Kim posted earlier about the recent firing of the eight US attorneys. I have not blogged about it before now because I learned back in 1993 that it was no big deal when Bill Clinton fired 93 US Attorneys when he took office, including at least one that was working on investigations into his dealings in Arkansas. Even as weary as I am of the Clintons, when I heard a few US attorneys were fired that was the first thought that came to mind.
Followed, of course, by the remembrance of the firing of the White House Travel Office by the Clintons to make room for a Clinton cousin. It is hard not to immediately think of Bill Dale when the subject of White House firings is raised. (For those too young to remember Travelgate, check out Barbara Olson’s book, Hell to Pay.)
Pointing to the other side’s behavior does not constitute an argument in defense of the recent firings. I don’t know whether or not the recent firings were deserved, but it is the prerogative of the President to fire them if they were not performing to his satisfaction. The fact that few media reports include a reference to the Clinton firings is a much more important story, in my opinion, than the firings themselves. The breathless reporting of the (cue sinister music) firings gives the impression, to anyone who doesn’t know anything about politics or similar actions by previous administrations, that some horrible crime has been committed and that this is a serious scandal. The mainstream media is actively misleading their audiences by leaving out relevant information and context by refusing to reference activities of the previous administration.
When I hear a bunch of liberals in the political arena and in the media jumping up and down all indignant about something that pales in comparison to some of the things that went on during the previous administration, I have a hard time taking them seriously. If it was not deemed wrong when Bill Clinton did it, then I certainly don’t see how it can be viewed as wrong now. Sorry, but I am just not sensing any authenticity in this recent liberal/media outrage.
“Reality Check” found the following:
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales appeared on five broadcast and cable network TV morning shows to comment on the sudden media-manufactured “crisis” that the Justice Department fired eight U.S. Attorneys, political appointees of the President. None of the Gonzales interviewers – at ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, and FNC – ever mentioned that the Clinton administration fired all 93 U.S. Attorneys in 1993. How can firing eight be a “crisis” and firing 93 be not worth a solitary mention?
Hillary Needs a Vacation looks at how ridiculously hypocritical (and bold) it is for Hillary Clinton to be critical of the firings.
Stories like this not only show the true bias of a media out to get the current President, but also show how secure those in the media and Democrats like Hillary Clinton are that their double standards and hypocrisy will not be exposed. Thanks to people like Brent Bozell and others in the new media, they are being exposed. Now the question is whether or not they will be exposed in the mainstream media or if the facts will remain hidden from the viewers of ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN.
Update: Patterico has a post about the emails which provide evidence that the firings were not motivated by a desire to affect political investigations.
