Expect Them To Politicize Tragedy

Digby points us to this tidbit in a CNN story speculating on who will replace Abu Gonzales once he decides to spend time forgetting the names of his family:

Several other officials said Republicans have begun discussing a possible replacement.

One name that consistently comes up is Ted Olson, former solicitor general. Olson is seen as having the experience, reputation and credibility needed to steer the department for the next year and a half, through the end of Bush's term.

Digby goes through all of Olson's dirty dealings over the years, his role as a top dog in the hunting of President Clinton, a leader of the Arkansas Project. Digby doesn't mention that Olson argued Bush v. Gore before the Supreme Court as well. The conclusion is thus:

I think it's time for Republicans to realize that their political hitmen are going to have to take a rest and go out into the private sector and make some millions for a while. I'm sure they'll be back. They always come back. But right now, the VRWC needs to take a break. They aren't installing any more dirty trickster, character assassins for the next two years. Nah guh happ'n.

Sounds right, except for one thing: Ted Olson's wife Barbara was on one of the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center on 9-11.

If Olson was nominated, the conservative noise machine would play up the "his wife was on one of the 9-11 planes" angle, saying things like "Liberals are hypocrites for attacking a 9-11 widow when THEIR 9-11 widows are unassailable," and it would generally be the most crass set of confirmation hearings you can imagine, and would lower the discourse in this country more than you could have ever possibly thought it could go.

Which is why it will almost certainly happen.

There's another thing at work here which would make Olson almost certainly radioactive in any Administration but this one. He is somewhat caught up in the US Attorney scandal. He currently works at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, a top-flight wingnut law firm in L.A. They were, for a time, handling the Rep. Jerry Lewis investigation (and he paid them over $900,000 to do it). The US Attorney in charge of that investigation, Debra Wong Yang, was suddenly hired by Gibson Dunn for $1.5 million dollars, and her replacement dropped the Lewis case. Dianne Feinstein made an oblique reference in the Gonzales hearing yesterday to an incident where "Harriet Miers discussed whether to remove Deborah Yang from Los Angeles," which was new information.

Now, we don't know how involved Olson was in Lewis' case, but clearly he knows Harriet Miers, having been Solicitor General when she was working under Bush in his first term. And he knows pretty much everybody at the Justice Department too. So there's a client of his law firm's that needs the government to get off his back, and the firm is trying to buy the prosecutor off but it may not be working, so somebody places a phone call to the White House, and all of a sudden, Yang takes the job?

Not the most implausible thing in the world. It ought to certainly come up in any confirmation hearing.

Of course, none of that will matter 'cuz he's a 9-11 widow.