As a junior member of the minority party, and the 419th most powerful congressman in the U.S. House, Rep. Dave Reichert has a lot more opportunity these days to exercise his mighty biceps than he does his puny political influence. So on those few occasions when he is given the chance to play a role in current events, it is instructive to see what he does with it.
With the U.S. attorneys scandal metastasizing around him, the task of recommending John McKay’s replacement fell squarely on Reichert’s broad shoulders, and he responded with the kind of bold competence we’ve come to expect from the brawny “Sheriff” who had Gary Ridgeway firmly in his grasp, but on a hunch, let him continue murdering women for another 18 years. I’ve already remarked on the candidate at the top of the list, former congressman Rick White, a lapsed bankruptcy attorney with little courtroom and zero prosecutorial experience. Sure, he isn’t even eligible to practice law in Washington state (or, um, anywhere,) but he’s a loyal Republican, and that’s really all that counts, huh?
Now attention is turning to another of Reichert’s nominees, acting U.S. Attorney Jeff Sullivan, McKay’s number two, and the former longtime Yakima County Prosecutor. Scuttlebutt is that Sullivan would be the safe choice — an experienced prosecutor, (again) a loyal, machine Republican… and a man who once referred to undocumented immigrants back in Yakima as “wetbacks.”
Hmm. I wonder how that racial slur goes over with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales?
By all accounts, Sullivan has his supporters in WA’s legal community, but he has his detractors as well. He is widely disliked in the Yakima Nation for aggressively fighting their efforts to battle alcoholism by taxing or banning alcohol on their reservation. And victim-advocacy groups still cringe at a policy he started in 1979, that required rape victims to take lie-detector tests.
And while he can boast three decades of prosecutorial experience, Sullivan’s very last case as Yakima County Prosecutor didn’t go so well:
In a blistering decision, a Yakima County Superior Court judge has accused the county prosecutor’s office of misconduct and dismissed a murder-conspiracy case it was hoping to try a second time.
[…] “The state’s misconduct prejudiced the defendant’s right to effective assistance of counsel,” Judge Susan Hahn wrote in her ruling.
But then, a prosecutor admonished from the bench for withholding evidence from the defense might be exactly the kind of “team player” the White House is looking for.
And then there’s Reichert’s third nominee, Mike Vaska. An experienced litigator and prosecutor widely respected on both sides of the aisle, Vasca ruffled party feathers by challenging the annointed Rob McKenna in the 2004 GOP Attorney General primary. He doesn’t stand a chance.
It wouldn’t surprise me if none of Reichert’s three candidates gets the job. Nice work Dave.
Goldy,
Yeah, a lie detector would have been a terrible thing in this case……
http://www.abcnews.go.com/US/L.....038;page=1
I don’t know if Mike Vaska is such a good guy either. Isn’t he on the Board of the Discovery Institute?
Gary Ridgeway raped some of the corpses. I guess those lying bitches should take lie detector test, too?
Do you think Condi Rice would appreciate being called a nigger?
Mike Vaska: a failed project of intelligent design.
While the term “wetback” is rather rude, the term “undocumented aliens” is not quite descriptive enough. The term “illegal aliens” should be used to describe those in this country illegally, regardless of the country of origin.
I just read John McKay’s bio, he sounds like better AG material than Alberto. Maybe he’d take that job.
Well, Gonzales’ parents were born here, though possibly 3 of 4 of his grandparents were illegal. Still, I don’t think you could call him a wetback.
That being said, WTF is wrong with Jeff Sullivan? People who espouse this shit should not be able to hold any kind of public office! I don’t know, I always get a weird vibe from men who protest so much about false rape accusations….
Tlazolteotl @ 8
“Gonzales’ parents were born here, though possibly 3 of 4 of his grandparents were illegal.”
So, that would make him…what…a grand-wetback?
http://www.cnn.com/
“The White House will allow key presidential aide Karl Rove and former counsel Harriet Miers to be interviewed by committees probing the firings of U.S. attorneys, but they will not testify under oath, Rep. Chris Cannon says.”
I have never had as much disgust and detestation for a politician as I do for Bush. He needs to be punished.
I still think Gonzales is in for the duration. My prediction: the president comes on TV at 2:45 PDT and lets us know that McNulty has resigned but that he has “complete confidence” in the guy who is protecting his sorry ass.
Just Subpoena ‘Em
In today’s news, the White House has offered to Congress interviews with Rove, Miers, and other staff involved in the U.S. Attorney firings — on condition that the interviews would be private, not under oath, not transcribed, and Congress would promise not to subpoena them for public testimony.
You already know what the Democrats’ answer to that will be.
Hey Daddy Love,
In case you missed it:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0 ,2933,258763,00.html
I don’t agree, for a couple of reasons. The Indian/Spanish people of the American Southwest have been there much longer than the US has even been a nation with immigration restrictions.
13 DO
Thank you for that. I knew it!
While Yakima County prosecutor, Sullivan also refused to seek the death penalty against ANY murder defendants, no matter how heinous their crimes. Yakima is a regional transshipment center for illegal drugs, and has many drug murders, including a gruesome case a few years ago when two hit men, finding their quarry not at home, butchered his entire family including the kids. No death penalty sought in that case, either.
Either Sullivan was squeamish about executing people, or lacked confidence in his ability to secure a death judgment from the rabidly liberal jurors of Yakima County, or was too lazy to cope with the years of labor-intensive appeals that follow any capital sentence, or — he just wanted to save the county taxpayers money. (It costs more to try a death penalty case than to simply waive the death penalty.)
In any case, back in Sullivan’s days as prosecutor, if you wanted to commit a really heinous murder and not swing for it, you simply committed the deed in Yakima County. All you’d get was life, with no risk of the death penalty — guaranteed.
Yep, what western Washington really needs now is a soft-on-crime federal prosecutor. Just the ticket in case there’s a major terrorist attack here that brings down, say, the Columbia Center and kills a couple thousand office workers. With Jeff Sullivan in charge of federal prosecutions here, Seattle will become a mecca for bloodthirsty terrorists who are eager to become martyrs but not in a big hurry to collect their 70 virgins.
Frankly, I don’t know what those terrorists are thinking! You know what 70 virgins is, don’t you? It means you’re in The Other Place.
Can you imagine being stuck with 70 Mrs. Rabbits, and she’s not even a virg
Roger Rabbit is temporarily out of commission.
the rabidly liberal jurors of Yakima County
YOU’RE JOKING RIGHT?
SULLIVAN SOUNDS LIKE A DEVOUT CATHOLIC BIGOT. HE’S IN GOOD STEAD WITH THE BIGOT AND THE ALCOHOL LOBBY PARTS BUT I CAN’T BELIEVE THE AVERSION TO THE DEATH PENALTY WOULD GO OVER TOO BIG WITH THE BUSHIES. GONZALEZ AND BUSH HAD QUITE A HANGMAN’S STREAK GOIN’ IN THE GREAT STATE OF TEXAS.
“The Indian/Spanish people of the American Southwest have been there much longer than the US has even been a nation with immigration restrictions.”
The border is the border, regardless of whose genes have been here for a gazillion years. If “Indian/Spanish” peoples of the American Southwest are unhappy with the arrangement, let them seize the land an re-draw the border to their liking.
Being within the current border without legal status and wishing to avoid bieng returned the country of origin is the definition of an illegal alien. They are NOT “undocumented immigrants” or any other susch non-sensical title. Their ILLEGAL ALIENS!!
What POSSIBLE reason could the Bush regime have for not allowing people to testify under oath other than to make it okay to lie? My third-grade neice figured that out at lunch!
re 21: You are a submissive , AUTHORITARIAN pussy.
“re 21: You are a submissive , AUTHORITARIAN pussy.
How so, Ms. lucy?
21 PA
You’re a pushy bastard, ain’t ye?
No, they’re undocumented immigrants. “Illegal aliens” is just your nonsensical title.
Dave Reichert has the same kind of swweping and powerful influence on Congres as that exercised by Screech over Lisa Turtle.
22
Josh Marshall had this take…
Bush: My aides may speak to Congress, as long as they don’t have to tell the truth.
The real question now is whether the Dems in Congress are going to do what that ought to: demand that the subpoenas be honored, no strings attached, or declare Bush and his minions in contempt of Congress.
Unfortunately, my expectation is that they’ll cave like the 9/11 commission did, and be graced by hallowed presence of Uncle Karl for an hour or two, talking much but saying nothing.
@20 “YOU’RE JOKING RIGHT?”
Of course!
28 The White House has just threatened the Democrats with a “constitutional showdown” if they insist on testimony under oath.
“Democrats’ response to his proposal was swift and firm. ‘Testimony should be on the record and under oath. That’s the formula for true accountability,’ said Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.”
Bush knows, of course, that the Supreme Court will back him on executive privilege. But Bush can’t stop is the flood of leaks that will come from lower-echelon career civil servants who have been abused by this administration. The U.S. Attorney scandal is spinning beyond his control and may become the Bush administration’s Watergate. I say, issue the subpoenaes; and if they don’t comply, the next stop is the House Judiciary Committee.
goldy ….when you are evolved enough to not call people you disagree with “retards” then maybe you can chuck stones at someone calling another person a “wetback”
and by the way………that’s what the ranch hands call each other all the time. even to me…..especially when referring to someone that just came to the states.
good grief!
Christmas Ghost — do you run a farm or ranch and hire people who lack proper employment verification documents? That would be more alarming that what the employees call each other, or even what you might call the employees.
First, a few reality checks for spin-pro Goldy on Mr. Sullivan.
1) “Widely dis-liked by the Yakama nation for his alcohol tax and banning stance”, True, and deservedly so. The Yakama Indian Nation (YIN) is a total JOKE! I have lived on this reservation for 36 years. I watched two years ago as their corrupt, untrained police force let the killers of my employee and friend walk alway from the scene of a fatal accident. They didn’t even help him as he lay injured (but made the killers go home). Sadly, the constantly rotating (never ending ethics problems and nepotism) ruling YIN government constantly seeks to solve their problems on the financial backs of others. Mr. Sullivans and GOV. LOCKES efforts at that time were simply standing up for the civil rights of non-tribal members. The phrase “fighting their efforts to battle alcoholism by taxing or banning alcohol on their reservation” is a total farce. If Goldy’s new cry “taxation/laws with out representation” is the new D standard espoused in this thread, please inform the RNC. To be disliked (via success, race, clean house, ect.) by the YIN is not always a bad thing, and almost always in tune with the majority of your electorate.
2) Mr. Sullivan immediately apologized for the slur, and got elected numerous times hence. Still this was a mistake that should not have happened, and it must be taken into account on this decision. By this token any poster on this board is now ineligible for elected or appointed office.
Overall, I believe Mr. Sullivan would make a decent US attorney. Contrary to Mr. Rabbit, he was considered tough on crime when he was here. He is not a bigot, and is not in cahoots with the alcohol lobby any more than Mr. Locke is.
On a sidenote, I just wanted to personally thank the Seattle D’s for electing Adam Kline. His stated anti-ORV rantings (praised by goldy) has had wide press over here, even with the few pro D websites (they immediately disassociated them selves from Mr. Kline and Seattle based D’s, naturally). Your pompous idiot has truly galvanized our base. The D’s, with this type of rhetoric, may end up losing the small gains you made during the last election.
Darryl@9
No, it makes him a “dampback”.
Sullivan would be the best of the three, IMHO. He’s solidly Repubican, but he has integrity, so that disqualifies him so long as Bush is president and Nermal lives in Yakima.
Calling Diane. Diane Tebelius. This is your life!
Seriously, who else is left to appoint after you discard Reichert’s rat pack?
How is it that a guy from Yakima is being considered for US Attorney of Western Washington? Isn’t there anybody available from Western Washington? And qualified? Except for Mike Vaska (who has no chance) and Rick White, who can practice law here?
And why is it right to name someone tied politically to Congressman Doc Hastings – endorsing Doc’s campaigns for Congress as a Yakima name after Sullivan was defeated in the primary by Hastings, of Pasco? Especially when Hastings may be implicated in the firing of McKay?
Sullivan should be a candidate for US Attorney from Eastern Washington, if he could make the cut over there.
richard@32…….actually, yes, i used to be a rancher[ for 23 years] and yes i did hire people that didn’t have their papers YET. and i would help them get them.
and you would find this disturbing why?
get real…..you sound like a city yuppy with absolutely no knowledge of where your food even comes from.[maybe the tasseled loafer fits???]
and why do you find what the ranch hands would call each other alarming? they are free to say anything they want…you know, free speech and all that?
my god..are you so PC-ed that you never get out into the real world? they weren’t worried about it at all. at first I WAS, but then i took the time to listen to what they had to say. and what they said was this: they didn’t consider it an insult. they thought it was rather funny as a matter of fact and they pointed out to me that it only referred to the fact that alot of mexicans had to swim the river to get here, hence the name.and that there were much worse things they got called all the time.
and by the same token…have you watched any rap videos lately? black comedy? what is the word that you hear the most? be honest now……….
the mexicans that i hired were hard workers and nice people and i was happy to help them get documented. and i would do it again in a heart beat.i also paid them the same as anyone else. they contributed much more to society than the liberal parasites on here for instance……
but, richard, by all means if you don’t approve of it then don’t eat, wear, or use anything that is produced by mexican workers. enjoy your soylent green now…cause that’s about all that you would be able to eat.
and richard, before you get your knickers in too much of a knot I.E:”or even what you might call the employees.” [oh brother!] i thought i should explain what i called “them”…..[you really give yourself away…closet elitist alert] so are you ready??? this is what i called them….. hector, alvaro,jose, juan……. by THEIR NAMES.
do you really think that because i make note of what they teased each other with [and that’s what it was] that somehow by noticing the reality of it, by the very act of COMMENTING on it, i caught racism ‘cooties’ or something?
WOW…… that’s a pretty sad commentary on your outlook on life………
so, stating the true and obvious in your world can give you the “allovers” huh?
interesting…….
i’ll bet you [like alot of people,sadly] have trouble calling someone a mexican. as if being mexican is wrong or dirty somehow. i’ll bet that you refer to “them” as hispanic. that’s so safe….and ,why don’t you ask a mexican[?] so damn insulting.
they aren’t ashamed of their country or background….who the hell are you to say [or imply]that they should be?
Thor @ 37
Jeffrey C. Sullivan, the same person as WSBA # 3655, has been registered to vote in King County since August 30, 2002. He was Yakima County Prosecuting Attorney for many years, but resigned in 2002 to take a top choice with the U.S. Attorney Office in Seattle. The fact that he used to live somewhere else should not count against him.
By your logic, Sullivan would NOT be an acceptable candidate for U.S. Attorney from Eastern Washington, since he hasn’t lived over there for quite some time. Maybe only candidates who live within commuting distance of the office (i.e. close enough to either Seattle or Spokane) should be considered. That would rule out any candidates from Yakima, Tri-Cities, Bellingham or Vancouver.
richard…i didn’t think you would have the guts to touch that…..very interesting.
so here’s a question for you…..
just where on this planet is “hispanica”????
Executive Privilege: George Washington invoked it, Dwight Eisenhower named it and Richard Nixon abused it. Now it looms as the nuclear option in George W. Bush’s battle with Congress over its investigation into the firing of eight U.S. attorneys. So what the heck does it mean, and how much weight will it carry in the current standoff?
damn wetbacks