“Poor judgment” seems the minimum standard at Justice, as set by Margolis in Yoo/Bybee, instead of that passes for misfeasance or malfeasance in country’s that observe the rule of law.

“Simply inexcusable”. It’s like writing the Obama administration’s epitaph after only its first year in office.

Is anyone keeping a “Top 10” list of Marcy’s best titles? I’d put this one at 2nd behind the recently mentioned ‘blew’ post.

Oops! Hmmm, sorry, bmaz, need more coffee… *blush*

Here is more on the Alabama gambling investigation farce from Ken Silverstein:

This case presents a stunning and heavy-handed use of the prosecutorial power to influence the course of legislation, in defiance of basic constitutional ground rules. Who stands behind it? The U.S. attorney involved, Leura Canary, is the wife of Karl Rove’s long-time friend Bill Canary—a Bush-era U.S. attorney, she still has not been replaced. Canary and her husband are both close to Governor Riley, and Canary was appointed to an Indian gambling commission by Riley. Her deputy who handled the prosecution of Don Siegelman, Louis Franklin, led the effort. Several other figures from the Siegelman prosecution also appear involved in the matter. This case offers an excellent opportunity for Main Justice to examine the way federal prosecutorial authority is wielded in the Heart of Dixie.

Juan Cole summarizes a discussion from Reddit.com, to which he links:

1. The cover-up of the pilots’ mistake in killing the Reuters cameramen and mistaking their cameras for an RPG is the worst thing about this episode

2. While the pilots who fired at apparently armed men (and at least 3 were actually armed) thought they were saving US ground troops who had been pinned down from men with small arms, they had less justification for firing on the van. Indeed, the latter action may have been a war crime since the van was trying to pick up the wounded and it is illegal to fire on the wounded and those hors de combat.

3. While many actions of the pilots may not have been completely wrong under their rules of engagement, nevertheless they often acted inexcusably, and their attitude is inhuman and deplorable.

In my view, the worst mistake seems to be the assumption that any gathering of Iraqis in their own neighborhoods constitutes a threat to the American army of occupation, justifying immediate death, and that any objects carried on their persons are assumed to be weapons, especially if one weapon can be seen among them, never mind that the observed behavior of these men, obviously being observed by two attack helicopters, seemed peaceful.

I agree that gleefully firing on the van – as it turns out, driven by a good Samaritan and family man who stopped to help mortally wounded neighbors – does most to illustrate the mindset that develops in our soldiers.

The callousness of the dialogue is obvious. How many tours of duty, I wonder, how many deaths of their own comrades, how much modeling of such behavior did they learn from peers and superiors did it take to acquire that callousness.

Scott Horton cautiously observes that the video is only possibly authenticate and accurate.

wcfordiaogenes @22

great word play there.

*****

The acronym Pin seemed stretched, public integrity section, pis, or Pins; must*ve been a monkier conferred by congress thru some binding legal construct. Perhaps, too, there might be a private integrity section, Prins, nah, sounds too much like the first syllable of Principle.

The Gitc commenter mention, supra, of the pope seems to strike a chord, as well. What nonsecular institution stands to lose most income if bingo goes secular electronic incrementally, casino state by casino state? Curiously, bingo was invented mostly in Italy and France, imported to the carnival circuit in the American South. I think some businesspeople have recognized the potential in bingo, as casinos begin to bootstrap native peoples* reservations to do the remedial work of land cleanup which private industry shunned in the pell mell race to extract natural resources; e.g. in New Mexico*s Church Rock mine.

One of the lessons I learned in quasipolitics is moderates appoint slightly less corrupt individuals to serve in the most corrupt nexa, thereby earning campaign contributions from both sides later when It*s Time To Vote Again. Consider the following illustrative appointment to the Fairfax County elections board, DOJ voting expert von Spakovsky a few weeks ago.

johnl@35

so spakovsky’s back in republican politics.

we can expect lots of fake indignation about fake voter fraud from virginia republicans in the future

together with efforts to make voting more difficult and to discourage low ses dem voters from registering.

Irrespective of the merits of the underlying investigation, leaving tainted authorities, of questionable ethics, like Leura Canary and Brenda Morris to be the face of this unusual and politically charged matter is simply inexcusable.

That (leaving tainted authorities) is a big rub alright.

I’ll try and keep this short. Among all the layers of financial malfeasance and it’s many tentacles, I (nor anyone I know personally, including a lot of finance/econ bulldogs) paid any attention to details of FDIC bank closures… more or less assumed there was (for most part) good reason (failed mortgage and/or CDS). Also possible playing of favorites in high places (Timmy, Hank etc.), as after-the-fall pecking order seems to have been decided before the fall, followed by who would fall, etc. etc.

In any event, in January a local (New Mexico: ABQ/Santa Fe) bank was “seized”, Charter. There is a story here, got very short shrift in our local papers. I’ve had conversations w/Sen Udall’s office, and both counties US congressional reps… no further investigation planned I’m told, none of ’em really expressed any interest (ho hum).

From link above, FDIC simply announced Charter as a “failed bank.” However, it’s hard to figure out why. We have (at least) 2 others here that have “failed” in far, far larger ways: mortgage defaults over 20%, subsequent write downs on assets that have rendered their stock as junk.

Charter, on the other hand, had default less than .5% of total mortgage loans. They were one of the few who did their homework on lending, and that reputation was well known around here. CEO was also owner, and (I believe) son of founder. In business here, they had an impecabble reputation for honesty, something which for those of you who’ve ever had to navigate the minefield looking for good banker, well… it’s worth a lot.

Without breaking it all down in minute detail, after takeover was announced Charter’s employees took out $10k full page ad thanking & acknowledging owners, full of quotes (literally) praising the family. I dun’o, I’ve known a lot of bankers over the years. I’ve had more than a few $$k stolen by some of ’em. And I’m damn sure the employee loyalty quotient… particularly when said employees are about to be handed a pink slip (lose income) w/banking jobs not exactly dropping out of the trees… is not sufficient to have ’em fork in that kind’a $$ for a heartfelt tribute on their way to unemployment line.

Digging deeper, Charter’s assets were in fact quite sound… I can dig up some #’s if anyone’s interested. Long and short:
* In a sea of failing banks, one of few really good bankers here: honest, did their homework, and rare reputation state wide for integrity.
* Balance sheet magnitudes better than other local banks left intact by FDIC.
* And, in particular… assets with value: by any comparison in any market, Charter’s portfolio was in the black.

So, days after seizure, FDIC quietly announces Charter takeover by BEAL CORP, owned by a Plano Texas high roller Billionare named: Andy Beal.

Beal got Charter very, very quietly. There is no documentation anywhere of process by which any of this happened: decision to seize Charter, nor how Beal was chosen. Beyond that, a few press releases from Beal subordinates that they will probably sell Charter assets and liquidate.

Beal is (among other things) known as “finance” guy, but he’s not a banker. Rather, he’s a deal maker… takeover specialist: he buy’s entities, strips ’em clean, pockets profit, and disposes/writes of skeleton remains. Mitt Romney kind’a finance guy.

More then anything, in this “financial crisis”, there was a failure of bankers large and small to do what bankers are supposed to do: due diligence in loans, due diligence in investment (almost none of ’em knew anatomy of mortgage CDO/CDS, nor took time to peel the layers and find out), and in fact (at least in our state) a number of best placed bankers were instrumental in lobbying various key state investment managers into repurchasing CDS recirculated from NM >> WS >> CDO >> CDS >> RANAMEd >> SOLD ACROSS “THE STREET” >> BACK FOR SALE TO NM FUNDS AS AAA.

If would be fair to say these guys not only did not do their job, they actively participated in the fraud.

So how, who, by what process did one of NM’s really good, honest bankers… a guy who should be poster child in Banking for how to do it right… how does strong assets of CHARTER end up going to Texas Billionaire Financier who operates in shadows bigtime, gets FDIC discounted price on these assets, further thins out reliable NM banking infrastructure, and accomplishes little more than moving those assets out of the state and into the pocket of (…)

This one wreaks of BushCo appointee remnants doing as you describe, and has really smelled things up around here. I know a lot of people w/some means, who’ve been around and done good things here, very very pissed off about this for reasons I mention: a number of ’em hardcore Repubs, beginning sentences with: “I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but”…

Ok, just saying…