Who else did the Bush DoJ target? (Kagro X)

  As predicted, part of the fallout of the scandal surrounding the political dismissal of U.S. Attorneys around the nation is that every public figure under federal investigation on charges of public corruption (or anything else, for that matter) is now able to credibly claim that they're the target of a partisan witch-hunt, and call the integrity of their local U.S. Attorney into question.

by Kagro X -- Daily Kos

  March 17, 2007 -- As predicted, part of the fallout of the scandal surrounding the political dismissal of U.S. Attorneys around the nation is that every public figure under federal investigation on charges of public corruption (or anything else, for that matter) is now able to credibly claim that they're the target of a partisan witch-hunt, and call the integrity of their local U.S. Attorney into question. After all, given what we've learned in the past few days, if you're still on the job with this "administration," you're highly suspect. People will want to know how far and how often you've bent over backward in service to the Karl Rove agenda.

  David Kurtz at TPM has picked up on the theme, finding the seeds of doubt being cast about the activities of the U.S. Attorney in Pittsburgh.

  TPMmuckraker also has a letter from one of the dismissed U.S. Attorneys, Bud Cummins of the Eastern District of Arkansas, which makes the same observation:

[T]he public must perceive that every substantive decision within the department is made in a neutral and non-partisan fashion. Once the public detects partisanship in one important decision, they will follow the natural inclination to question every decision made, whether there is a connection or not.

  And indeed it is a natural inclination. And one which ought to be followed up on. The researchers at ePluribus Media -- who published a study conducted by communications professors Donald C. Shields and John F. Cragan demonstrating that federal investigations of elected officials and candidates under the Bush "administration" appears to have been outlandishly partisan -- have undertaken to do just that, and they're looking for volunteers to help them with the work.

  But it's not just public officials who may have cause to wonder about the legitimacy of their targeting. Consider the theory laid out in this diary by pacified, written nearly a year ago: The NSA at some point after 9/11 "requests" the cooperation of all major telecommunications carriers in "voluntarily" turning over access to all their call data but Qwest Communications -- at the direction of its CEO, Joseph Nacchio, and alone among major carriers -- refuses to comply.

  Not long afterward, Qwest and Nacchio found themselves embroiled in... a federal investigation, of all things. The SEC hit Nacchio, Qwest, and several top officers of the company with allegations of insider trading and accounting fraud.

  Gee whiz! Whaddya know?

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