Value in studying Bush's bad examples (Monterey County Herald)

The Monterey County Herald
Updated: 01/18/2009 01:34:10 AM PST

With the Bush administration about to become a memory, it is tempting to concentrate on the change that is about to wash over Washington and to try to forget the errors and excesses of the outgoing regime.

But even if only to avoid similar mistakes, the incoming administration should find it instructive to retrace some of the unsteady footsteps of Bush and his loyalists. While it is best to learn from good examples, there is value in studying bad examples as well.

What brings this to mind is the remarkable inspector general's report last week documenting how a former senior official of the Justice Department mostly succeeded in perverting the mission of the department's Civil Rights Division. Bradley Schlozman did it by almost exclusively hiring conservative "right-thinking" lawyers ideologically opposed to the division's mission.

As he hired dozens of midlevel attorneys to replace veteran lawyers he considered "commies," "crazy libs" or "mold spores," Schlozman violated civil service standards by inappropriately basing his selections on political affiliations, the Justice Department inspectors concluded ...

http://www.montereyherald.com/opinion/ci_11484559?nclick_check=1