Taking cronyism to new heights

There is no question that the Bush administration has taken the concept of the corrupt, ineffective presidency to new heights. Anyone familiar with this column can tell you as much.

One of the trademarks of Bush’s inability to operate government in a manner that is effective or responsive has been his continued appointments of political loyalists to government positions – as opposed to those with any relevant experience or qualifications – and the removal of those who refuse to toe the political line he demands.

There are enough stories of the Bush administration’s demands for political purities in government office to fill 10 columns. Take Gail Norton for example. Mrs. Norton left a comfortable position as a lobbyist in the mining industry when Bush appointed her to the position of the secretary of the interior. For those not familiar with the position, the secretary of the interior is responsible for the regulation of land use and implementing and enforcing environmental protection regulations. What did she do during her time in office? Advocate for “self-audit” laws, which allowed companies to decide for themselves whether or not they would follow environmental laws. She also wrote about some industries’ “right to pollute,” and oversaw massive sales of fish and wildlife refuges to private holders. Norton left office in 2006, a departure that was applauded by environmental groups all over the country.

Another example of the Bush administration’s love affair with its political supporters, one whose impact on the people of the United States was frighteningly clear, was that of Michael Brown. Brown was chosen to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency by Bush in 2003, an appointment that was met with little fanfare among the press or the American public.

It wasn’t until the disastrous response effort by the federal government in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina that Brown’s previous experience and qualifications for the job fully came to light. Brown’s only leadership position before his appointment at FEMA was his position as head of judges and stewards at the Arabian Horse Association. The only relevant qualification Brown had was his longtime support for the Republican Party.

As viewers all across the country saw the utterly ineffective response from FEMA on television, President Bush famously told his FEMA head, “You’re doing a heck of a job, Brownie.” A heck of a job indeed. Brown would resign just days later in the face of widespread allegations of his incompetent handling of the recovery effort.

The Bush administration’s value of political loyalty over actual job experience and performance does not apply solely to new hires. Eight U.S. attorneys have been removed from their positions around the country since December, an exceedingly rare occurrence for a prestigious post that normally requires approval from the United States Senate. Five of these attorneys were involved in high-profile corruption cases. Many have alleged political retribution from the Bush administration, which was unhappy with the efforts of these attorneys to carry out its policies.

David C. Iglesias, one of the terminated attorneys, has stated that he was fired after he refused to comply with the request of two members of the New Mexico congressional delegation to speed up a probe of two Democrats before the 2006 election. While the Justice Department has responded that these attorneys’ job performance was not satisfactory, six of the eight attorneys had received positive performance evaluations in the past three years.

Since the passage of the Patriot Act in 2003, the Justice Department has had the ability to appoint interim U.S. attorneys without Senate confirmation, and these interim appointees can serve indefinitely. These firings may be part of a larger effort by the Bush administration and its Justice Department to appoint attorneys who would never get past a Senate confirmation hearing, attorneys that lack an impartial, balanced legal mind but do hold a strong allegiance to the Bush administration and its policies.

The case of the eight fired U.S. attorneys comes, unfortunately, as no surprise when you consider Bush’s emphasis on political allegiance over competence and ability. This episode sums up the Bush administration in a nutshell: a corrupt group of political appointees that owe more allegiance to their supporters than to the people of the United States. Let’s check our calendars, friends: there’s less than two years to go.

Zach Austin is a political science junior and Mustang Daily political columnist.