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2005 White House hiring directive: ‘Place as many of our Bush loyalists as possible.’

The New York Times’ Charlie Savage highlights a “little-noticed” email revealed in the new Justice Department report about the department’s politicized and illegal hiring practices. A May 17, 2005 directive from the White House political affairs office said: “We simply want to place as many of our Bush loyalists as possible.” The email urged agency officials to find jobs for 108 people on a list of “priority candidates” who had “loyally served the president.” Savage explains that, while presidents of both parties have engaged in political patronage, “the Bush administration had gone further than any predecessor.”



29 Responses to “2005 White House hiring directive: ‘Place as many of our Bush loyalists as possible.’”

  1. pete says:

    Should not the author of the email in question be under indictment?


  2. Badmoodman says:

    while presidents of both parties have engaged in political patronage, “the Bush administration had gone further than any predecessor.”

    – - In other news, Capt. Obvious reveals, “Skunks stink.”


  3. Crusty Old Bastard says:

    Guido the Loving OBGYN Says: “Whores. Our politicians and their friends are whores.”

    Without a doubt, complete with a Pimp, a Dick, and a John.


  4. StratRat says:

    I don’t think our form of government was designed to limit a delusional and imperial personality. The built in checks and balances call for restraint and patriotism on both sides, but as we have seen, Bushco shows no restraint and certainly no patriotism.

    Our form of government presumed the officeholders would always place the country first, their careers and politics second. The Constitution counted on a gentile form of behavior, not frat house pranksters and hypocrites.


  5. Leftside Annie says:

    Loyalty to La Famiglia. Always.


  6. texaslady says:

    Competence not necessary just blind loyalty.


  7. Keith H. says:

    108 ?!? Okay, there’s laura, and Barney, and, who else is there ?


  8. tokin librul says:

    @1 pete Says:
    Should not the author of the email in question be under indictment?
    July 30th, 2008 at 6:15 pm

    If s/he’s talking about career employees–civil serviec hires–then the author of that e-mail ought to be looking for counsel, yup…


  9. StratRat says:

    Goodling even passed over a counter-terror expert at DOJ to install a Regents grad. How sick is that?


  10. AlphaLiberal says:

    Nothing to see here. Nosiree. Keep moving!

    No news at 6:00.


  11. ForTruth says:

    Where’s the other millions of missing White House e-mails?

    Visitors logs also.


  12. ForTruth says:

    Good thing these folks became recklessly arrogant. They might not have gotten caught otherwise.


  13. drago says:

    Sieg Heil Bush!


  14. MapleStreet says:

    Thank you for this article. I am excited that the trail is leading closer and closer to the inner sanctum of the WH.


  15. republicanSScareme says:

    The Republican Party is the Nazi Party.

    Pass the word.


  16. pete says:

    And they still have the gall to call patriots who defend the Nation and Constitution “unamerican”. And 25% of the country eats it with a spoon. That’s about as effed up as it can get.


  17. KEVKEV IN APACHE JUNCTION says:

    Just another Neocon/New world order shill doing his job….
    For the Bush Crime Family…..
    Hey Toby….Time to do us a favor….since you sold your soul…


  18. Bilbo Hussein Baggins says:

    And, of course, Alberto Gonzales didn’t know anything about it. He’s totally innocent and is a total incompetent. If he knew about what Monica Goodling was doing he was criminal, if he didn’t know what she was doing, he was incompetent. I wonder which one he would like to be.


  19. dixie blood says:

    #19 Bilbo Hussein Baggins,

    He will pick incompetent…then he has no jail time pending.

    But it phucks up his legal career (what’s left of it) even more!


  20. 1Watt says:

    When did the Political Office become a Cabinet Position?


  21. pete says:

    1Watt Says:

    When did the Political Office become a Cabinet Position?
    July 30th, 2008 at 9:01 pm

    It was about the same time politics trumped science.


  22. Jess Wonderin says:

    List of 108??? Sounds like the FIRST round fire list to me . . . along with ANY resume with “Regent” listed as any educational credits or classes . . .


  23. wizard2000 says:

    Are we certain that this directive concerning the U.S. Justice Department isn’t being mistaken for the similar directive involving the Coalition Provisional Authority over in Iraq, that did a similar bang-up job, after being filled with a bunch of incompetent, unqualified Republican “loyalists,” many of whom applied for their high-paying Iraqi “dream” job on-line at right-wing think tank websites? Hell, a Republican “loyalist” dishwasher, after getting his Green Zone “dream” job on-line, ended up being put in charge of restructuring Iraq’s banking system…even though he had no previous banking experience…except maybe remembering his PIN at an ATM.


  24. Paul W says:

    The email urged agency officials to find jobs for 108 people on a list of “priority candidates” who had “loyally served the president.”

    What ever happened to “loyally” serving your country and why is it that these so called “patriotic,” flag waving Americans don’t get that?

    http://progressiveworldreview.com


  25. Jane E. Schneider says:

    After this news, maybe Dana Purina will decide to read the report after all. Yeah, right, who am I kidding?


  26. Max-1 says:

    .

    Paul @25,
    These “flag waving” loyalists understand one thing and one thing only: The President IS the embodiment of the Constitution. He writes laws(ex. P.A.I, AUMF of 2003 against Iraq), veto’s laws(duh), overrides laws(through signing statements), enforces the laws that suit him(ex. MCA of 2006), disregards laws at will for convenience(ex. Geneva Conventions against torture)…

    Hell, to these people, the President is the Judge, Jury AND executioner… Ain’t Bush the best! Good thing, too. The United States of Amnesia has always been at war with Middle East/West Asia…

    If this were a dictatorship, I’d be the dictator.
    aka… The Decider.

    .


  27. Abu Ben Hussein Leporello says:

    Geez, the old ‘Clinton did it first’ trick. I have no doubt Every administration, going back to George Washington, did it. However I also believe that every administration, except this one, gave a damn about competence and ability to serve the country. Hopefully the next administration will go back to that basic concept.
    Impeach Pelosi, Cheney, and Bush and Save the Constitution!


  28. A Patriot Acting says:

    cabbin teabagger the troll shows up on yet another thread to defend Herr Bush. Nobody is debating that practices like this have been around for a long time. However, this thread is about discussing Bush’s lust for taking immoral/reprehensable behaviour to stellar heights. I would like one of these goosestepping trolls to answer whether the simple question, “if this Administration has done nothing wrong and has nothing to hide, why have they gone to such incredible extremes (executive privilege, lost e-mails, the tired and wholey dishonest “I don’t recall” defense, ignoring subpoenas, “I’m not part of the Executive Branch” bs, plausible deniability etal) to avoid answering to all they have done?”

    Any response bagger?


  29. peaceweaver says:

    Republicans: Party before country every time.
    No matter what John McCain claims.



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