He has his sources

[Lanya]

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/014036.php
Josh Marshall had the news about more fired US Attorneys before the WaPo.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/09/AR2007050902718.html

[Michael Tee]

Lanya, I don't get it.

If <<there's evidence that Graves was fired because he wouldn't do Schlozman's bidding>> in suppressing minority voting rights, how come Graves himself doesn't make that allegation in public?  And where's the evidence that the article refers to?

I'm not denying that Republicans suppress the black vote - - but this story should be a lot stronger than it is.  It seems like it was rushed into publication before all the loose ends were tied up.  Why wouldn't Graves go public on it?  Have they got something on him?  They mentioned the "fee office" scandal and then claim that both the Republican Senator and Graves himself say that has nothing to do with the firing.  But why mention it in the first place?  Is this some not-so-subtle form of blackmail on Graves - - go public and we'll nail your ass to the wall on this other scandal?  Or is THAT just a red herring and they're really blackmailing Graves on some other issue entirely?  Sounds to me like a promising story, but needs a lot of work.

[Lanya]

It may not be that black and white of an issue....although it may just "feel" better for Graves to frame it this way.  He probably wants to work again somewhere, and he doesn't want a rep as the nail that sticks up, maybe.

What I take from the TPM article is that Graves was fired.  He didn't get time he needed to finish prosecuting a case against someone who killed a pregnant woman. 
This is significant because AG Gonzales testified under oath before Congress (and he's going to do that again starting at 9:30 this morning on CSPAN-3)  that only the 8 USAs were let go, no more.

Now we see there were more. 

I missed this later TPM post:
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/003183.php
and this
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/10/opinion/10thu1.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

[Michael Tee]

Ah, this is putting a little more meat on the bones.  Graves is fired because he won't back Schlozman's sleazy little scheme to (1) disenfranchise more black voters and (2) throw the election to the Republicans by pushing bogus voter-fraud prosecutions immediately prior to the elections, when the voters will hear about the alleged frauds but not have time to realize how flimsy the allegations are.  THAT sounds more like it.  More in line with the typical Republican election-stealing M.O.

[Amianthus]

He didn't get time he needed to finish prosecuting a case against someone who killed a pregnant woman. 

He didn't make good enough notes that his successor could finish up the case? I would think that keeping inadequate notes on pending cases would be a good reason to fire a prosecutor.

[R.R.]

This is significant because AG Gonzales testified under oath before Congress (and he's going to do that again starting at 9:30 this morning on CSPAN-3)  that only the 8 USAs were let go, no more.

Now we see there were more.

Who cares? Bill Clinton fired WAY more. 93.

[Lanya]

And Bush 41 and Reagan fired around that many, but at the beginning of their terms.  And I agree, who cares?
One of these things is not like the other......

[Plane]

And Bush 41 and Reagan fired around that many, but at the beginning of their terms.  And I agree, who cares?
One of these things is not like the other......

So it is less troubblesome to fire them all without attempting to sort them out.

This allows the appointment of a full deck of cronys with no political accusations.