Operation Big Payback

After I outlined the GOP plan for the next four years yesterday, the always dependably awesome Digby gives us specifics of how the GOP will execute that plan to make sure Obama Is Worse Than Bush Ever Was In All Things, starting with Bush appointed US Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan basically daring Obama to fire her.

When the US Attorney scandal broke, you'll recall that there was a lot of wingnut chatter saying that because Bill Clinton had asked for the resignations of all US Attorney's at the beginning of his term, Bush had a perfect right to fire US Attorneys who refused to do political dirty work. They set the stage for this at the time. It was entirely predictable that the new administration would be held to a completely new standard --- he would not be allowed to fire any US Attorney who had been appointed by Bush for any reason at all or risk being accused of using the Justice department for partisan gain. It's how they roll.

US Attorneys should be apolitical as much as possible. They most certainly should NOT be hyper political actors as this person was, working closely with a disgraced Attorney General and involved in the scandals. It's outrageous that anyone like her would even still be in the Justice Department today under Mukasey.

If she stays, she will be working against the Obama administration from within. There are probably many others like her at all levels, some burrowed very deeply. After all, the US Attorneys were fired for refusing to go along with political prosecutions or to make way for political friends. You have to wonder about those who weren't fired.

Keep in mind no matter what Obama does, the GOP will say he's Worse Than Bush(tm). The Village Idiots are already setting the public up for this. It's the battle cry for the next four years.

Count on it. The only way the GOP gets back into power this generation is to do everything they can to assure Obama is Worse Than Bush(tm). This means relentless opposition to anything and everything Obama does in an effort to politicize it and to compare it to Bush. There will not be any magical migration of GOP moderates to help Obama. The pressure the moderates will be under from the far right will be crushing. GOP moderates will play ball with a lockstep assault or they will be replaced in primaries by those who will in 2010 and 2012.

Obama must go down as the worst President in modern American history, replacing Bush and Nixon, or the GOP is done for a generation or more. They know this. They will regroup, redouble their efforts, and resume the assault.

The era of hyper-partisan politics is just beginning.