...The Republican smear campaign for the 2010 race for governor is already in high gear.
From the AZ Republic:
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio confirmed Thursday that he and the county attorney are investigating whether a payment made from the state treasurer's office to the state attorney general's office for legal fees influenced the prosecution of former state treasurer David Petersen.
Attorney General Terry Goddard and others from his office said the $1.9 million payment, which came from the settlement of a civil fraud case pursued by his office, was mandated by statute and in no way influenced the handling of Petersen's case.
The "county attorney" mentioned in the quote is Andrew Thomas.
The same Andrew Thomas who lost the 2002 race for state AG to the same Terry Goddard (51.9% - 45.0%)
The same Andrew Thomas who is a presumptive Republican candidate for governor in 2010, and who knows that the same Terry Goddard is a presumptive Democratic candidate for the same office.
It's only going to get uglier, folks...
...The "it's not exactly breaking news to hear this about the Bush administration" department:
From AP, via Yahoo! News -
Agency weighed prosecutors' politics
The Justice Department weighed political activism and membership in a conservative law group in evaluating the nation's federal prosecutors, documents released in the probe of fired U.S. attorneys show.
The political credentials were listed on a chart of 124 U.S. attorneys nominated since 2001, a document that could bolster Democrats' claims that the traditionally independent Justice Department has become more partisan during the Bush administration.
Whoever wins the White House next year is going to have one hell of a mess to clean up before the credibility of the executive branch is restored, both domestically and internationally.
...Things that make you go "hmmmm"...
When State Rep. Trish Groe was arrested for DUI in March, initial tests showed her blood alcohol content (BAC) at .168% content; lab results from DPS, obtained by the AZ Republic, show a BAC of .148%, just under the threshold of extreme DUI (.15%).
When Cody Rodbell, 21-year old daughter of Scottsdale Police Chief Alan Rodbell, was arrested for DUI, her initial tests showed a .081% BAC; later tests came back with a .072% BAC, slightly below the threshold for a DUI violation.
No accusations of wrongdoing here yet, but when the test results for two politically connected suspects show post-arrest changes that reduce or eliminate potential charges, it looks funny.
And before someone leaves a comment about the infallibility and integrity of police-conducted and -contracted evidence testing, let me remind you of two words -
Ray Krone.
The man who was convicted and sentenced to death based on false evidence, misleading test results, and deliberately shaded 'expert' testimony.
From the Phoenix New Times:
It took six more years [after a 2nd trial also resulted in a conviction] before a judge forced the police and prosecutors to turn over evidence in the case for retesting.
Numerous pieces of that evidence, which Phoenix police and Maricopa County prosecutors had been sitting on for 10 years, not only showed no link between Krone and the murder, it all clearly pointed to another man, Kenneth Phillips.
{snip}
Just drop the name Noel Levy, the county prosecutor who slaughtered Krone's character and ignored testimony from genuine dental experts while twice landing a wrongful murder conviction on him.
Or Phoenix Police Department homicide detective Charles Gregory, who also ignored evidence pointing to the real killer.
Or forensic dental expert Ray Rawson, whose bogus testimony was the foundation of both of Krone's convictions.
Or crime lab technician Scott Piette, who for some reason never tested hair, blood and fingerprints taken from the crime scene that were left by the man now believed to have committed the murder, Kenneth Phillips, who is already in prison for other violent sex crimes.
Tonight's theme?
Cynicism, of course. :)
On a less cynical note, best wishes to New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine on a speedy recovery from injuries sustained in a car accident. The injuries, while not considered to be life-threatening, are severe and a long convalescence is expected.
Later!
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