..........what it is, is politics!!!

In 1993, Bill Clinton replaced George H.W. Bush's prosecutors. In 2001, George W. Bush replaced Clinton's prosecutors. None of this is remotely unusual. Indeed, it's how the process is designed. It is standard operating procedure for an incoming president of an incoming party to change personnel, including U.S. Attorneys. No news there. Every incoming president has done it, although the Republicans screamed like a smashed cat (sorry kitty) when Clinton did it at the beginning of his term. What is news is that Bush changed personnel when there was no change of president or party, and did so with the new wrinkle thanks to Arlen Specter and the Patriot Act. Senate confirmation now would not be necessary. The president was able to remove attorneys who didn't alter their docket to prosecute Democrats, or who didn't alter their dockets to delay prosecuting Republicans, or who successfully prosecuted a Republican like "Duke" Cunningham. Was US Attorney Carol Lam bearing down on the White House? Was U.S. Attorney Carol Lam onto Cheney and his staff when they fired her? Try this on for size:

- Washington, D.C. defense contractor Mithell Wade pled guilty last February to paying then - California Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham more than $1 million in bribes.

- Wade's company, MZM, Inc. received its first federal contract from the White House. The contract, which ran from July 15 to August 15, 2002, stipulated that Wade be paid $140,000 to "provide office furniture and computers for Vice President Dick Cheney."

- Two weeks later, on August 30, 2002, Wade purchased a yacht for $140,000 for Duke Cunningham. The boat's name was later changed to the "Duke-Stir."

- According to Cunningham's sentencing memorandum, the purchase price of the boat had been negotiated through a third-party earlier that summer, around the same time the White House contract was signed.

- The real target in Attorneygate was Carol Lam. All the other firings are a smokescreen.

But of course this is not about lying. It's about politics. George Bush announced in a special news conference that, "Members of Congress now face a choice: wheather they will waste time and provoke an unnecessary confrontation, or wheather they will join us in working to do the people's business." Apparently "the people's business" should be more used like this: back in the mid-1990's, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, aggressively delving into alleged misconduct by the Clinton administration, logged some 140 hours of sworn testimony into wheather former president Bill Clinton had used the White House Christmas card list to identify potential Democratic donors.

You've no doubt heard of the five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance). Whenever a new Republican scandal washes ashore, the Five Stages of Republican Response are:

1. Ignoring

2. Belittling

3. Blaming the Liberal Media

4. Evoking Bill Clinton

5. Create a Smokescreen

These stages don't necessarily have to progress in order, or even one stage at a time.

Last, but certainly not least, here are a couple of Friday funnies.......

"Alberto Gonzales is still fighting for his life. President Bush said this week that Gonzales has his full support, and he has no plans to fire him. Of course, he made that statement in front of a big sign that said 'Adios Amigo.'" --Bill Maher

"In what he called an emotional return to Congress, Al Gore testified before a House committee that climate change poses a crisis that threatens civilization. Then he hung around in the parking lot and told people he used to go here." --Seth Myers

In a bold attempt to end the controversy over the sacking of eight U.S. attorneys, President George W. Bush today offered the fired prosecutors what he called "exciting new positions" in Iraq. With the President facing pressure from Congress over the firing of attorneys and funding for the continuing war effort, Mr. Bush told reporters at the White House that sending the "surge" of eight U.S. attorneys to Baghdad was a "win-win" solution to both problems. This attorney surge would send a strong message to insurgents and terrorists that they can no longer take the law into their own hands.

..........what it is, is politics. It doesn't matter which team is "at bat", there will be controversy, there will be wrongdoings, and there will be satire. I tend to vote Democrat here in NC with the state and local elections - I work for the state, and the Dems offer my family and career the most. My wife's grandfather was a member of the NC House for twelve years, and I would have to say that is part of it, too. I respected the work he did greatly as a lawmaker and conservationist of the Yadkin River. I am also a member of the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE), which makes due process for the dismissal of teachers (both the good ones and the bad ones) possible and fair. I watch way too much news (MSNBC, NBC, FOX, CNN) for my own good. I like to think of myself as one who listens to both sides of an argument, and I refuse to be put into the "sheeple" category of blind political party allegiance. I really like the Star Wars Saga. Don't take the satire too serious. In fact, I really hope that I don't offend anyone badly. In many cases, controversy alone breeds thought. I never miss the opportunity to vote. As an American, my ability to exercise free speech depends on voting. I wish all of you the best for the coming weekend.