Priorities for the DOJ Without Gonzalez

Attorney-General Alberto Gonzalez has resigned. Perhaps now the Department of Justice can set about to clean itself up and streamline its operation, that is, if President Bush is of a mind to salvage what remains of his tainted reputation.

Gonzalez presided over what may well be the most corrupt era in the history of the DOJ. That corruption has absolutely nothing to do with the firing of the eight Federal Prosecutors, which the Democrats seem the think is of grave national importance.

Rather, the DOJ has been grossly negligent in enforcing the nation's immigration laws and protecting our borders. A rogue Federal Prosecutor by the name of Johnny Sutton has been allowed to conduct what amounts to a reign of terror at the southern border against our Border Patrol agents.

Two of those agents were falsely charged, prosecuted, and imprisoned for merely doing what their country called upon them to do. But they are not alone. Countless other local law enforcement officials have been forced to endure the Sutton witch-hunts against ANY officer of the law who dares enforce the nation's laws against illegal aliens.

Of course, nothing has been done about it. Sutton is a Bush crony from Texas. Gonzalez was a Bush crony from Texas. Both have come close to permanently and irreparably soiling the President's reputation.

In addition to the DOJ's failure to bring under control the nation's lamentable illegal alien problem, it has also failed to reign in one of the most dangerous, corrupt, and oppressive operations within the federal government, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

Formerly known as the ATF, the BATFE, to put it bluntly, is simply not needed. It should be discontinued and buried quickly.

This wing of the Department of Justice has been the source of some of the nation's most memorable and unnecessary tragedies, such as Ruby Ridge and the Branch Davidian compound.

Today, their reign of terror is being conducted against gun shop owners and gun and ammo manufacturers.

Granted, these travesties of justice did not begin with the Bush Administration. Many of the present policies were initiated under George the First and exacerbated by the Clinton Administration. The problem under George the Second has been ineptitude and the failure to correct misguided policies of the past.

The President could do himself and the rest of us a big favor by cleaning up the Department of Justice, bringing to a fitting end the travesties of justice cited above--now that Gonzalez is out.

Upon hearing the news about the resignation of Gonzalez, one pundit quipped, 'This will have Democrats dancing in the streets.'

My friends, if Democrats are dancing in the streets over this, then Republicans and Libertarians are doing cartwheels.