ten more years in Iraq post a link to that ! On Dec 11, 7:05 am, "merry Christmas! mark" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > oh I don't know, how about during the election he promised to fools he > would be out of Iraq next year, now he says it could be 10 more yrs. > he said he was going to raise taxes, now he says he won't. lies murky > lies. > > On Dec 11, 6:57 am, mike 532 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > really when did that happen ? oh wait who do you mean when you say > > he ? > > > On Dec 11, 6:56 am, "merry Christmas! mark" > > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >aq > and he has already proven himself to be a liar. > > > > On Dec 11, 6:53 am, mike 532 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > obama already said he had no intention of replacing fitzgerald . > > > > > On Dec 11, 6:40 am, "merry Christmas! mark" > > > > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > no no no. President Bush is still being accused of violating > > > > > something, somewhere for firing the US attorneys. since he obviously > > > > > was not allowed to do that, then I guess nobama cannot do so either. > > > > > > On Dec 11, 5:47 am, Cold Water <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > Will Obama Fire Patrick Fitzgerald? > > > > > > Wednesday, December 10, 2008 9:02 PM > > > > > > > By: David A. Patten > > > > > > > Once he assumes office, President-elect Barack Obama will face a > > > > > > severe “trial by fire” over whether to fire U.S. Attorney Patrick > > > > > > J. Fitzgerald and other U.S. attorneys, following Democratic > > > > > > Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s arrest Tuesday for allegedly > > > > > > offering to sell Obama’s vacated Senate seat to the highest bidder. > > > > > > > Ordinarily, legal and political experts say, an incoming president > > > > > > has broad authority to change both the Cabinet and the U.S. > > > > > > attorneys who serve at his request. But with unanswered questions > > > > > > swirling over the degree of interaction Obama's team has had with > > > > > > Blagojevich, and the alarming level of Illinois corruption exposed > > > > > > by the probe, any move to fire Fitzgerald would be highly > > > > > > controversial as a possible conflict of interest. > > > > > > > “There are enough connections between the worlds of Blagojevich and > > > > > > Obama that the whole thing has the potential to grow beyond a > > > > > > colorful Chicago tale of corruption to entangle members of the > > > > > > presidential transition team, to test Obama’s carefully cultivated > > > > > > reformist image, and to distract the president-elect just as he is > > > > > > preparing to take office,” Time.com reported Wednesday. > > > > > > > Many of the concerns revolve around a statement Obama made Tuesday > > > > > > afternoon, which ultimately raised more questions than it answered. > > > > > > > "I had no contact with the governor or his office, and so we were > > > > > > not -- I was not aware of what was happening," Obama said, leaving > > > > > > open the possibility that his staff did have contact with > > > > > > Blagojevich. "And as I said, it's a sad day for Illinois. Beyond > > > > > > that, I don't think it's appropriate to comment." > > > > > > > Obama’s statement evoked concern among the mainstream media that it > > > > > > was too tepid to quell the rising hubbub. “I think it was a very > > > > > > passive statement by Obama yesterday. I don’t think it was enough,” > > > > > > NBC political director Chuck Todd told MSNBC viewers on Wednesday > > > > > > morning. > > > > > > > Concerns over what Obama’s staff knew regarding the blatant > > > > > > solicitation of bribes, and when they knew it, only deepened > > > > > > Wednesday morning as Obama campaign adviser David Axelrod recanted > > > > > > a November statement that Obama did meet with Blagojevich that > > > > > > month. > > > > > > > Wednesday afternoon, apparently in response to media rumblings, > > > > > > Obama commented again, saying via a spokesman that Blagojevich > > > > > > should step down as Illinois governor. Obama has not been > > > > > > considered particularly close to Blagojevich, but did voice strong > > > > > > support for him during his 2006 reelection campaign. > > > > > > > Citing the equivocal statements coming out of the Obama camp, > > > > > > Heritage fellow and legal scholar Robert Alt tells Newsmax: “You > > > > > > already have the whiff of cover-up in the air” inside the Beltway. > > > > > > > “If these sorts of stories continue,” Alt says, “and it starts to > > > > > > look like he’s covering up contacts with Blagojevich, if he then > > > > > > sacks Fitzgerald, that would look very bad indeed.” > > > > > > > In his news conference, Fitzgerald went out of his way to avoid > > > > > > implicating the Obama team, stating “there’s no reference in the > > > > > > complaint to any conversation involving the president-elect or > > > > > > indicating that the president-elect was aware of it.” > > > > > > > Alt, the deputy director of the Center for Legal and Judicial > > > > > > studies at Heritage, says he sees no indication in the criminal > > > > > > complaint against Blagojevich of any improper involvement on the > > > > > > part of Obama’s representatives – but he adds Obama must now tread > > > > > > very carefully. > > > > > > > “It will be a baptism by fire,” Alt tells Newsmax. “Any time there > > > > > > is an investigation touching on the president or close presidential > > > > > > allies, the sensitivity of hiring and firing the prosecutors > > > > > > becomes a high concern. It’s been previously said there’s not much > > > > > > time for on-the-job training for the presidency. And on the issue > > > > > > of U.S. attorneys, he’ll have to make some tough calls right away.” > > > > > > > Republican leaders are already challenging Obama to pledge that > > > > > > after he becomes president on Jan. 20, he will keep Fitzgerald in > > > > > > office. > > > > > > > “What he should do tomorrow is say, ‘Patrick Fitzgerald has a job > > > > > > and can have it for as long as he wants,’” the state Republican > > > > > > chairman of Illinois, Andy McKenna, told reporters. “Some have > > > > > > wondered if Barack Obama would keep Fitzgerald. It would be great > > > > > > if he confirms that he plans to.” > > > > > > > That Fitzgerald suddenly sees Republicans lining up to defend him > > > > > > is profoundly ironic, given that both prominent Republicans and > > > > > > Democrats have found themselves in his investigatory crosshairs > > > > > > over the years. > > > > > > > A former rugby player, Fitzgerald once told a reporter he’d left > > > > > > plenty of blood on the field because “that was the whole point.” No > > > > > > one has ever doubted Fitzgerald, 47, plays for keeps. > > > > > > > Born into a working-class Brooklyn family, Fitzgerald’s father of > > > > > > worked as a doorman in Manhattan. The future scourge of corrupt > > > > > > politicians attended Amherst, and after earning a law degree from > > > > > > Harvard University practiced civil law before becoming an assistant > > > > > > U.S. attorney in New York in 1988. There, Fitzgerald made his > > > > > > reputation prosecuting terrorists like Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, the > > > > > > blind Egyptian cleric who sought to bomb city landmarks. He also > > > > > > tried four men accused of bombing the East African embassy. > > > > > > > As Fitzgerald was demonstrating his prosecutorial chops, a maverick > > > > > > Illinois senator named Peter Fitzgerald – no relation – was looking > > > > > > for a U.S. attorney who would clean up the state’s infamously > > > > > > twisted politics. According to The Washington Post, Sen. Fitzgerald > > > > > > called former FBI Director Louis Freeh and asked, “Who’s the best > > > > > > assistant U.S. attorney you know of in the country?” > > > > > > > Freeh didn't hesitate: “Patrick Fitzgerald in the Southern District > > > > > > of New York.” > > > > > > > The senator then called the head of the New York office, asked the > > > > > > same question, and got the same answer: Patrick Fitzgerald. > > > > > > > That was when the senator recruited his namesake to be U.S. > > > > > > attorney in Chicago, and the rest is history -- bitter history for > > > > > > those Fitzgerald has caught trying to scam the public. > > > > > > > Fitzgerald’s delicious gift for offending the rich and powerful on > > > > > > both sides of America’s partisan divide was never more evident than > > > > > > in the Valerie Plame Wilson case. On the one hand, Republicans were > > > > > > troubled that Fitzgerald decided to prosecute I. Lewis “Scooter” > > > > > > Libby, the former top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney, for > > > > > > perjury charges that had little or nothing to do with the concerns > > > > > > that originally triggered the investigation -- namely, that a Bush > > > > > > administration official may have broken the law by leaking the > > > > > > identity of Plame, a CIA operations officer, to columnist Robert > > > > > > Novak. Libby was convicted, but President Bush commuted his > > > > > > sentence in July 2007. > > > > > > > During his investigation, Fitzgerald also was targeted by the left > > > > > > and The New York Times, which pounded away at Fitzgerald in its > > > > > > editorial pages, stating that “in his zeal to compel reporters to > > > > > > disclose their sources, Mr. Fitzgerald lost sight of the bigger > > > > > > picture.” > > > > > > > Among Fitzgerald’s other high-profile prosecutions: The 2006 > > > > > > conviction of GOP Illinois Gov. George Ryan, for steering state > > > > > > contracts in return for payoffs. > > > > > > > Having survived repeated prosecutorial run-ins with powerful people > > > > > > bent on breaking the law, now the question is whether Fitzgerald > > > > > > will survive the transition that brings the once-junior senator of > > > > > > Illinois to the White House. Ousting Fitzgerald could raise serious > > > > > > questions about the sincerity of Obama’s commitment to do away with > > > > > > old-school politics. > > > > > > > In September, the former senator who recruited Fitzgerald warned > > > > > > his protégé’s days might well be numbered once Obama moves into > > > > > > 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. > > > > > > > “My guess is if Senator Obama got elected, one of the first things > > > > > > that would happen is that they would remove Patrick Fitzgerald in > > > > > > Chicago,” the former senator told WIND’s John & Cisco In The > > > > > > Morning show. “And he’d have pressure to do so from all sorts of > > > > > > Daley administration people.” > > > > > > > Bill P. Marshall, a deputy counsel in Bill Clinton’s White House, > > > > > > tells Newsmax that it is rare for U.S. Attorneys to stay on after a > > > > > > shift in power. > > > > > > > Obama’s main task, Marshall says, is “returning some credibility to > > > > > > the Justice Department, but the point is if [Obama] keeps him on, > > > > > > that is the exception rather than the rule.” > > > > > > > Firing Fitzgerald could cause Obama more trouble than it’s worth. > > > > > > The nightmare scenario for Obama would be if the Blagojevich > > > > > > investigation evolves into a > > ... > > read more »- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum
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