Brazile To Speak at DOJ on Behalf of Women’s History Month – a New Outrage
By Anita Finlay ("Ani") on March 27, 2009 at 8:30 PM in Barack Obama, Current Affairs, Democratic Nomination, Donna Brazile, Hillary Clinton
Just file this one under YOU HAVE GOT TO ME KIDDING ME!!! Attorney General Eric Holder, in an effort “to erase memories of the highly-charged political controversies from the previous administration” has invited none other than Donna Brazile to speak at a March 31st “Women’s History Month” event. As Evan Perez reports in the WSJ today, there are Politicization Charges at DOJ over Brazile Appearance. Gee I wonder why?
One can debate the pros and cons of the ‘do as I say, not as I do’ attitude of having a veteran Democratic political operative speak at a non-partisan event, but when that event regards Women’s History Month – how can Donna Brazile of all people show her face? She will forever be infamous for her Obama Derangement Syndrome. Let me offer up my own definition of someone suffering from this ailment: a person who will trumpet an unqualified candidate over a more qualified one beyond all reason, to the point of selling any and all opposition down the river to do so.
Perez reports that “already some of the same “politicization” charges are being flung at the Justice Department” and…
A flyer sent to Justice Department employees advising of the March 31 Brazile appearance, says “Supervisors are encouraged to grant official time to employees to attend this event.”
In an effort to allay such concerns, Ms. Brazile made the following outrageous statement:
“During my remarks, I will pay tribute to women who dare, women of courage and the many milestones we have achieved and the path ahead,” Brazile said in an e-mail. “I am going in my capacity as an Adjunct Professor in the Women and Gender Studies at Georgetown University — not as a CNN contributor, ABC news consultant or Vice Chair of the DNC [Democratic National Committee]. Perhaps, I am going as a woman of valor — a woman of courage to pay tribute to women who work at the DOJ and elsewhere.”
Women who DARE? I am apoplectic reading this. I am less concerned with the fact that she is a Democratic operative going to speak at the DOJ, than I am with the fact that this woman has no right speaking at an event touting Women’s History Month – or “women who dare” when she spent the entirety of last year trampling on a truly worthy “Woman Who Dared” in Hillary Clinton.
“A woman of valor?” She calls herself a woman of valor? Perhaps Donna Brazile once had valor. But now? She used her position both as a CNN commentator, a frequent guest on This Week with George W. and her senior status within the DNC to influence the outcome of the primary in Barack Obama’s favor at every turn. She was downright insulting to Secretary Clinton and at the RBC on May 31st, Ms. Brazile went completely over the top to help arrange the absolute theft of rightfully earned Clinton delegates, thereby gifting them to Obama.
Perhaps Ms. Brazile is trying to rescue her reputation by speaking on behalf of women — it is far too little far too late. I wager this is her effort to calm the raging correspondence she has received from many women for selling out the most qualified one to come down the pike in 30 years.
I had a back and forth email correspondence with Ms. Brazile the morning of March 4th just preceding the Texas and Ohio primaries. I asked her very respectfully to be unbiased on the news and to give Hillary Clinton a chance. I also made my argument that she endorse then Senator Clinton as the more qualified candidate who offered better policy solutions and who had the gravitas and know-how to be President.
I expressed my fear that Barack Obama had not yet been vetted in the press and made my case for the necessity of doing so. While I will not share her exact words, suffice it to say Ms. Brazile felt that vetting was a useless endeavor that only led to lies and distortion. Oh really? You see where that’s gotten us now. She also, on many occasions called Hillary Clinton out on the carpet for running an arrogant campaign. Really? Barack Obama, the American Idol candidate, has run the most arrogant campaign in history. Six million dollars spent on faux Grecian columns ring a bell?
Matthew Miller, a Justice spokesman, said “Donna Brazile was selected as a speaker by a committee of career employees who believed she would offer an informative perspective on Women’s History Month.”
An informative perspective, indeed. If she stands there and dares to talk about Hillary Clinton putting 18,000,000 cracks in the glass ceiling, then truly there is no justice on earth. As Perez reports further below, I find it interesting that there is outrage from the Republicans that a Democratic political operative would speak at the DOJ, but no outrage – so far—that someone would claim to speak on behalf of women when she sat on top of that glass ceiling with every ounce of her power and influence to make sure Hillary couldn’t break through:
At about the same time as the prosecutor firings scandal was raging, the Bush Administration acknowledged that political operatives, including Karl Rove, held partisan briefings at more than a dozen government agencies. At the briefings in 2006 and 2007, employees were told of House Democrats who Republicans were targeting for defeat, as well as the prospects for some Republicans. The White House at the time defended the briefings as appropriate.
Hans von Spakovsky, a former Justice Department lawyer who worked in the civil rights division during the Bush administration, first wrote about the Brazile event for National Review. Von Spakovsky himself was drawn into some Bush-era Justice controversy over accusations that he made politically tainted decisions in the civil rights division.
Von Spakovsky had this to say:
“What I find amazing about it is if DOJ had invited a Republican campaign consultant to come speak to employees when John Ashcroft or one of the other prior Bush Attorney Generals were there, there would have been a tremendous outcry about it”.
Yes, there probably would have been an outcry. But this is the “do as I say, not as I do” administration. We don’t hire lobbyists, until we do (and write a special dispensation exception letter allowing us to do so). We don’t make personal attacks, until we do (Joe the plumber, anyone? Gov. Palin, anyone?)
I can’t waste any more copy over this except to note that Donna Brazile is atop of the list of women who broke my heart last year. She knows all too well the great qualifications and smarts Hillary Clinton would bring to the job of President. For Ms. Brazile to irrationally betray her own knowledge and good sense in order to tout a man for the job who is clearly not ready to handle it is not indicative of a woman of valor.
Rather these are the actions of a “woman who dared” to turn her back on her own principles. These are the actions of a woman who dared turn her back on other women by trumpeting a less qualified man – once again telling women to go to the back of the line. Forgive me, but I truly believed Donna Brazile, with whatever struggles she has had to face in her own life, would be the last person to do such a thing.
, the basis for the Best Motion Picture Nominee (Golden Globes) starring Brad Pitt.
, the novel by John Le Carre, a new motion picture starring Gary Oldman and Colin Firth.
by 
* (Included in the 
* 
.by David Fredosso who wrote 2008's 
- You'll have access to 18 million movies, TV shows, songs, magazines, and books, as well as ultra-fast Web browsing with Amazon Silk -- faster than iPad. Full e-mail and document access and a keyboard. Fire can transmit what is on your screen onto a connected TV or monitor without an accessory. It runs Flash (iPad doesn't). 
