Political Loyalty and Government Employment

04/19/2007

Paul Munnis

The idea of there being a litmus test of political loyalty to the Bush Administration in the Justice Department is a sickening thought. Many people who work for the U.S. government, are trying to make careers for themselves in so doing, and they are serving honorably and without regard to politics. When they act they should not have to ask if their politics pleases the President and the GOP or not.

We have had inklings back when the 911 Commission hearings were being held that the Bush Administration caused a lot of attrition within the CIA over political loyalty tests and now we have alleged instances within the Justice Department. Congress is right to execute oversight on this matter.

We want to point out that government service, except for elected office, is via the hiring process and is not to be determined by political loyalty to a Party.

When an Attorney General is appointed to the office then he serves at the pleasure of the President and he can be fired by the President. He also must be confirmed by Congress and they are free to fire him when he is performing unsatisfactory. That is what is meant by Congress being an equal branch of government, both Congress and the Executive must concur on the appointee. Bush has been distainful of Congress and has made a number of recess appointments to bypass the Congress. That has casued some resentment and so Gonzales is also caught up in that in a tangential manner too.

When the candidate takes the job he has management responsibilities and he must run his Department in a satisfactory manner. There is much evidence that Gonzales did not do that and that he applied a loyalty test to the Bush Administration as a condition of continued employment at mid-term of Mr. Bush's second term. If so, Congress must turn him out and serve notice on the rest of the Bush Cabinet that this is not going to be tolerated as an accepted management practice.

Arnold Specter, a Republican Senator, is rightfully skeptical of Mr. Gonzales and his motives, so is Democratic Senator Leahy, and many other members of the committee. There is a substantial body of evidence that political loyalty was behind the firings of these eight Justice Department employees and the facts are being thrashed out right now as we write this piece. Before the week is out the matter will become settled. Americans need to know that when the enter a Federal Court they are not going to judged based on their political preference or by political hacks.

Even if Gonzales stays on there will be a significant message sent to Cabinet Members about their responsibilities as managers and the Bush Administration will be forced to cool their political litmus test on government employees. If Gonzales goes then it will be an even stronger message.

We will watch the developments.