Incompetent Fascists

Fired U.S. Attorney Bud Cummins takes the DOJ to task for its lies about the firings of the U.S. Attorneys. Technically, he is not calling them incompetent. He objects to the lies because they make hurt the departement's credibility and make it more difficult for the Bush administration to achieve its objectives regarding toture, surveillance, and holding prisoners without charging them!

There are a great number of relevant and legitimate legal debates about executive power generally - about topics like the terrorist surveillance program, torture, and the legal status of enemy combatants. Unlike a typical Washington Monthly reader, I happen to agree with President Bush on most of these issues. The executive branch, from the president down to the investigating agent on the street, should have as many constitutional tools to protect the security of the nation as possible. And it isn't smart to debate all of the issues that face us out in the open in front of our enemies. Some issues need to be analyzed more privately. In sum, our government needs a formidable range of powers in order to investigate and combat terrorism properly.

The public, however, will never grant it such powers if the government and its agencies lack credibility.

He is not calling for prosecutions of actual criminal actions by Justice Department officials, in allowing torture and illegal surveillance. He is calling for the dismissal of a PR hack whos lies make it difficult for DOJ officials to get away with these crimes.

Mr. Cummins, if you are shocked that a Bush adminstration official would lie to Congress and lie to the public, you are awfully late to the party. Also, don't forget to take that "Ollie North for President" bumper sticker off your car.