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(Photo via Still Burning.)
There may be legitimate reasons why Brett Tolman isn't in prison; I'm not sure. But there are certainly none that would explain why he is still the U.S. Attorney for Utah. Yes, another U.S. Attorney — but one, unlike crimebusters Carol Lam, David Iglesias, John McKay, etc — that wasn't fired. In fact, if not for Mr. Tolman none of them would have been fired. But that goes back to his old job when he was a staffer for Arlen Specter at the time when Specter was chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Tolman was a counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee when they were reauthorizing the so-called "Patriot Act" in 2005-06. He reported to Snarlin' Arlen — or at least that is what Specter believed. Specter was unaware of the Bush Regime's tight-knit "Mormon Mafia" operated by Karl Rove at the heart of the U.S. government. He learned the hard way.
One night, before passage of the bill, Tolman surreptitiously inserted a paragraph into the legislation that basically removed Senate oversight and approval of replacements for U.S. Attorneys. Tolman didn't ask Specter and didn't tell Specter or, as far as we know, any other senators. He just snuck it into the bill and none of them knew they were voting for that provision. Is that embarrassing, or what? I think so. And I think it plays a role in why the senators have been pretty mum on this episode. And what made it worse is that the Senate unanimously approved Bush's nomination of Tolman, soon after… as U.S. Attorney for Utah!
When Specter finally did discover he had been duped by Tolman and tried to get to the bottom of it, all he was told was that Tolman had acted on behalf of the Justice Department! No names. The question remains, did Rove tell Tolman to do it directly or did he use Gonzales as his messenger boy?
Today it was revealed that the Saudis have turned their backs on BushCo. That leaves one base of support, the Mormons, right? Well… not so fast. Utah may be the reddest of the red states– and the lowest information state anywhere — but even there things are turning around a bit. A poll in the Salt Lake City Tribune has some bad news for the Bush Regime. Like the Saudis, the Mormons have about had it with Bush's disastrous war and catastrophic occupation of Iraq.
In the survey, just 44 percent of those identifying themselves as Mormon said they backed Bush's war management. That's a level considerably higher than Bush gets from Utah's non-Mormon population and the nation at large, but it's also a 21 percentage point drop from just five months earlier…. Such abrupt moves in group opinion are uncommon. Pollsters say numbers generally move gradually, unless "spooked" by something.
Rove, who went to high school and college in Utah and first got into political campaigning working for Senator Wallace Bennett (R-UT), operates a virtual "Mormon Mafia" out of his White House office, recently uncovered by our own Karen Allen while she was investigating Kyle Sampson, another in Rove's web, for Down With Tyranny.
Oddly, after Tolman had rendered his little service to Rove at the Judiciary Committee, it appeared that Rove was backing Sampson for the U.S. Attorney gig– although with Rove, appearances are almost always deceptive. It was Utah Senator Orrin Hatch who was behind Tolman, a protege of his, and Hatch seems to have come to terms with Rove.
A few weeks ago Karen Tumulty flagged this in Time as a potential problem for Gonzales and the Bush Regime — twice. No one seems to have bitten. It's difficult for me to understand — beyond their own embarrassment — why senators, particularly those on the Judiciary Committee, have failed to haul Brett Tolman's ass in and find out who exactly gave him the order to insert the secret paragraph into the Patriot Act in the dead of night. Once that is cleared up, I believe the rest of Purge-Gate will fall into place.
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FITZ!
JUSTICE!!!
Damn
And the hits just keep on comin’. FDL posters have been smokin’ today! Great job, Howie!
I contacted a very knowledgeable friend to get some advise for today’s chat and for this story. This friend– who is well known– wrote back and, among other things, said: “I think one thing I can safely say, even if this email is monitored, is that Mormons out here won’t allow you to discuss their religion in the light of day. Any critic is immediately silenced or even threatened, if only in ’soft’ ways, or called a bigot. That’s one reason they get away with so much in the public square. People out here are scared to go after them. I found that out the hard way.”
I’m thinking Doan needs a nickname after today’s performance, how about the cookie monster?
Slightly OT, but HuffPo has a link to Newsweek article of an e-mail to Rove, where he’s “Thanked” for a firing; it looks like of Iglesias in NM. It was to the RNC e-mail so didn’t jump out at folks initially….
cinqa
Tolman needs to be on the Senate witness list, under oath, absolutely.
The insertion of the Patriot Act language was the predicate act to implementing the attorney firing and DOJ politicization plan.
The surreptitious nature of the act also demonstrates the guilty knowledge by Rove et. al. that their actions could not survive scrutiny. It may be even be (prosecutor types weigh in please) evidence of criminal intent.
Here’s link to Rove story:
msnbc link
Howie – great post! I just read the Karen Allen piece on thhe Mormon-BYU old-boys-network in the WH and DoJ and–and — wait, I’m going to have to make some kinda chart to keep all this straight. It’ll have to be a big one, with lots of blank space left for the revelations to come.
I suspect you’re right, that embarassment is what’s keeping the senators quiet.
They should be embarassed at passing so many bills without even reading them!
I have no idea if Tolman did something illegal. He definitely did something worthy of being disbarred, however.
One can hope.
Hmmm. Mormon mafia. Weren’t John D. Ehrlichman, and H. R. Haldeman Mormons?
tejanarusa @ 10
I guess they count on having trustworthy staffers. Tolman certainly didn’t turn out to be and to make matters worse– so much worse– they were all– and I mean all– bamboozled into voting to confirm him as a U.S. Attorney, a job he was appointed to as a quid pro quo for his treachery against them!! Rove is the worst nightmare in the history of American politics.
John Eaton @
12
wiki has both as Christian Scientist…
“Mormon Mafia”?
My head is spinning.
There’s something rotten in the state of Utah
two beers @ 15
And yet even there they’re starting to turn on Bush. Less than half the Mormons believe his crock about Iraq anymore!
howieklein @ 4
You’re the only other person I’ve ever heard use the phrase Mormon mafia. I’ve been using it for years. I ski in UT 2-3 times per year, and familiarity breeds contempt. I know how they control UT politics & several other areas in the West, but had no idea how integrated with W they are until Purgegate. Will be interesting to hear Samson. These guys don’t usually crack. And they’re so clean cut, it’s hard for the average American to believe they’re so smarmy.
I fail to see how the insertion was illegal. At the end of the day, a majority of Senators voted for the bill.
It does, however, clarify that Senators should actually read the bills they are voting on.
howieklein @ 13
Been wondering whether we need to revisit the Hatch Act and amend it so that no “political officers” are permitted within the EOP.
Frankly, either a president already has a political agenda of their own when they are sworn in and executes it as part of the platform upon which they were elected, or not…they are not entitled to continued support on taxpayers’ dime of their party’s agenda. I resent like hell that one cent of my tax dollars has paid Karl Rove since he does not work for the people of the United States, but for the Republican base.
Professor Foland @ 18
The perfect crime–so perfect it’s not a crime.
Professor Foland @18
Can just anybody write bills? Even those not holding an elected office?
Howie Klein said:
Thank you, sir; may I have another?
eCAHNomics @ 17
And don’t forget that this whole PurgeGate scandal actually started in Guam, courtesy of, among others, John Doolittle. Anyone know if he’s a Mormon too?
Considering the Mormon ban on caffeinated beverages, do the members of the Mormon Mafia in Karl’s office gather round the kool-aid machine?
Drip….drip….drip
On a related note, stuff up on TPM about the new document dump. Don’t know if Sampson will be able to get the bus off himself before he testifies tomorrow…
Wow!!! Superb post! Haul Tolman’s butt in now. That Saudi thing is really interesting, since it was mostly THEIR citizens who appear to have financed and attacked us.
saudi link
Inserting language in a bill may not be illegal; conspiracy to abuse DOJ authority for political purposes could be (and if it isn’t, it should be)
The numbers on my scandal counter are spinning like a ceiling fan.
Great post Howie.
Keep hounding ‘em.
On the Rove connection mentioned above. From TPM Muckraker:
Muckraker
It is understandable that Senators & Representatives are very busy, and don’t have time to read every bill, but isn’t that what their aids are for?
I keep saying Bush is trying to legislate from the Oval Office. His signing statements are proof of that, no?
Oh, yes, Howie. John Doolittle is a Mormon.
Harry Reid is a Mormon.
Looking at this site– it does seem that the Republicans far outnumber Democrats.
Interesting snippet here:
http://famousmormons.net/pol.html
Professor Foland @ 18
Or at the very least they should subject the final text of the bill to an electronic diff against a previous version of the bill that they *had* read.
Part of the reason these tactics work is because they’re perpetrated at the very last minute… a little smart leverage of technology could go a long way here.
howieklein @ 4
That’s the MO. “Soft” threats, so even the victim of the threat feels silly about mentioning it. Or doing anything about it.
Why would anyone believe that Specter really did not know about this?
I don’t believe him at all. (Unless by “not knowing” he means that he was asked to look away at the appropriate moment.)
Tolman is probably thumbing his nose at Congress and the people of the US for two reasons. First, the Specter story about Tolman “slipping it in” unbenounced to Arlen is about is credible as his “single bullet theory.” I think Arlen was in on the plot (to bypass Congress on US attorneys). Second, the Dems were caught flatfooted not doing their jobs! They ALL voted on a bill that they clearly had NOT READ!! By investigating this they would only trumpet their own neglect, stupidity, laziness, culpability…..well provide your own descriptor here. The Dems don’t want to do that. They were, for the zillionth time, Charlie Brown, to the Repubs Lucy, who promised — this time– that she would not yank the football away. HA!
yep
ethinks *this* is the
underlying crime
(though I cannot conceive of describing anything about Rove as underlying
What is more important to me is that the self-righteous, honorable Arlen Specter should be the one placing Tolman on the witness list. This is something all the Senators may be embarrassed about, but I do not think they would suffer — I think it would improve Congress’s reputation if they put an end to midnight votes, failure to read the text of legislation, etc.
Mormon mafia?
Google, Lane McCotter and Abu Ghraib and see where it leads you
Hee-hee! At last Bush is learning the lesson his mother has been protecting him from all these years:”Nobody likes people that nobody likes!”
In other words of one syllable for Georgie:nobody likes mean people! Not even Mormons and Saudis!
Professor Foland @ 18
I concur
LindaR @ 32
OMG!!!! Next thing you’ll be telling me is that other corrupt slimebucket, Buck McKeon, is also a Mormon! (The guy Robert Rodriguez ran against.) Oh and speaking of McKeon, those GSA slides of Rove’s that got exposed for the whole world to see, seem to indicate that McKeon’s retiring. In fact, there’s a whole list (in the Update) of which Republicrooks are not going to seek re-election.
Mormonism -
I recall reading a tidbit a few years ago which said the Catholic Church does not recognize Mormonism as Christian.
Anyone have any facts on that?
Rayne @ 19
Rayne you are confusing the Hatch Act with the Plum Book. The Plum Book caontains the listing of allt he political appointee jobs in the governtment. It has grown to become a very weighty tome indeed. It needs to be edited.
Edited down to a pamphlet
Speaking of Charlie Brown….he is re-forming his campaign committee for 2008. He lost by 9000 votes to Doolittle in 2006.
http://www.charliebrownforcongress.org
Excellent post, Howie. When can we expect the Judiciary committees to pick up on this? They haven’t missed much, lately.
Wally Herger is a Mormon too, according to this website.
Ivy Baker Priest is on there, too.
sonate @ 37
Makes sense. Keep in mind though: Snarlin’ Arlen sponsored the bill to repeal and forced Bush to agree not to veto AND blew the whistle on Tolman.
SusanD @ 21
Off into the weeds here. He didn’t “write a bill” he insterted the language into the Conference Committee version of the existing bills passed by the House and Senate.
Mr. William Moschella of the Department of Justice provided the “comprehensive” language to Mr. Tolman of the Judiciary committee staff on 11/6/2005 at 10:09 p.m. Perhaps Senator Leahy could ask him. Also, Mr. Moschella refers to a Dan Collins special (probably not the same as a Tom Collins). Perhaps Senator Leahy could ask Mr. Collins where they got this idea, as well.
bdu @ 34
heck, maybe they could put “track changes” on. works for me. you could even see who made the change.
Puesto @ 43
AFAIK there are several Christian churches who do not consider LDS to be Christian. It’s a matter of what you believe “Christian” to require. At it’s loosest definition (a belief in Jesus Christ as prophet and savior) LDS certainly qualifies, but they get a bit weird around the edges for most mainstream christian religions, especially the bits about afterlife cosmology and Jesus’ post resurrection visit to the Americas.
Of course, all this is coming from a devout agnostic, so take it with a grain of salt.
howieklein @ 42
It looks like McKeon is a Mormon too, yes, according to that website.
Tithonia @ 45
We had Charlie on a few weeks ago and started collecting donations for him. Our Blue America page is Charlie Brown country.
From the Igelsias smear campaign (h/t digby):
Dozens of taxpayer funded junkets around the world. Among sane people, that’s actually known as: serving your country as a member of the National Guard.
These people are disgusting.
looseheadprop @ 44
IANAL, but I’m pretty sure it’s this bit I want changed:
I want the exemption GONE. And I’m absolutely certain that the Republicans would not want the Democratic president to have a zampolit on staff, paid for on their dime, if both Congress and the EOP go Dem in 2008.
edit: although winnowing down the Plum Book is a nice concept, too; I’d like people working for us to be there because of their competence, not their politics.
Does anyone know who inserted the language into the legislation removing the SIGIR (Stuart Bowen)?
I know that his term has been extended (thank you Senator Feingold), but I still want to know…
BTW it would be sad and irresponsible to see this thread degenerate into Mormon bashing. I actually like the economy and alliterative punch of Howie’s “mormon mafia” term and have no problem with it whatsoever.
However, let’s be thoughtful and not drift into bigotry. We are better than that.
howieklein @ 48
I think it just goes to show that Arlen don’t like being made to look an even bigger fool than he does on his own…
TiredFed @ 51
It’s true, though this requires some honesty on the part of the people making the edits. The reason I suggested the diffs are because they can work without the complicity of the people editing the bill.
two beers @
15
We know there is a ray of hope in Utah. It’s name is Rocky Anderson.
Oh come on, I cannot believe that slipping in language the night before the deadline without pointing out the change is acceptable SOP in any venue, let alone the Senate. If I did that with any ad copy, etc, I’d be kicked to the curb in a nano-second.
I can understand out a con victim might be embarrassed, but really, it was a CON. Like adding a zero to a check amount before or after it had been signed.
And thanks Howie, ITA with your sentiments on Rove. I commented elsewhere about a comparison to Goering and possibly J. Edgar Hoover…the game’s the thing.
Rocky is amazing. The people he serves are very lucky to have him!
looseheadprop @ 50
and this certainly could be illegal. only provisions that are not in agreement between the two versions of a bill are amenable to change in a conference committee. was this one? and if not illegal, it may have violated House and/or Senate rules. should someone who did so be eligible to retain his position as a U. S. Attorney? Only Congress knows.
Scarecrow @ 46
I’m very perplexed about this to be honest. I think I smell a deal to play this down. Maybe that’s why Bush agreed to not veto the bill repealing this stuff– which has passed both Houses overwhelmingly. Only 2 Republicans in the Senate voted against it. In the House– where the deer and the antelope and the dangerously psychotic roam– there were 78 Republicans against, but even among those kooks, the majority of Repugs voted to repeal! Of course, all our favorite Republicrooks from Mean Jean and Marilyn Musgrave and Michele Bachmann and John Doolittle, to Robin Hayes and Mary Bono… they were all part of the 78 nuts who voted not to repeal. Who’da thunk?
Rayne @ 56
looseheadprop @ 44
IANAL, but I’m pretty sure it’s this bit I want changed:
I want the exemption GONE. And I’m absolutely certain that the Republicans would not want the Democratic president to have a zampolit on staff, paid for on their dime, if both Congress and the EOP go Dem in 2008.
edit: although winnowing down the Plum Book is a nice concept, too; I’d like people working for us to be there because of their competence, not their politics.
Oh, I thought you said you wanted political appointees gone from the Office of the President.
BTW, the loosening up of the Hatch Act was done under Cliton after Al Gore got in trouble for making fundraising phone calls from government property.
When I first began working for the federal government, the hatch Act itself was stricter and DOJ tended to interpret it in the toughest possible sense.
basically you could vote, and read the newspaper to decide who to vote for (Ok, OK,
looseheadprop @ 49
Kinda like the clerk in Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific making corporations a person?
Wasn’t it the clerk? Now that I think about it, I’ve read two versions where one said the Chief Justice did it or approved it, and the clerk just going ahead and inserting the language in the other.
Just up at TPM:
“Hmmm. Looks like the new document dump may contain some bad emails for the White House. More soon.”
Evidently the plum book is online up until 2004.
More importantly: Why isn’t Rove in jail?
John Dean says he has a source that calls him both Haldeman and Erlichman rolled into one… (that must account for his current size).
Puesto @
44
I can answer that – it came up in an RCIA class I took some years ago -The Catholic Church does not consider LDS a Christian church.
And, at the risk of sounding biased – how could it be? It’s not a Christian belief that Jesus came to North America, that the lost tribes of Israel wound up here, and that anybody after Jesus (e.g., Joseph Smith) was a prophet with a direct line of dictation from God.
as you probably know, the mayor of Salt Lake City recently callled for Bush’s impeachment.
What would really rock is if one of these guys turns out to be a polygamist……
looseheadprop, point taken. It’s always a challenge to pay attention to that. Of course, the first recourse of a bully called on his bullytude is to call for liberal application of his victim’s sense of fairness.
looseheadprop @ 59
Is truth a defense against the charge of bigotry?
As I understand, Tolman was a plant forced on Spector by the Republicans because they didn’t trust him — a political commissar forced on the elected legislature by the party apparatus. This is how things happen in totalitarian countries or mobbed-up unions (”Moe here is the new vice-president from the national headquarters…..”).
Spector’s reputation is shot. I believe that 10 or twenty years ago he may actually have been a free agent and and an independent thinker, but he’s totally beaten now, and he’s too old to recuperate or fight back. Just a waste of a man.
Spector showed up in the first tape dump as an administration lackey too.
looseheadprop @ 42
What if there were evidence that the plan to secretly amend the Act was part of a larger Rove plan to facilitate the removal of US Attys who were pushing Republican prosecutions. Does that change your conclusion?
howieklein @ 65
Howie, I didn’t pay attention to the vote tally’s aren’t you describing a veto proof majority? I realize votes could change in the override motion, but….?
eCAHNomics @
17
Yes, but is Sampson a li’l bit country? Or is he a li’l bit rock’n’roll?
looseheadprop @ 50
It’s normal for committee staff to “write” the actual language that gets inserted into bills. Someone has to type it in, or hand the leg counsel a note describing what to type in.
New Mexicans For Honest Courts on Iglesias…
Dozens of taxpayer funded junkets around the world. Among sane people, that’s actually known as: serving your country as a member of the National Guard.
These people are disgusting.
I disagree. “Disgusting” is much too kind. These [expletive deleted] turds are not worthy to be scraped off the bottom of our shoes!!! Is there any way to push back on this? How about a radio ad naming specific members of “New Mexicans For Honest Courts” and call them “LIARS AND TRAITORS”
looseheadprop @ 59
Whoops – sorry if my response sounded bigoted. Probably gave Too Much Information.
(I was once fascinated enough by LDS to try to read the Book of Mormon, rather admired them..ahem..my view has changed. won’t say more here. sorry, sorry.)
howieklein @ 66
Bush does not veto bills. He uses signing statements. It’s a cowardly approach, but he is a coward.
John Emerson @ 76
Specter has been a chump longer than that. The Repubs have been trying to primary him forever. They almost suceeded two years ago. It’s a shame they didn’t suceed.
From the AZ Republic:
WASHINGTON – Eight federal prosecutors were fired last year because they did not sufficiently support President Bush’s priorities, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’ former chief of staff says in remarks prepared for delivery Thursday to Congress.
“The distinction between political’ and performance-related’ reasons for removing a United States attorney is, in my view, largely artificial,” said Kyle Sampson. The aide, who quit because of the furor over the firings, is to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee. A copy of his prepared remarks was obtained Wednesday by the Associated Press.
“A U.S. attorney who is unsuccessful from a political perspective … is unsuccessful,” Sampson said. Democrats have described the firings as an “intimidation by purge” and a warning to remaining U.S. attorneys to fall in line with Bush’s priorities. Political pressure, Democrats say, can skew the judgment of prosecutors when deciding whom to investigate and which indictments to pursue.
….
Link
lol! He’s a li’l bit roly poly……..
looseheadprop @ 76
Great observation. They are veto-proof. But if the Regime would have fought this and signaled the House, I guarantee you more than 78 of the wingnuts would have voted against repeal. Take Adam Putnam (Howdy Doody). He voted for repeal but if the White House would have done one of their “calling all wingnuts” memos, he would have been screaming his makeup-caked little face off about how voting for repeal would be undermining our boys in Iraq.
This from TPM:
Isn’t that so Clintonian?
From the AP just now, Sampson:
So, it seems to me this is his strategy. Just say it outright and defend it. Hmmm…
It seems the heat is building on e-mails from Domenici’s staff saying “Thanks” and which e-mails went to “private” e-mail boxes, instead of Whithouse…
I suppose its possible that Arlen didn’t know that Tolman had inserted the USA provision in the Patriot Act. Those bills are heavy, even for lawyers to read quickly.
But Specter is a slimy lying SOB. I will never forget the way he treated Anita Hill during the Clarence Thomas SCOTUS conformation hearings. I am still pissed off to this day, and that f*cker will never get on my good side. (Norwegians can hold a grudge, just FYI)
AZ Matt @
85
Link
Speechless, with jaw dropped…
I can’t believe this guy is a lawyer, much less a former appeals court clerk…further words fail me…
1,468 DAYZ AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND..
Citizen Klein and the Firepup Patriots:
It’s time to start lookin’ at the tax exemption of a bunch of organized churches in this country…in my opinion, they all (including my Unitarian Universalist alma matter) should lose their status. It wouldn’t hurt the small, honestly religious folks and their local churches ‘cuz they ain’t gotta pot ta pee in anywayz and the after deduction “profits” would be marginal.
A pox on all of their houses…it is bein’ proven once again that organized religion is a bane not a boon to life on this planet. Take away their tax exemptions and file RICO charges against the whole lot of the bastards.
KEEP THE FAITH AND GET THAT SHIT OUTTA MY YARD!!!
eCAHNomics @
88
It must be contagious. Waxman smacked down Ms Doan during the hearings today when she started parsing words on what constituted a “briefing” that she was being “Clintonian.”
The traffic has diminished here, so I can take some bandwidth to congratulate you on the post Howie. I’ve been fuming about this since I first heard about it. Great job.
looseheadprop @
59
Exactly!
Gabe Castillo is wicked smart, and a really great fantastic guy who spent a lot of his own money (I mean a lot) to finance his campaign for Congress in 2004 against Dan Lungren in Ca. CD-4
And he’s just like every other Mormon I know
Excepting the Conman John Do Little
Remember when there was a question whether Arlen Specter would retain his chairmanship because of his so-called “independence” — Tolman must have been the “minder” assigned to him as a condition of not being replaced.
Me thinks that perhaps Mr. Sampson will be in a world of hurt tomorrow. He is an arrogant little snot isn’t he.
Bye, bye Kyle… .
Puesto @ 89
There’s still no management record–no warning that USA was not following W priorities with a given time to change or be fired. I can see it now: Ms. Lam, in order to be a good USA, you must stop the Cunningham investigation immediately.
Not contagion–plagarism.
tejanarusa @ 71
Thanks! And, as far as discussing individual religious beliefs on this blog, it seems to me we are being taken over by evangelicals forming a tight nit group and having a velvet coups.. (Like a velvet, autographed picture of Jesus at one of those Tiajuana roadside van stands.. Just kidding!)
They bring this “fraternal order of Jesus” to the political arena, the Mormons have a candidate – Repug Romney, and the voter needs to dissect his beliefs.
The Point: If a candidate was an atheist he would be dead meat. Equal opportunity elections, I always say.
If someone doesn’t want the particulars of his faith discussed, then he should keep the particulars of his faith to himself, in his home and in his church. He wants to bring it to the political arena, I am going to skewer it mercilessly. I am sick and tired of these loud mouth Christian political/proselytizers logorrhea… Get on the soapbox, get booed!
OT– just an fyi– tonight is the Radio and Television Correspondents Dinner and it will be carried on cspan 2 at 9pm.
Will we have WMD jokes or horse jokes or what?
Can’t wait– oh and Ricky Scaggs will perform– he’s a li’l bit country.
Sigh. I can see that the second day of my “weekend” will also be devoted to the computer screen, rather than getting the house cleaned…
Gotta see Sampson – hopefully will see him get (metaphorically) pounded into the floor.
I may have to go to someone who has cable…
eCAHNomics @ 74
I’m not suggesting that we have crossed the line. I was just getting a little concerned about the trajectory that seemed to be headed in that direction.
looseheadprop @ 58
I think it’s reasonable, though, to ask the LDS community if they are evaluating their teachings in light of the conflicts so many of their followers are having with normative ethics in service of their country. Why are there so many LDS members in question?
We ask the same questions of the American Catholic Church in regards to abusive priests. We ask the same of American Jews in regards to key members’ blind support of Israel’s policies toward Palestinians. There was a hue and cry about Buddhists during the Clinton adminstration about campaign donations received in an American temple. It’s not discriminatory to ask questions when a particular group has a disproportionate impact on our justice system, particularly when it appears the actions of certain members appears greatly out of sync with their own precepts.
The LDS community, whether they like it or not, have a rather large responsibility to the rest of the American population. As we’ve noted, there’s a disproportionate number of elected officials, appointees and key staffers that are LDS members, a church with less than 3 million members or roughly 2% of the total population. Great for the LDS community, but the opportunity brings with it an obligation to the American public.
john in sacramento @
95
Errm, should be CD-3
lol where’s the edit button? Just kidding
angie @ 101
USA jokes would be topical.
Here’s tonight’s document dump:
http://judiciary.house.gov/Pri…..ection=464
I work for my state’s legislature, and I realize we do things differently from the feds. However, let me give you an idea of what happens when the most miniscule amendment is made to a bill.
The changes are forward to legislative counsel (LC) to be drafted into the bill text, and also to the revenue and fiscal offices to assess any financial impact.
In LC the changes go to a specialist called a bill drafter, who makes sure the wording is acceptable. It then makes its way to word processors to be typeset. It has to be signed off by at least two supervisors.
I’m less familiar with the revenue and fiscal processes but my guess is that changes are seen by at least two people in each office.
After all this the bills are printed and sent to the house or senate desks for distribution.
My point is that at least in the great state of the idea that someone could ’slip’ an amendment into a bill under cover of night is pretty ridiculous. In any event there would be a paper trail a mile long.
Another point is that a lot of bills can have a major impact on the governmental entities they affect, and these entities watch the bills’ progress like hawks. For instance, if you were a bigwig in the FBI you would have a keen interest in the PATRIOT act, because of all the shiny new power you would be getting.
Here in , we have a bill tracking system from which I could tell you (if I had access to the database) who was looking at what bills and if they were notified of any amendments.
In short, I’ll be there’s a record somewhere of who was watching the PATRIOT act when the attorney amendment was ’surreptitiously’ inserted, and that might be innnteresting information.
I Love Jane Hamsher @
84
That is my read on Tolman. He’s one of Orin
Hatch’s staffers who was put on Specter’s staff as a mole, minder and all around Zampolit. The really pathetic things is Arlen keeps coming back to the trough to eat more shit. It’s like the psychology of domestic abuse.
IMO the most interesting question is this: What event or series of events occurred that led Rove, Gonzo, et. al. to find it ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY to sack the USAs and then be sure BEYOND DOUBT that they could appoint whoever they wanted instead. What was so urgent that such drastic measures were needed?
Yet another mystery. Add it to who fired the U.S. Attorneys, and why they did it. My guess is that finding out who told Tolman to insert this into the paragraph will only lead to Abu Gonzalez, but it would be cool if it actually turned out to be Rove.
One thing you learn while looking at all the documents the DoJ dumped on the House Judiciary Committee is that there’s no clear reason why this happened. In fact, the DoJ’s public affairs person, Tasia Scolinos, seems to have come up with the “immigration” excuse by noting that three of the fired USAs had districts on the Mexican border. Check the last e-mail quoted here:
http://cujo359.blogspot.com/20…..eight.html
It’s also clear they tried very hard to keep the folks who made the decision out of the document dump. The e-mails we’ve seen are from folks who don’t have the authority to fire anyone. Gonzalez lying about not having heard of the firings is just one symptom of the problem.
Cujo359 @ 109
I’m guessing that if the orders came from Gonzo, he was just transmitting what Rove told him to do. But I have a feeling it was Rove direct to Tolman.
yellowsnapdragon @ 110
I think that was just a tactic that Rove dreamed up that he knew would be useful. It was actually in the PA for months before they used it.
Howard Hughes had a “Mormon Mafia”. Things did not end well for him. Perhaps Rove is in for a rough ride.
*xyz @ 107
Oh, cripes. Still haven’t finished cataloging the last one.
looseheadprop @ 66
That’s exactly what I meant.
I want Karl Rove off my dime. And I don’t want another Karl Rove in his place ever again.
yellowsnapdragon @ 110
You mean beyond the ability to game the elections?
Catching up with FDL. Visiting my youngest daughter in Boulder, Colo and we just finished watching “Mr. Smith goes to Washington”. Last time I watched this film had to be 20 years ago. Sure worth the time to watch again.
Thanks for encourging us to write Judge Walton about “throwing the book” at Libby. I was able to attend the Libby trial for over a week, and Walton’s integrity was so impressive. Every word every action of his helped restore my faith in the justice system. Walton is the real deal. I will spread the word and ask others to write him. Thanks again for the suggestion.
WONDER WHAT IS HAPPENNING WITH PHASE II OF THE SENATE SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE. Guess I will call the congressional aides that I have called in the past to find out the status of this much needed investigation.
Scarecrow @ 75
Thank you Howie. Thanks for the links. Follow the links. No matter what, this must make it out of the blogs. It doesn’t matter how or who.
Rayne @ 102
I do not disagree with you at all. I just din’t want to comments to degenerate from the plane you are on, into something we would not be proud of.
Rayne @ 115
That’s exactly what I meant.
I want Karl Rove off my dime. And I don’t want another Karl Rove in his place ever again.
Rayne at 115..
I believe this is a very pragmatic horse to ride. I don’t think the average voter knows that Rove is a Zampolit… I think they are going to find out in the coming weeks and months. Continuing to harp about this might, just might lead the Dems to propose changes like …
CUTTING off the funds for these type positions. Or, amending the Hatch Act to eliminate his exemption so he could not even use the phrase GOP or Party or Republican on our dime.
Kathleen @ 118
Enjoy your visit!
I, too, want to know where Phase 2 is– hellooooo Senator Rockefeller!!!
eCAHNomics @ 113
How many months? linky? I think that cutting the Senate out of the process of appointing USA’s is pretty drastic. And what EXACTLY was going on when the idea arose?
OT — catching the news on PBS, now watching Mr. PissyPants.
Jeebus, what a spoiled tantrum-throwing brat.
Wonder who wrote his speech for him, must have been up late working on this one.
howieklein @ 112
My own guess is that Abu was just let in on the decision later. The real locus of this decision, based just on the timing and direction of e-mails and other communications, looks to be the White House.
http://cujo359.blogspot.com/20…..-ends.html
(just the part on organization charts)
Anyway, at this point we’re all making guesses based on the evidence we’ve been allowed to see. It could have been Gonzalez, Rove, Cheney, or Bush (or a key aide of the latter three not named Rove) and we’d be none the wiser at this point, I’d say. The only thing I’m pretty sure of is that it wasn’t Harriet Miers or Kyle Sampson, and theirs are the names on the most important correspondence I’ve seen.
yellowsnapdragon @ 108
A lot of theories have been advanced including an Ambromoff ?Native American connection, this Mormon connection, or my all time favorite
Election tampering
1,468 DAYZ AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND..
Citizen looseheadprop and the Firepup Patriots:
I admire your intelligence, knowledge of the law, fealty to the Constitution and intellectual honesty. So, can you tell me why it would not be possible eliminate the tax exemption for churches and remain loyal to the Bill of Rights?
The problem of organized religion and free politics has been dealt with in a number of ways in the western world. Unless my memory is failing me (and that’s quit possible), I seem ta remember that Mexico actually outlawed the Catholic Church after the revolution but never enforced the ban (”if ya make a move, we’ll drop ya like an ugly lover)…and it was a pretty successful tool ta keep the church outta daily politics.
So what about it…how about we start discussin’ the problem of religion in politics instead of pretendin’ it doesn’t exist?
KEEP THE FAITH BUT NOT THE CHURCH!!
the mormons are the backbone of the mafia in nevada as well, as is well known that they are the employees happy to take the blood money from their friends with the black hand
they believe a guy talks to god when he has rocks in his hat. these are not stable folks people. if you do not know about these folks, read up, for it is not something anyone could tell you that you would believe. just like scientology, their leaders are notably insane fellows that were thrown out of any club they tried to join. they had to start clubs to have any friends, whom they rapidly enslaved.
they believe in numerous deviant behavior patterns that the other religio profitus rectus disagree with, as they have their own. the conspiracy of family values that the religious companies believe in is far more like medieval mores and taboos. ask the General, or anyone from a state that has been invaded by these people. nevada and idaho are good examples.
another solid example that rational people can see how absurd these people are. and a solid example of how the insane can’t understand why we question them due to their direct contact with god (in a vaseline hat)
Follow the E-Mails and the $$$!
Rayne @ 104
I can’t speak so much to the teachings, but as a long-time non-LDS resident of Utah I definitely believe that Mormons – nice people though they are – are authoritarians to the marrow. This administration, like Reagan’s before it as someone pointed out upthread, was the perfect place for those who take the authoritarian angle really seriously.
NorskeFlamethrower @ 92
Money, US tax money, is going to be the stake that will kill the christianist political movement. If you travel on two lane roads around the US, it is amazing how much new church construction is going on. It is rare for any of this construction to be anything but a fundie “life or bible” center of some sort. There is no way in hell that the church members are paying the freight for these huge buildings. If the govt starts doing audits and prosecutions; and the “faith based” fraud is stopped, these folks are going bankrupt.
Puesto @ 121
There’s three tacks to take with this:
1) We wait until it is completely obvious that Rove has breached national security every way to Sunday (and it’s pretty clear to me he has with regard to the emails);
2) We cut the budget and clean out the Plum Book, but take his job as well under the guise that all branches of government must share the pain;
3) Or we ratf*ck him back. We insert an amendment into a bill in the middle of the night and we kill off Karl’s job.
You can imagine which approach I prefer, giving rein to my inner bad girl.
Okay, not so inner.
I think it’s Duke Cunningham (and his connection to Cheney), but I will definately entertain the election tampering theory since the Busby/Bilbray election was in Lam’s geographical area of responsibility as well.
Rayne @ 114
That’s exactly what I meant.
I want Karl Rove off my dime. And I don’t want another Karl Rove in his place ever again.
Well, those are two different things. Political appointees are people who get appointed by the President. The idea being that he gets to bring in his own “team” that shares his vision of how to govern.
The other, is the exemption for certian Executive Branch employees from the Hatch Act’s requirements that Government emplyees (including politcal appointees) refrain from certain political activities.
I agree that there should not be any such exemption. You either work for the people or for a party, but you can’t do both at the same time. I also think the Plum Book needs slimming
What is a Zampolit?
OT – Re: Sampson
A copy of his prepared remarks was obtained Wednesday by the Associated Press.
usatoday link
Zampolit = commissar = political officer
lhp –
Inserting language into a bill = lawful per se
Secretly inserting language . . . = lawful by itself
Participating in a secret Rove plan to replace select US Atty for corrupt reasons — e.g., to stop an investigation = conspiracy to obstruct justice
Secretly inserting language in a manner intended to obscure it is happening, in pursuit of “participating in a secret rove plan . . .” = ???
On Tweety,
Just listened to Retired General McCaffrey.
He is a fucking asshole.
He couldn’t answer diddly about the war…
All we get is complete bullshit!
Pull the plug on this mess and get the hell
out.
All we get is a fucking run around.
Jack
Steve@132
From your lips to god’s ear–strike that–don’t believe in god. Oh well, I guess I just have to keep my fingers crossed.
eCAHNomics @ 136
Someone said the other day that it’s the Russian term for the political person inthe bureau whose only job was making sure the party line was toe’d…
Norske says:
I completely agree with you.
And take out the office of faith based initiatives! How does that abomination belong in the Executive branch?
Good people do take care of one another as we saw in Katrina– the government sure didn’t, no matter how much money they throw at the “faithful”. It’s a big ole scam.
omigod OT and spew alert:
I was just channel-surfing, landed on C-SPAN. Representative Thaddeus McCotter (R Michigan, 11th Dist) was speaking next to a picture of the Blue Dog (as in Blue Dog Democrats).
He took the picture away to reveal a poodle dressed in a suit and hat. Says this is what’s going to happen to the Blue Dogs if they vote some way he doesn’t like.
Silly, silly people.
/OT interlude.
I agree with you Norske; tax exemptions for religious organizations are subsidies and should be ended, imho.
FWIW, I sent this post via the SpotLight link to the three AP congressional correspondents listed.
I haven’t used the SpotLight thingie before. Has anyone had results with it? Would they care to share with the group?
/dk
NorskeFlamethrower @ 126
I think it would be a better seperation of church and state if WE DID tax all religions the same way we tax any othe business. Or conversely did not tax them in the same way as any other not-for-profit with all the same restrictions.
I think we should treat organizations the same as any other organization.
Damn, that GSA hearing didn’t crack NBC’s evening news, and so far not a peep on PBS’s News Hour.
Cookies must have terrified the media.
1,468 SAYZ AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND..
Citizen SamFromUtah:
Bless yer heart brother, and thank you for makin’ the point that can generally be stated about devout religious persons: they have a propensity to be acquiescent to authority and their religious ideology allows them to dehumanize others who do not share their beliefs.
KEEP THE FAITH AND PASS THE AMMUNITION…NOW WE’RE GETTIN’ DOWN TO IT!!
Rayne @ 148
I have mixed feelings about this “Cookie” business. That was my nickname when I was a little girl. Oh. OK. I outgrew it, but she didn’t.
Scarecrow @ 137
We still need to have our other predicate crimes lined up like ducks in a row, and the record is not sufficiently developed
YET
looseheadprop @ 66
Rayne @ 114
looseheadprop @ 135
I think cabinet officers and their deputies could be appointed, but beyond that I think the jobs should be held by civil servants or contractors. One thing that’s pretty clear from all this is that many of the political appointees of the Bush Administration have absolutely no idea what they’re doing. That’s not how to run a government efficiently or well.
And I think that the Hatch Act applies to everyone in a department or it doesn’t mean anything is another clear lesson we’ve learned today.
LindaR @ 143
Oh man, if you see a YouTube with this, let me know!!
McCotter should be more careful; it’s not just Knoellenberg, Ehlers and Walberg that are targets. Just because the RNC has only three earmarked doesn’t make it so.
To the lawyers out there: Gonzo is scheduled to testify before Congress on April 17th. Let’s assume that he doesn’t make to then as AG. Does that absolve him of the requirement to testify? Meaning; can he be subpeoned as a “regular” citizen to testify about his duties as AG?
workerbee at 108 — thanks, that’s consistent with what I recall from California legis. Still, given the volume of bills and the size of the more complicated ones, it is common for some bills to go essentially unread by the elected reps, although one or more committee staff are supposed to be familiar with the final wording.
In that environment, it would be possible, though not ethical, for senior staff to hand leg counsel language to be inserted that none of the members would be aware of, at least not immediately. It should get the staff person fired, but I think it could happen.
Money, US tax money, is going to be the stake that will kill the christianist political movement. If you travel on two lane roads around the US, it is amazing how much new church construction is going on. It is rare for any of this construction to be anything but a fundie “life or bible” center of some sort. There is no way in hell that the church members are paying the freight for these huge buildings. If the govt starts doing audits and prosecutions; and the “faith based” fraud is stopped, these folks are going bankrupt.
PLEASE don’t be afraid of confronting this. This is all about John Dean’s “authoritarian” view. This is a connection between politics and top-down religious from birth brain training. Do not be afraid to ask questions.
You have no idea what these automatons can do without a blip on the polygraph.
IANAL but if I had to come up with a theory of illegality. I would say that Tolman perpetrated a fraud on the Congress by using his position of trust to insert language into a bill which he intended to and, in fact, did benefit from.
I think it is likely that this is illegal, but I doubt it is prosecutable.
Rayne @ 125
Are you watching the stuff slung out at the Cattlemen’s association like so much hash? Making pork cracks in front of a beef crowd? Har har. I wish W would just throw in the towel and go back to chuggin’ brew-skis at the BBQ. Sheesh.
Anyway, encouraging comment to whoever wondered if average voters knew Rove was such an evil machinator: I consider myself an average voter…Like the first woman to actually let Woodward and Bernstein in to talk with her and say she’s appalled about what CREEP & co. was doing to the Constitution (In All the President’s Men which is getting lots of airtime on TV again…)So please come in, make yourself comfortable and I will regale you with how horrified I am that KKKarl wields so much power, esp. given the mindless monkey sitting next to the red button in the WH. One lump or two?
new thread from Teddy!
NorskeFlamethrower @ 128
Yes.. The main problem in the context of this thread is that from the shear volume of Christians in this administration wielding power, you can not tell me that if someone were interviewing for a political plum job and said they did not go to church nor think about it much, that they would be appointed based solely on their ability to serve America.
Every non-Mormon I have met who has lived in Utah explains this as the KEY TO LDS Power and Hegemony there. It is known as a theocracy..Using the government as a de-facto arm of the Church to enhance their power.
Bush and his evangelical buddies – Mormon and others – have been doing this exact same thing for six years.
Teddy’s got a question upstairs.
New thread, the lady said.
Oh god, I delurk for a moment and it’s over. Honestly, what the …
huh? @ 163
Don’t worrry, we’re just trying to be helpful…
Thanks for delurking.
Hi huh?
come upstairs, and btw your comment was spot-on!
do-si-do @158
Oh, News Hour cleaned up and pared down Mr. PissyPants’ comments, only caught his whiney fit about yesterday’s vote.
I can tell by how wound up he is that he must have been a dweeb in his preface. Remember his stupid comments about pork and BBQ in Germany? Probably a replay.
Norskeflamethrower at 149 -
Exactly! Love it…
…ergo, they work toward setting up a more authoritarian government.. The antithesis of America around 1776…
Leave your “faith” at home, in your family and in your church.. Don’t bring it to your government job. “Christian? __Y __ N __ “ is the unwritten question on the job application in this administration..
Rayne @ 166
Looks like PBS know where their bread is buttered now.
Wow, what an impressive article! It should have a Pulitzer Prize. It must have taken a lot of research to come up with all that. Every time I read one of Howie’s articles I am impressed.
While I agree with both of you, it also is a no brainer that no staff person of any Senator or Representative should be permitted, by rules in congress, or by law, to insert an addendum or change to a bill once it clears committee.
This would end that controveray short haste and make the offending member of congress responsible for his staff.
Also keep in mind that when the repubs were in control, they did this consistently, and at the last minute giving no time for the staff or any Senator or Representative to review what they were voting on.
I have long said that the way congress operates needs a major overhaul.
two beers @
24
One of my cousins was briefly snookered into the local LDS community – they serve a lot of store-brand “Lemon-lime” sodas and the like.
dingo kidneys @
146
dk, Yes, good results sometimes.
post
You remember the one about Andrea Mitchell saying “I must have been drunk”? And misrepresenting the % of Americans who want Libby pardoned (she said a majority, it was 18%).
I wrote and just told them that seriously, they have a duty to us to help us be an informed citizenry so we can make good choices. We don’t need and must not accept propaganda (I said spin). And I thanked them as always for their hard work.
The next day, I believe, she apologized for getting the percentage wrong.
Welcome huh?
Just sent an e-mail to Representative Waxman asking him if Mr. Tolman could testify under oath regarding Tolman’s revision. Wouldn’t that be something! Thanks Howie.
NewsHour just starting here – I turned it on too late to catch more than the last sentence or two. (Just as well- listening to him just enrages me). But I did get to hear what sounded like the full length of Pelosi’s response – I kept waiting for it to be cut off, as a network would – but they ran it all (I think).
She really did sound calm and adult. I liked the part about “we respect your constitutional role, we want you to respect ours.” Followed by, “this war must end.”
Compare her calm, professional demeanor to Chimp’s hysterical tantrum tone and body language…
I was wondering why they simply conceded that they will not oppose the amendment to the Act (just passed by both houses and signed by the President?) dropping this ‘insertion’….. make it go away without much investigation..??
I know there’s already another thread upstairs, but this is the better thread for this question:
Nixon had his Bebe Rebozo. “Scooter” Libby just doesn’t measure up to that standard. Who else we got?
Bob in HI
Puesto @
44
What does James Dobson say?
thank you for posting this howie.
You blew my theory out of the water (that specter knew), but I had no idea about the “mormon mafia”.
That’s just… just fuckin’ evil.
Professor Foland @
18
I can’t see how this is not a crime. It is the legislative equivalent of obstruction of justice. Any lawyers actually know the answer here? Could it be some variant of contempt of congress? Or fraud?
Indeed, Jesus as we know him in the 4 Gospels plays very little part of their theology. Probably less than 5% of their doctrines. An excellent reference is a pair of books by an ex-Mormon (now a born-again christian) entitled “The God Makers”. Sorry, can’t find a link to the book, but the synopsis of the video gives the essence. The book posits that Mormonism is a Satanic cult that worships demons, and that the elders of the Church practice distasteful sexual rituals on the women of the Church.
I had a bet going with booman about this: I was sure Arlen knew. Now, I;m not so sure. and you make a very good point.
now, what about Mike On’neill, specter’s chief counsel? he was in on this too.
Howie–I’m guessing Tolman would take the fifth:) Wouldn’t that be something, a sitting U.S. Attorney (for the state of Utah no less)refusing to answer questions…from his former boss, Arlen.
Also, since we’re on the subject of Arlen “I love to hear myself speak” Specter, he has NO business chiming in about the Dems “playing politics” on this issue, considering his role in this mess. For some reason, I just don’t believe he didn’t know anything about this being slipped into the Patriot Act.
“I fail to see how the insertion was illegal. At the end of the day, a majority of Senators voted for the bill.”
Well, just as in Watergate, sometimes the legal system lags/cannot anticipate what will come next from the mind of Republicans and creeps like Karl Rove.
The Senate depends on rules, and on the good faith of its members.
Unfortunately, instead of good faith they got “good faith”. Must be the two most damning quotation marks in the history of punctuation.
Great post. A lot of threads tied together. Rove. Tolman. Utah. Mormon Mafia. Gonzales.
And Monica Goodling, a graduate of Pat Robertson’s Trinity University, acting as primary liaison between Karl Rove and Alberto Gonzales. No wonder she’s taking the 5th to try to thwart anyone from asking her any questions.
And I just saw a post stating that there are 150 graduates of Robertson’s Trinity University placed strategically throughout the Bush administration. Who are these ultra-right-wing religious folks? Which departments are they in? What have they been doing, like Monica Goodling, to establish a theocracy in place of our democracy, to tear down the constitutional wall separating church from state?
I usually don’t buy into conspiracy theories, but it is now evident that some right-wing scoundrels are actually actively subverting our democracy in pursuit of the their nefarious goals. Rigging elections. Rigging the U.S. Attorneys’ offices. Rigging scientific reports. Rigging the Supreme Court. Rigging defense contracts.
And Karl Rove is the extremely poisonous spider at the center of this web of Republican deceit and corruption. Where’s Garfield the cat with a newspaper when you need him?
howieklein @ 112
Not sure who originated the idea (my guess is Karl), but William Moschella of DOJ sent the wording (a comprehensive fix) to Brett Tolman at 10:09 pm on 11/9/05. Mr. Tolman replied at 11:06 pm: ” I will get the comprehensive fix done.” the email is in the DOJ docudump from last week (Friday ?), file # 3, page DAG 2010.
Helen@154:
Yes! Mr Leahy says even if Mr Gonzalez were to resign, he has a subpoena ready to issue, will not allow another AG to be confirmed until all the facts are known.[lost the link — it’s in USAToday]
An old song goes–
Why prosecute the man or woman
Who steals a goose from off the common,
And let the greater felon loose
Who steals the common from the goose?
This from a famous book free online written by Upton Sinclair, The Profits of Religion, considered by many to be one of the Great Books. If you have not yet read it, you can find it here–
http://www.infidels.org/librar…..igion.html
I’ve heard from law enforcement friends in the DC area that the FBI itself is something of a “Mormon mafia.” Basically that the background checks and no-no behaviors are so stringent that only Mormons can easily pass through the hoops to get hired. I always put that down to a bit of sour grapes (i.e., my friends hadn’t gotten FBI jobs), but there might be more too it. I can see how the stringent screening can lead to a dangerous monoculture.
Interesting information…Did you know that Saint Ronnie had 2 members of the Schwenkfelder Sect in his cabinet…Erlichman(Tricky’s Domestic Policy Chief, in charge of theCDC, NIH and “war on Cancer’) as a Christian Scientist,….think H.R.(Harold Robbins) Haldeman was too. Howard Hughes was the first to employ a Mormon Mafia.
Scarecrow @
155
Let’s see…
The Senate enacts legislation without knowing its contents.
Justice does a late Friday data dump designed to temporarily conceal by revealing all up against a weekend.
FDL foils the plot by conspiring to reading all the words nearly instantly.
The Senate hires FDL to actually read its bills before enactment.
Result: no surprises (or at least different ones!)
I went to BYU. I worked on the Hill too (20 years ago). Most mormons in DC refer to the “mormon dc power elite” as “mormon mafia.” They have done so as long as I can remember.
Don’t forget, Jay Bybee (Mr “Geneva Convention is quaint”) is a Mormon too. Mormons are very likely to be recruited into the CIA, NSA, etc. Too bad they hate government.
From Tired Fed:
Not sure who originated the idea (my guess is Karl), but William Moschella of DOJ sent the wording (a comprehensive fix) to Brett Tolman at 10:09 pm on 11/9/05. Mr. Tolman replied at 11:06 pm: ” I will get the comprehensive fix done.” the email is in the DOJ docudump from last week (Friday ?), file # 3, page DAG 2010.
Now there’s some reporting. Hope the right people have this information.
Important and illuminating piece. Thanks Howie.
Sidney Blumenthal’s book, How Bush Rules, in the chapter re: the Clinton Library opening. I’m too old to remember precise quotes, however, when a staffer said to Rove (to the effect), “You’re not so scarry.” Rove replied (to the effect)”Yeah? Well, I changed the Constitution.”
Just passing along a possible footnote.
This rendition is a bit fishy. Do you really
think that an aide to Specter would do this
without Arlen’s agreement.? I don’t think so.
It is Arlen’s way of life to dissemble, say
someone else did it, then mount a campaign
against whatever he sureptitiously agreed to
in the first place.This is his MO. Just watch
him for a bit.