Thread: 'I didn't mean to'

Posted on Sat, May. 26, 2007

'I didn't mean to'
Star-Telegram

Goodling That time-honored Washington evasion tool, the faulty memory, has found a new partner in political mischief: the unintentional absolution.

Monica Goodling, former senior counsel to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, told Congress this week that she sometimes looked into Justice Department job applicants' political affiliations.

By her own admission, she went overboard. But never mind -- after all, she added, "I didn't mean to."

"I may have gone too far in asking political questions of applicants for career positions, and I may have taken inappropriate political considerations into account on some occasions," she testified, under subpoena and an immunity grant. (Read her testimony at www.nytimes.com. Search for "Monica Goodling transcript.")

"I crossed the line of the civil service rules," she acknowledged at another point.

"But I didn't mean to."

So the American public is to believe that Goodling, who worked for former Gonzales chief of staff Kyle "Loyal Bushies" Sampson, "didn't mean to" contribute to the continuing politicization of the Justice Department.

We might as well accept that other things she testified to in connection with the furor over U.S. attorney dismissals were purely unintentional as well.

"I worked diligently to compile and provide the deputy [attorney general] with dozens of pages of statistics and other information that I thought he was likely to need" -- but I didn't mean to.

"During my five years at the department, I believe that I interviewed hundreds of job applicants" -- but I didn't mean to.

"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" -- but I didn't mean to.

"I think when people looked at the list [of those considered for firing], people generally had the same thoughts in their mind about people as far as I could tell from that meeting. Because somebody would say one thing, and other people would nod, and I would write it down" -- but I didn't mean to.

"I did discuss with Mr. Sampson, of course, removing individuals" -- but I didn't mean to.

"I was trying to find very well-qualified people who would be enthusiastic about, you know, supporting the attorney general's priorities and focus" -- but I didn't mean to.

"In those positions, because they were in leadership offices, I really did want to ensure that ideologically they were compatible. In other cases, like immigration judges and Board of Immigration Appeals, I thought that we could consider other factors" -- but I didn't mean to.

"I don't remember receiving an e-mail from Mr. [Karl] Rove. I did receive e-mail from [White House counsel] Harriet Miers" -- but I didn't mean to.

It's a good guess that what she really "didn't mean to" do was ever have to own up in public to the kinds of political excesses that have eroded confidence in the Justice Department.

http://www.star-telegram.com/389/story/115536.html

The senate has interjected such unbelievable figures in this bill to fool us. When they reduce them down a bit, then we all breathe a sigh of relief...kind of like getting gas up to 3.75 a gallon, when it goes back down to only 3.50, we all say, 'whew'. In other words it's all bait and switch.


Please look at what giving amnesty to as many as 20,000,000 illegal alien foreign nationals actually represents. More than the population of 16 states and DC!

According to the 2000 census, 18,785,867 is the total populations combined of Wyoming, Dist. of Columbia, Vermont, Alaska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Delaware, Montana, Rhode Island, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Maine, Idaho, Nebraska, West Virginia, New Mexico and Nevada.

THINK about that.

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/st ... tion.shtml