Ashcroft's thugs

When Blogger eats a post (twice today), it's difficult to recreate. You lose the emotion that drove the initial impulse to post, and of course, there's a million other things to generate one's range in the meantime. But here goes...

Digby is nervous, and I think he may have good cause to be so:

Earlier this month, U.S. Attorney David Iglesias in New Mexico launched a statewide criminal task force to investigate allegations of voter fraud in the upcoming presidential election. The probe came after a sheriff who co-chairs President Bush's campaign in the state's largest county complained about thousands of questionable registrations turned in by Democratic-leaning groups [Digby's and my emphasis added].

"It appears that mischief is afoot and questions are lurking in the shadows," Iglesias told local reporters.

I think Mr Iglesias has been reading too many romance novels.

But my God, is Digby saying that Ashcroft has turned the DoJ into an arm of the Busheney election committee? Wherever would he get that idea?

The White House is so concerned about voter registration fraud in Clark County [Nevada] that officials could send in federal investigators to look at the issue, Secretary of State Dean Heller said this morning.

President Bush mentioned the subject on his visit to Las Vegas Tuesday, when he rode to the Las Vegas Convention Center with Heller, Attorney General Brian Sandoval and Gov. Kenny Guinn.

"He brought it up and he was concerned," Heller said.

Ashcroft has turned the department into the most politically motivate Justice Department since Edwin Meese was in charge. He's turned the DoJ into a repository for political hacks and Bush political muscle. Which is why I don't think this is going to get too far.