Two noted former Justice Department officials in an oped in the La Times today write:

“ATTEMPTING TO resuscitate a rapidly expiring “scandal,” congressional Democrats have issued subpoenas to former White House Counsel Harriet E. Miers and former White House political affairs director Sara M. Taylor, demanding their testimony regarding the administration’s 2006 decision to replace eight U.S. attorneys. The smart money suggests that this is only the beginning ‚Äî that similar demands will be made of other White House officials, including and especially presidential advisor Karl Rove. The president, however, should stand firm and refuse to permit his subordinates’ compliance. He can, and should, claim executive privilege.

From the start, this affair has lacked legal substance. There is no evidence that firing these U.S. attorneys was unlawful or inappropriate. Chosen for political reasons, they can legally and morally be fired for political reasons: ininsufficient loyalty, a perceived failure to pursue administration priorities or that someone with better political contacts has come along. Politics is not always a pretty business, and anyone seeking job security should not take a political appointment.

Moreover, there is a core constitutional principle at stake here. Political appointees like U.S. attorneys exercise the president’s authority, and they serve at his pleasure.”

Which is what I’ve been saying all along. The mantra from the Democrats and their finanical supporters in the MSM has been that the Bush Administration fired the nine US attorneys for “political purposes”, for which I’ve also said, “And so?”

There is nothing illegal, unethical about firing a political appointee for political purposes, and as they noted not one shred of evidence has shown any illegality in the process the WH took.

Additionally as I will point out in a later post, much of this actually had to do with getting to Gonzales before he and the DOJ got to them pending investigations. Of course we know that Chuck Schumer’s goal from the beginning was to oust Gonzales so to get his boy McNulty enthroned.

So they are correct that President Bush, should tell Leahy and Schumer go pound salt and see him in court. They know that it will eventually end up in the SCOTUS and many legal experts have agreed executive privilege in this case will reign.