by Tina Grazier
Democratic Senator Charles Schumer is having a conniption fit over happenings at the Justice Department. He says it is becoming too political and has suggested that Attorney General Gonzales should step down. The flap is all about continuing pressure on the Bush administration, but lets humor him and take a look at the substance of his concerns. He asserts that Gonzales doesn’t accept or doesn’t understand that he is no longer just the president’s lawyer, but has a higher obligation to the rule of law and the constitution. What an arrogant condescending pretention to patriotism!
According to a Bloomberg article by Jesse Westbrook reporting on a Face the Nation appearance, the flap causing Schumer so much angst is as follows:
The Justice Department is facing an uproar in Congress over the firings last year of eight U.S. attorneys, with the majority Democrats questioning whether the Bush administration forced out the prosecutors to influence politically sensitive investigations.
For the sake of balance lets not forget that President Clinton fired ALL of the prosecutors in Justice upon taking officewas Schumer alarmed about that? Not that I recall. Schumer’s other Constitutional concern is more compelling; it involves our privacy:
the department’s inspector general released a report last week concluding that Federal Bureau of Investigation agents violated the privacy of U.S. citizens in collecting intelligence under provision of a law intended to fight terrorism.
Oh dearyou or I might have had our phone records collectedor even our conversations listened in ongosh, that is troubling. Or is it? Somehow my recent conversations about work, grandkids, a birthday party, or my friends recent knee injury just doesnt reach the same level of rights violation that say, sending government agents to surround my house in a siege lasting weeks and resulting in conflagration! Where were your concerns about our constitutional rights during the WACO incident, sir?
The Bush administration is fighting terrorism to protect Americans from disasters like 911. If tapping my phones helps in that fight then I, as a citizen of this great nation, am proud to assist the effort; its the least I can do. In contrast, I ask you, what was Janet Reno doing at WACO? Apparently, she wanted to question a man she suspected of child abuse; a man who often drove to town and could easily have been picked up on one of those occasions. She chose instead to wage a mini war, complete with tanks, on a private citizen in his home. Meanwhile, then President Bill Clinton when asked about it said, Youll have to ask Janet Reno, that was her deal. How very presidential! And how very concerned about the Constitution and the rights of American citizens…and IN PEACE TIME!
Were Senator Schumer grounded in principal, I might applaud him for being concerned. His obvious political gamesmanship in preference for democrat power over the concerns of the country and her people makes him unethical, untrustworthy, and a whole lot of other thingsperhaps he should step down! He too has a sworn duty to uphold the Constitution.