Arkansas Blog: We don't need no stinkin' Constitution -- UPDATE

UPDATE: As we said earlier, your heard it here first. PS -- This is crummy treatment of Bud Cummins, a good guy who has been a good and fair US attorney and who is being moved out to reward a political hatchet man. Griffin has a lot to live up to. Belated kudos to Cummins.

We told you here first that the Bush administration was hellbent on installing Tim Griffin, an Arkansas native who's been a top political aide to Karl Rove and a hardball opposition researcher for the Republican Party, as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas.

It's about to happen, by interim appointment rather than the normal nomination process. U.S. Attorney Bud Cummins will step aside to make room for Griffin.

The Bush administration is aware of resistance to Griffin, on account of his political background, on the part of Arkansas senators. His name has been linked (he says unfairly) to Republican efforts at suppressing minority votes in presidential elections. Regardless of the truth of those accusations, he's been written about frequently as an intensely partisan and effective political player. Is this the kind of person you want holding discretion over prosecution in an overwhelmingly Democratic state? Will he pursue Republicans with equal fervor?

U.S. Rep. John Boozman is expected to defend sidestepping the nomination process by saying Griffin wouldn't receive a fair shake in Senate hearings. A spokesman for Sen. Mark Pryor said the better course is to have a hearing like that given others and let the public decide if the process is fair. The Pryor spokesman also said the office has constitutional questions about whether an interim appointment may only be used to fill a position in a Congressional recess as opposed to a period running through the two years remaining on Bush's term.

"He is essentially sidestepping the process," Michael Teague of Pryor's office said. "The big question is if he is being afforded some kind of special treatment because of his political campaign work. Bud Cummins had to go through the nomination process. What makes this guy so special?"

I can answer that question: Hit man for Karl Rove. Loyalty to the president. Political ambition. Resume building for that ambition.

The appointment should be announced shortly, maybe as early as today.

Comments

Max --

A recess appointment is approximately as unconstitutional as the First Amendment. Do calm down.

Posted by: LoverOfLiberty | December 15, 2006 06:27 PM

Permit me to repeat myself.

What the Republicans have done these past dozen years is to take my old grey lady of blind justice, with her blindfold and scales, and dress her up in the whore's clothes of partisan politics.

If we start today, which is not a given, it will take a generation for the judicial system to regain the respect of the nation.

Posted by: Silverback66 | December 15, 2006 06:53 PM

The criminals in OUR White House have made a joke and shown disrespect for other forms of our government so this is no surprise.

TODAY IS BILL OF RIGHTS DAY. It should have already been afforded as much celebration as July Fourth.

http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/Editorial/48115/

Posted by: Lwood | December 15, 2006 07:02 PM

We'll just conveniently forget Bill Clinton naming Roger Gregory to the Fourth Circuit with less than a month to go on his Presidency.

Or, naming Tom Gezon as "interim" USAT for western Michigan in 1993.

Or Bill Lann Lee to be "Acting" Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in 1997.

Man, Teague sold you a bag of goods.

Posted by: Arkansas Red | December 15, 2006 07:15 PM

I once owned a racing greyhound named Arkansas Red. This Clinton hater dishonors his memory

Posted by: John J. | December 15, 2006 07:34 PM

Max, you gotta admit that the rapid response by Arkie Red and Laugh at Liberty proves that Griffin's oppo research is the best that money can buy.

Posted by: Wanda Tinasky | December 15, 2006 11:14 PM

Max, you gotta admit that the focus by W.T. on the politics of the issue -- and her refusal actually to discuss the merits of what A.R. and I are saying -- proves that she is terrified of actually discussing the issue but is very interested in attacking the messenger.

ARK. BLOG: What's the problem with having a confirmation hearing? That's a good bit different than making a recess appointment when a senator's hold is blocking consideration of a nominee. I think there's a fair issue for discussion here and this avoids it.

Posted by: LoverOfLiberty | December 16, 2006 11:00 AM

Red ? . . . wasn't that also the signature color of a totalitarian state, now supposedly gone, imploded during Reagan Administration? Seems to me they supported a "justice" system where rulings owed more to political ideology than to justice.

Too bad, the inheritors of the conservative mantle of leadership are more concerned with their party's gain than the democracy they have been elected to lead.

I believe they also used the tactic of pointing to opponents acts, whether true or not, to justify their own subversions of their government. Of course, they didn't originate it either; they just copied Goebbels.

Posted by: docholliday | December 16, 2006 04:44 PM

"ARK. BLOG: What's the problem with having a confirmation hearing? That's a good bit different than making a recess appointment when a senator's hold is blocking consideration of a nominee. I think there's a fair issue for discussion here and this avoids it."

Max -- if you could just supply citations for a couple of the editorials you published in the Nineties that criticize Clinton's practice of recess appointments, you will have convinced me that this is a neutral and nonpolitical plea for fairness from you. After all, I'm sure you'd never want anyone to conclude that you have different standards for Republican and Democratic administrations.

ARK. BLOG: Was Clinton offered a hearing on his appointments? I don't believe he was. A hearing is being offered here. The most famous Clinton appntmnt was probably the Fourth Circuit recess appointment. In that case, despite bipartsan support, the Senate would schedule a hearing. Here, the senators are asking for a hearing. What's to hide? Also note that it appears Bush is ready to have Griffin for the two years remaining in his term without asking for Senate confirmation. The Gregory appointment was good for a year and had to be resubmitted. But finally, the larger issue here is the simple one of an intensely partisan political operator being installed in a justice job without an airing. And the shabby treatment of Cummins, incidentally.

Posted by: LoverOfLiberty | December 16, 2006 05:17 PM

Arkansas Blog

We don't need no stinkin' Constitution -- UPDATE

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