The Daily Sandwich

"We have to learn the lesson that intellectual honesty is fundamental for everything we cherish." -Sir Karl Popper

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Location: Boston, Massachusetts, United States

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Monday, June 11, 2007

Bush's Little Red Book

When Mao was in firm control of China, he set about modernizing (or at least giving the appearance of modernizing) the nation. One of those efforts was to encourage the use of what's come to be called Traditional Chinese Medicine, particularly in rural areas and among the poor. This system, which runs the gamut from the sometimes sensible (medicinal herbs) to hocus-pocus (pulse diagnosis). Being a man of the people, Mao entrusted his own care to highly trained physicians well-versed in the latest Western medical knowledge, and often schooled overseas.

Today, the WaPo reported that the Bush White House is hiring a team of lawyers in anticipation of being asked to take responsibility for his administration's frequen law-breaking. A significant part of the DOJ scandal involves right-wing fundamentalists from crappy law schools being given responsibilities far beyond their age and experience, including the right to determine which cases were pursued by US Attorneys. So you know the GOP has tons of faith in the abilities of these young zealots.... right? Of course not!

White House counsel Fred F. Fielding, brought in by Bush in January when the opposition took over Capitol Hill, announced the appointment of nine new lawyers yesterday, including J. Michael Farren, former general counsel of Xerox Corp., as his deputy. A source said Fielding has also recruited Stephen D. Potts, a longtime head of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, to be ethics counsel.

The legal reinforcements arrive at a time when the White House is under siege on multiple fronts. Congressional investigators are looking into the dismissal of U.S. attorneys, the disappearance of White House e-mail, internal disputes over warrantless surveillance, partisan activities in federal agencies, various aspects of the Iraq war and other issues. . .

Fielding raided his old law firm, Wiley Rein & Fielding, for some of its talent, hiring Kate Todd, Amy F. Dunathan and Al Lambert. He also brought back William Burck, who recently left the White House to work at the Justice Department; two former federal prosecutors, Michael Purpura and Scott Coffina; and Emmet T. Flood and Francis Q. Hoang of Williams & Connolly. All eight received degrees from Ivy League schools or from West Point. (Emphasis mine.)

If only BushCo had faith the size of a mustard seed in their own allies, eh?