Why I Was Fired: A U.S. Attorney Speaks Out

The New York Times has published the account of one of the eight U.S. Attorneys who were allegedly fired for not pursuing legal action against Democrats during the 2004 election cycle. A few excerpts:

...I received a call from Senator Domenici at my home. The senator wanted to know whether I was going to file corruption charges — the cases Ms. Wilson had been asking about — before November. When I told him that I didn’t think so, he said, “I am very sorry to hear that,” and the line went dead...

...A few weeks after those phone calls, my name was added to a list of United States attorneys who would be asked to resign — even though I had excellent office evaluations, the biggest political corruption prosecutions in New Mexico history, a record number of overall prosecutions and a 95 percent conviction rate...

...Party officials in my state have said that I should have begun a prosecution. What the critics, who don’t have any experience as prosecutors, have asserted is reprehensible — namely that I should have proceeded without having proof beyond a reasonable doubt...

I'm amused to see that various Republican pundits are decrying the corruption shakedown by noting that past Democratic presidents have acted similarly. Folks, doing something wrong twice doesn't make it right. I hope Republicans hold President Obama's feet to the fire if he tries something like this in 2011, just as Democrats have an obligation to out this corruption in 2007.