Thread: Bush Makes Recess CRONY Appointment for Head Of ICE

This is from the Lou Dobbs program on January 5, 2006:


Thank you, Dana. With Congress out of session, President Bush has appointed Julie Meyers to head up the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency. Meyers is a well-connected member of the Washington ruling elite, with close family ties to the Bush administration, but she has virtually no experience in dealing with our nation's border emergency. Her dead- of-night appointment shows once again that political connections can put almost anyone on the inside track to an inside job in Washington.

Lisa Sylvester reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LISA SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Julie Meyers is a 36-year-old attorney who has held a number of key government positions, but critics say she does not have the experience to head up the nation's second largest law enforcement agency. At her most significant job at the Commerce Department, she had 170 employees under her. At Immigration and Customs Enforcement, she will head 20,000 employees.

Her budget at Commerce, $25 million. At ICE, $4 billion.

BOB WILLIAMS, CENTER FOR PUBLIC INTEGRITY: This wouldn't happen in the private sector because people will be far too concerned about it. It's, you know, only in government this sort of thing can happen.

SYLVESTER: Democrats have questioned her credentials.

SEN. FRANK LAUTENBERG (D), NEW JERSEY: Her answers didn't give us any confidence that she had either the experience or knowledge to take on this kind of an assignment.

SYLVESTER: And so have conservatives. The "National Review" ran an editorial saying the appointment "smacks of cronyism."

Julie Meyers is the niece of Richard Meyers, former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. She is married to John Wood. Wood is Homeland Secretary Michael Chertoff's chief of staff. She will report to Chertoff, who is her former boss.

The Department of Homeland Security defends Meyers, pointing to her resume handling money laundering and other financial case. The agency says her experience will help crack down on crime syndicates bringing in illegal aliens.

"When you understand the ICE mission, she is an extraordinarily well-suited candidate for this position."

But agents on the ground are not convinced.

TJ BONNER, NATIONAL BORDER PATROL COUNCIL: I have never seen morale any lower than it is now. And this certainly can't help, having someone come in who has less experience with immigration than a first-year trainee.

(END VIDEOTAPE) SYLVESTER: DHS says that marital or family connections have no bearing on Meyers' appointment, but perception goes a long way. We all remember another well-connected political appointee, FEMA's Michael Brown. After his credentials were tested, he is now out of the government -- Lou.

DOBBS: I'm sorry, Lisa, who was it who said her connections have nothing to do with her appointment?

SYLVESTER: It was actually Ross Knocke (ph). He's one of the spokesmen at DHS.

DOBBS: Yes.

SYLVESTER: And what he was -- the point that he's trying to make is that she has this experience fighting financial crimes, and he says that will translate over well to her new job.

DOBBS: Someone should perhaps put the gentleman on a lie detector, because if he did that with a straight face, it's remarkable. Cronyism is straightforwardly cronyism.

If you think we've had problems with ICE in the past, YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHING YET! This is probably THE MOST DANGEROUS CRONY APPOINTMENT BUSH HAS MADE YET.

I think I posted this thread to in another area yesterday. I'm thoroughly disgusted, but not shocked or surprised. What won't this guy do to push his wretched anti american agenda down our throats? What will it take to get congress to impeach this a-hole? This should show even the biggest RNC lockstepper that Jorge Bush isn't serious about immigration. He doesn't care. He thinks this is all some big joke. Impeach this turd now. A baboon would be an upgrade over this president.

I thought after the FEMA episode with Brown and the Harriet Miers appointment, Bush would back away from his cronism, obviously not.

Originally Posted by Virginiamama

I thought after the FEMA episode with Brown and the Harriet Miers appointment, Bush would back away from his cronism, obviously not.

Come on, you think this guy learns from anything? He doesn't. He is so stubborn and so dense that he thinks what he does works and no one can tell him any different. He thinks he's King of the World. I bet Bush and Kennedy are drinking buddies.

Sorry, dman, if I duplicated something you had already posted. I skimmed over the topics and didn't see it but I could have missed it.

Originally Posted by Bootsie

Sorry, dman, if I duplicated something you had already posted. I skimmed over the topics and didn't see it but I could have missed it.

It happens all the time. I think we all are guilty of posting dup threads. I'll post a thread and see a duplicate one at the bottom of the page later. Now I just scroll down all the way at the bottom before I post. I think that has cut down on my dup thread posting quite a bit.

No Biggie.

Originally Posted by Virginiamama

I thought after the FEMA episode with Brown and the Harriet Miers appointment, Bush would back away from his cronism, obviously not.

I am really angry about Julie Meyers being appointed. You would think Bush would of backed away. But apparently he 'owes' some favors to his friends and family. Never mind about the security of America. It went down the drain anyway, after he appointed Chertoff the flaming dragon.

RIGHT, BBean. He would NEVER admit he was wrong.

But apparently he 'owes' some favors to his friends and family.

He forgets he owes the American public who provides him a place to live and a nice paycheck. Did anyone else notice how many people in his administation jumped ship after re-election? I personally can't think of one person that came in that I particularly care for. They all look shady to me.