1. There are two classes of federal employees...political appointees and career people under civil service law.
2. The US attorneys that Clinton fired were political appointees and he was within his rights to do this, although no president had ever done it before. It demonstrated how ruthless and partisan he is, but it was not illegal.
3. All political employees of the Clinton administration no longer work for the government. It is true that a few were held over for a few months, like that loathesome Eric Holder in the deputy AG job, because of delays in getting Bush people confirmed by the Senate. They are all gone now.
4. Clinton moved some political people (lower level) into civil service positions in 2000, before he left office. Not a lot, but far more than any other president had done.
5. Civil service positions, often known as career positions, are permanent jobs, and require massive documentation of an actual offense before said employees can be fired. It is against the law to fire a civil service employee because of their political affiliation.
6. Besides those people Clinton moved into civil service positions, you have a whole bunch of democrats working for the government. Quite a few got hired during the Clinton administration, when every liberal was drawn to Washington like iron filings to a magnet. Once ensconced in a job, they would not leave. Quite a few are left from the Carter administration, often in higher level management positions.
7. In addition, certain agencies (State, EPA, Justice) tend to attract those of a liberal mindset. Once they get a government job, those folks aren't leaving, either.
8. Now that I have explained all of this, let me emphasize one more time that it is against the law for President Bush to fire career people working for the government just because they are democrats!!!
yes, but there are ways for the political appointees they report to somehwere up the chain of command - to provide oversight on their actions.
otherwise, you are telling us that we must accept the shadow government - pursuing is own agenda using the power of the executive branch that they were NOT ELECTED TO, and we can't do anything about it.
Thank you Miss Marple. A very clear and eloquent explanation!
Thank you for explaining that