[Cicero]

I hate to say it, but Bush made a serious, serious mistake not to shovel these people out of his administration from the get-go.

The Democrats never make this mistake. When clinton got into office, he fired everybody. Including every U.S. Attorney and the head of the FBI.

Bush suffered from the illusion that you can work with Democrats. Not these Democrats. Not for the past 30 or 40 years.

Sure the press would have screamed when he fired everybody. But then it would all have been over with.

[GraniteStateConservative]

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me about a few dozen times and counting, shame on me. Why do Norm Mineta and Tenet have a job, again?

[CyberAnt]

I don't think Bush was kept from cleaning house because he was concerned how the media would react. I think he naively thought that civil service was just that .. civil.

I don't think a lot of people really realize how much the Clintons (more than any other democrats) made civil service a matter of loyalty to THEM .. not to the country. The travel office is a prime example. I guess those Clinton people are still there, but I would have fired them the first day .. but that's just me.

President Bush expects people to the best for the country regardless of what party they belong to. I think it's been a hard lesson for all the Bush admin to find out that is not a reality anymore.

[walden]

"When clinton got into office, he fired everybody. Including every U.S. Attorney and the head of the FBI.

I don't think it's generally known-- I certainly didn't know it at the time, and only found out a year or so ago-- but the firing of every U.S. Attorney had one, and only one purpose. That was to get rid of the one U.S. Attorney in Arkansas that was already (and had been for some time) investigating Whitewater. That was it. He fired all of these dedicated non-partisan officials ONLY to save his own ass, and hide what he was doing in the process. Unbelievable, huh? But, true.