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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Tepid anger disappointing

Los Angeles Times, Aug. 21: The release by Scotland of Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, who was expected to spend his life in prison for the 1988 bombing of a Pan American jetliner, was merciful, certainly, but an outrage nonetheless. The “compassionate release” of the terminally ill Libyan terrorist showed no compassion for relatives of the 270 people killed when the jet exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland. Compounding their trauma was the muted protest of the Obama administration.

Instead of viewing the special relationship between the United States and Britain as a cause for candor, the president, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. resorted to diplomatic circumlocution. The president called al-Megrahi’s release “a mistake” and was reduced to asking Libyan dictator Muammar al-Qaddafi not to treat al-Megrahi as a hero and to place him under house arrest. Clinton issued a statement calling the release “deeply disappointing.” Holder shifted into passive voice to say that the interests of justice “have not been served by this decision.”

… For many of (the victims’) families, a life sentence was the minimum punishment to be meted out to al-Megrahi. His release and repatriation after serving only eight years thus upends their expectations and undermines the argument that life in prison is an acceptable alternative to execution. …

In reacting to al-Megrahi’s release, relatives of the victims used words such as “disgusting” and “outrage.” The Obama administration should have been equally, and openly, appalled.

Philadelphia Inquirer, Aug. 16: A congressional investigation has produced the strongest evidence yet that former President George W. Bush’s administration fired federal prosecutors who didn’t serve its partisan goals.

The House Judiciary Committee released documents and testimony that place Bush adviser Karl Rove at the heart of an effort to politicize the Justice Department.

This material refutes the claims of top Bush officials that the dismissals of U.S. attorneys in 2006 were based on prosecutors’ performance.

An internal Justice investigation has already concluded that four of the nine firings were carried out for political reasons. Nora Dannehy, a federal prosecutor in Connecticut, is conducting a separate probe that could result in criminal charges. It’s illegal to turn law enforcement into a partisan political operation, and Rove’s actions should serve as a warning for future administrations … .