Jon, as always imho has done again the best job of any blogger here - and again found the key point we need to work on.
But he missed a few spots. First, the fact should be mentioned that the reason these atty. generals are being replaced, is due to a war powers act granted by congress to the president post 911.
The team of Cheney and Rumsfeld (ex sec. of defense) accomplished these legislative changes behind the scenes using rove as the whip. They were intent upon increasing the power of the presidency and used the 911 attack as an instrument by which those powers were implemented.
The key point of this act, is that the president or his appointee can appoint these posts, as interim appointments - without senate confirmation - for an indefinite term.
In essence, this makes a complete end run around the check and balance that the senate confirmation process is supposed to have added. This makes the department of justice partisan.
Nothing I could say further could add more weight to that last sentence. I suggest you read it carefully - even if yout hink the doj would be better off as a partisan entity in the hands of the democrats, you had better be careful about who will be knocking down your door and whether or not you agree with the flavor of the day.
The independence of the Dept. of Justice has suffered greatly - and it is all the m ore clear what we should do.
We should give incredible weight to the treatment of civil liberties issues, in the upcoming election.
Again, also support moveon.org - this is the only group that has consistently fought these kind of things. They will help you get started doing several other things. And don't be afraid to speak up for them.
Finally, don't make the mistake that media will highlight or report this - the complicity of the american media would make any dictator proud.
I wanted to add somethign to those indy voters out there who really feel the definition of the life's incept is a key issue: the bush republicans used this to alter the doj.
Abortion was the key. The bush republicans needed to take the sheriff out of town and they used the issue of life itself to do it. Just as they used the issue of WMD as an excuse to go prospecting for oil in another country's front yard.
History will prove one thing about abortion - that any strategy that helps to take care of the mother, to reduce her fear of having an unplanned pregnancy come to term with an unhealthy or unloved child - will eliminate this practice that should be so rare in our society.
But history will decide even more so that anyone who votes as a single issue on how to punish that mother or her doctor or anyone else - so blindly that they allow the devil himself to do as he pleases while he mouths the sounds that you expected to hear - that person will be known as the person who began the descent of our country into totalitarianism. Forget about all those bra-burning women out there who will tell you that their bodies are their own - the last thing you need to have, is someone trying to invent a new punishment - for a mother - who has to kill her own child. That punishment is god's alone and woe unto us for those that dare to say they know the mind of god; lucifer is in poor company.
I really feel that abortion was the issue that they used to hijack the dept. of justice - mr. "when the eagle soars" ashcroft was appointed the head after being beaten by a dead incumbent in an election; his views on abortion were what made it a slam dunk for the bush republicans. All of the supreme court appt.s had that vein. The evangelicals that created the bush republicans - seem to feel happy whenever corruption is laid down upon the land, for a cure against abortion -
Even though the greatest strides against abortion were actually made in the clinton administration. (just a fact, boys! )
