Ex-Gonzales Aide Testifies She ‚Äö√Ñ√≤Crossed the Line’
WASHINGTON, May 23 ‚Äö√Ñ√Æ The Justice Department’s former liaison to the White House testified before Congress today that she improperly weighed political factors in considering applicants for career positions in the department, and she said she was sorry. But the former liaison, Monica M. Goodling, told the House Judiciary Committee that, contrary to public impressions, she did not play a major role in the controversial dismissals of United States attorneys last year.
Amazing, isn’t it? A young, inexperienced attorney from a fourth-tier law school is somehow given far more power and authority than she’s equipped to handle…and in exercising her newly-bestowed power, she proceeds to violate a raftload of federal laws.
Of course, this being official Washington in the time of our Lord Bush 43 (forever and ever, amen….), Monica Goodling doesn’t have to worry her pretty li’l blonde head about inconvenient truths like accountability and jail time- the sort of thing you and I would have to cope with were we to violate the same federal laws. No, Ms. Goodling is granted the magic power of immunity, and in exchange she gets to admit to all the mean, nasty, inappropriate…AND ILLEGAL…things she did while in the employ of the Justice Department. It’s good to be a self-righteous Republican, no?
The application of justice is supposed to be- indeed, is required by federal law to be- devoid of religious, political, or ideological considerations. Yeah, it may be trite, but it’s true- justice is supposed to be blind…except that in BushWorld, NOTHING happens independent of religious, political, or ideological considerations. To say that Monica Goodling represents just about everything that’s wrong with this Administration would be something of an understatement. And the worst part of it all is that, even though she’s admitted to frequently breaking several federal laws, Goodling gets to walk away a free woman.
(What’s the definition of “Republican”? Well, how about feeling as if you’re above the law…and in truth, actually being above the law??)
Yes, indeed; being a Republican means never having to say you’re sorry…or worry about being held accountable. After all, doing time in a federal lockup would look SO tacky on Ms. Goodling’s resume.
Ms. Goodling said that in the course of her five years at the Justice Department, she interviewed hundreds of job applicants, most of them for positions subject to partisan political appointment. “But some were applicants for certain categories of career positions,” she went on, alluding to workers who are supposed to function free of naked political considerations.
“In every case, I tried to act in good faith, and for the purpose of ensuring that the department was staffed by well-qualified individuals who were supportive of the attorney general’s views, priorities and goals,” she said, before acknowledging that she might have gone too far in asking overtly political questions of some career applicants.
But Representative Bobby Scott, Democrat of Virginia, was not satisfied. “Did you break the law?” he asked. “Is it against the law to take those considerations into account?”
“I believe I crossed the line, but I didn’t mean to,” she replied.
Oh…well, OK, then…no problemo. Hey, we all make boo-boos every now and then, no? So she broke a few federal laws; she didn’t MEAN to…so what’s the big deal? Don’t we all “cross the line” every now and again??
The fact that Monica Goodling was allowed to screen candidates based on political, ideological, and relgious criteria- even down to checking their political donations- indicates just how out of control this Adminstration is and how little respect they have for the rule of law. No, what matters is political power- the aggregation and maintenance of it, and the marginalization of those not enlightened enough to believe in BushWorld’s brand of muscular, Republican Christianity.
So much for accountability and being made to answer for your crimes. If there were any justice, Monica Goodling would even now being fitted for an orange jumpsuit in a federal lockup. Hey, it’s OK, though; she’s a Republican…and we all know that Republicans take care of their own…and Democrats will meekly go along for the ride.
