalFighter]

36. Correction needed: Per the graph there are 42 in DOJ that were contacts

[Gloria]

37. Judgment at Nuremberg is on TCM right now....I just saw

Richard Widmark as the US army lawyer read from a manifesto from Adolf Hitler.....about being able to arrest anyone, without cause and without telling anyone where the person has gone...

Sound familiar??

I think I'm going to be sick...I've felt sick for years, though, so it's nothing new....

[IWantAChange]

38. Gonzo has ascended to a level of competence comparable w/the Chimp - the BOTTOM

[Lord Balto]

40. The Real Nightmare

Dick Cheney had a heart attack and died six months ago. His fewer and fewer public duties are now being performed by a double originally chosen as a security stand-in. George Bush is now clinically insane and is kept locked up in the basement of the White House where he is occasionally drugged and released to make speeches and public appearances during which he appears to be, well, drugged and insane. The Executive Branch of the government of the United States is now fully in the hands of "M. C." Rove and the Turd Blossums. The only thing that currently prevents a military coup d'etat is Rove's promise to cut off and eat the balls of any general who attempts to overthrow him. Condolezza Rice has a radio controlled bomb up her ass controlled by Rove which he has threatened to detonate if she attempts to explain the true situation in Washington to any of her diplomatic contacts while abroad. Rove is currently considering having plastic surgery and voice box alteration to make him look and sound like Rudolf Giuliani, upon which he will have the real Giuliani fitted for concrete overshoes, stage a fake assassination by a Korean exchange student, and then run for president on the Republican ticket. He will, of course, steal the election with the aid of his wingnut appointments to the Supreme Court.

[Raksha]

43. That scenario doesn't sound all that far out these days.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[The Wizard]

51. That explains

the look on Rice's face. The old sodomy bomb is ticking in her.............

[Raksha]

41. All roads lead to Rove, huh?

I even made that up myself! :)

[epppie]

42. Won't resign, won't be fired:

let him be impeached.

[jazzjunkysue]

44. Save Alberto! Hurry!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=723493&mesg_id=723493

[ProudDad]

47. The epitome of the Peter Principle

is the pResident of the WHite House.

That prick DEFINES incompetence.

He's about 8 levels above his Peter Plateau.

His competence peaked when he sat his fat ass on a seat at Texas Stadium and shilled for the Rangers. He's been completely incompetent in EVERY other position before or since.