Reply #13: Thanks... two most interesting parts for me:

[Aloha Spirit]

Carryover in DOJ....
Barrington, Ill.: President Clinton discharged many U.S. attorneys at the beginning of his tenure in 1992. Many of those released presumably were of a mindset favorable to Republican Party principles since they were appointed by Republican president Ronald Reagan. Can one really believe that the Clinton firings weren't "political" in nature?

Carrie Johnson: The distinction that needs to be made is this:

U.S. attorneys are political appointees who can be fired at will. However, it is impermissible to fire them for improper political reasons (such as lawmakers believe they are not prosecuting enough Democrats on the eve of a contested election). In the case of the nine fired U.S. attorneys, IG and OPR investigators concluded that improper reasons played a role in a small number of dismissals. That's what Dannehy is investigating.

For what it's worth, the Obama administration took a different approach from the Clintonites...The White House and Justice Department officials left in place the Bush holdovers to prevent unrest and disruption in important cases, but will move methodically to propose its own candidates for the key posts in the months ahead. The new team took into account guidance from career federal prosecutors, who had written to Deputy Attorney General David Ogden and other Justice transition leaders asking them to avoid disruptions.

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Siegelman....
SW Nebraska: Will there be any questions about former Alabama Governor Don Siegleman's incarceration?

Carrie Johnson: An appeals court recently affirmed the conviction of former Alabama Democratic Gov. Don Siegelman, who is trying to remain out of prison in part by alleging his prosecution was politically motivated. The Justice Department Office of Professional Responsibility has been conducting its own investigation into Siegelman's accusations but the findings have not yet been publicly released. Rove's lawyer, Bob Luskin, has told other media outlets this year that Rove voluntarily submitted to an interview in that case and that he has nothing to fear from it.