Courts
The unethical investigation (and subsequent 2008 conviction) of the late Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) for alleged ethics violations reveals a crisis in democratic government: When Department of Justice investigators influence elections--in this case, one that gave Senate Democrats a veto-proof majority--they are showing themselves to be the rulers they have in fact become.
In many reapportionment schemes, the legislators pick their constitutents. In the Stevens investigation, where the judge held government lawyers in contempt after the trial, the bureaucrats in effect knocked off a Republican incumbent, who lost by fewer than 4,000 votes a week after the trial. The court-appointed counsel concluded that the prosecution withheld potentially exonerating evidence from the defense. Even Eric Holder had to discipline the lawyers, with one committing suicide. (It should be noted that a Republican Administration might not have been able to control their own staff.)
Redwald a few days ago:
"That's not to say you can't find some objective reporting in the Times, but increasingly the news branch is being used as a Trojan Horse to sucker people into NYT's political preaching.
I hope it goes broke, soon."
Pretty sneaky Trojan Horse; reporting good enough for Mr. Thomas to grind his axe on!
I'm always amused to see just how often the New York Times is still treated as the newspaper of record by those who seemingly can't find enough hours in the day to shriek about its liberal bias. Apparently, it's a really awful paper, except when it isn't, which is pretty frequently. Reminds me of that awful episode when the Times promoted Hayward's "documentary" called Convenient Hoax or whatever. Such a pity that the Lamestream Times is constantly providing regular promotions for the latest effluent from the conservative and conserva-lib Beltway think tanks.
Yea, good investigative reporting by the Gray...oh, wait. It's a government report, and just plain old news. And did the NYT "break the story." I think not - seems to be all over the Web today. Seems to me the NYT's choice was either to report the news or sit on it. It's far too damning to spin. Should they get a medal for reporting facts?
And once again, Mr. Scanlon uses diversionary tactics. The take-away here is that THE DEMOCRATS ARE SCUMBAGS, but somehow this redounds to the glory of the Gray Hag. Scanlon, you are a waste of space.
Of course it was the Bush Justice department that committed the prosecutorial misconduct.
Yea, I'm sure it was REPUBLICAN lawyers who committed this outrage. Most administrations inherit lower-level functionaries.
My Godwin moment of the day, because I just don't care: the Germans of the Third Reich were awesome engineers who did some great work at a practical level, but that still doesn't mean they weren't as a whole jackbooted thugs.
Meaning that the issue isn't what the Times does right when it does so, but the fact that it does wrong so often. Have a nice day.
Appalling, utterly appalling.
The investigation was conducted by non-political appointees at Justice. Bush appointees, following the lead of their chief executive, declined to intervene, just as Bush declined to intervene in the witch hunt against Scooter Libby.
Justice, like every other federal agency or department, is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Democrat party.
Just another instance of incompetence by the Bush administration.
Yeah, that was certainly your Godwin moment...
RE: this...
"Meaning that the issue isn't what the Times does right when it does so, but the fact that it does wrong so often."
Follow-up question: How often do you think FoxNews gets something wrong?
"The investigation was conducted by non-political appointees at Justice. Bush appointees, following the lead of their chief executive, declined to intervene, just as Bush declined to intervene in the witch hunt against Scooter Libby."
If, by "declined to intervene" you mean commuted his prison sentence, then yes, he declined.
"Justice, like every other federal agency or department, is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Democrat party."
Seriously?
Craig, are you really going to maintain that Washington isn't a Democrat town, and that the various agencies and departments aren't thoroughly dominated by Democrats?
Don't you recall, just to mention a single example, the thoroughly politicized NIE that emerged in the second Bush term, that sought to hamstring him vis-a-vis the Iranian regime?
As for Libby, within a week, Fitzgerald knew that the leak originated with Richard Armitage, not Libby.
What ensued can only reasonably be described as a full fledged witch hunt.
You are going to confuse Pumpkin with facts. Be careful.
By the way Pumpkin, I thought you might be interested in my favorite Bible verse:
"The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left." Ecclesiastes 10:2
When Fox News gets proclaimed as the first and last word in journalism and guides the coverage decisions of mulititudes of other organizations, then it will become a more interesting question there, Mr. tu Quoque.
And of course, I don't watch TV, so I actually have no good feel for them one way or another. Any other straw men you wish to ignite into flames?
Oh, you don't watch TV, eh? Well, well, well !! What an elitist snob you are! What next, I suppose you have a college degree, too?
Just to point out that Greater Washington has a population of about 4,000,000. About 80% live in counties or free-standing municipalities controlled by the Democratic Party and about 55% live in localities where there are next to no Republican elected officials.
I am in fact an elitist snob....I would never be caught dead voting for a Democrat....
...or reading the New York Times.
Spoiled by Facebook, I want to push a "Like" button for this.
I guess you'll just have to make do by clapping your hands.
You seem like the type who always has to have the last word, lest someone form their own opinion or judge you lost an argument.