John Koppel does not care about the consequences of his actions and we are all grateful for it. Mr. Koppel has worked in the Justice Department since 1981. He still works there (for now at least) and he has never seen anything as bad as George Bush and his sidekick Al Gonzales. Within two days of Scooter Libby's commutation, he wrote a devastating indictment of how Bush has dismantled the DoJ in the Denver Post.
From the Op-Ed:
As a longtime attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice, I can honestly say that I have never been as ashamed of the department and government that I serve as I am at this time.
The public record now plainly demonstrates that both the DOJ and the government as a whole have been thoroughly politicized in a manner that is inappropriate, unethical and indeed unlawful. The unconscionable commutation of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's sentence, the misuse of warrantless investigative powers under the Patriot Act and the deplorable treatment of U.S. attorneys all point to an unmistakable pattern of abuse.
In the course of its tenure since the Sept. 11 attacks, the Bush administration has turned the entire government (and the DOJ in particular) into a veritable Augean stable on issues such as civil rights, civil liberties, international law and basic human rights, as well as criminal prosecution and federal employment and contracting practices. It has systematically undermined the rule of law in the name of fighting terrorism, and it has sought to insulate its actions from legislative or judicial scrutiny and accountability by invoking national security at every turn, engaging in persistent fearmongering, routinely impugning the integrity and/or patriotism of its critics, and protecting its own lawbreakers. This is neither normal government conduct nor "politics as usual," but a national disgrace of a magnitude unseen since the days of Watergate - which, in fact, I believe it eclipses.
Read it all, it is an incredible essay and damning synopsis on the Bush Administration. We all pretty much assume what probably goes on in the Department of Justice, but this man knows with absolute certainty. Thank you Mr.Koppel, you are a brave man.
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