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You are here: Home / Green Shoots, Justice Division?

Green Shoots, Justice Division?

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According to the NYT City Room blog:

A federal judge on Tuesday revoked bail for Bernard B. Kerik, the former New York police commissioner who is facing conspiracy and fraud charges. Judge Stephen C. Robinson of Federal District Court in White Plains said Mr. Kerik could not be trusted to honor the consent order that prohibits any involved party from revealing confidential information pertinent to the coming trial…

Before revoking the bail of Mr. Kerik, Judge Robinson described him as a “toxic combination of self-minded focus and arrogance, and I fear that combination leads him to believe his ends justify his means.”

“He sees the court’s rulings as an inconvenience,” Judge Robinson said, “something to be ignored, and an obstacle to be circumvented.”

Of course, this is no doubt good news for President McCain, but is it also good news for Governor Guiliani?

Reader Interactions

60Comments

  3. 3.

    Notorious P.A.T.

    Before revoking the bail of Mr. Kerik, Judge Robinson described him as a “toxic combination of self-minded focus and arrogance”

    What’s wrong with that? That just means he has taken Ayn Rand’s books to heart.

  9. 9.

    ricky

    Surely with a little prayer and the properly placed word Father Placa can get this pesky bail revocation annulled.

  12. 12.

    Mike in NC

    “toxic combination of self-minded focus and arrogance”

    No wonder this guy was on the short list for a cabinet position in the Bush administration!

  14. 14.

    Punchy

    Something tells me that Judge Stephen C. Robinson is about to get a wicked combo of rock salt, sandbox sand, and cheetos dust in his mailbox.

  15. 15.

    daryljfontaine

    @Punchy:

    Something tells me that Judge Stephen C. Robinson is about to get a wicked combo of rock salt, sandbox sand, and cheetos dust in his mailbox.

    Oh, a Hillbilly Hydrogen Bomb.

    D

  17. 17.

    Tsulagi

    a “toxic combination of self-minded focus and arrogance, and I fear that combination leads him to believe his ends justify his means.

    Easy to see why the Bush admin thought he’d be a great addition to the team and perfect fit as Director of Homeland Security. That and he never seemed very bright. Sort of like a mini Bush but without the connected daddy fixing things for him.

  18. 18.

    jibeaux

    @Punchy:

    “We’ll show him a toxic combination! Order your white vinegar and baking soda from amazon.com today, it’s just $4 plus $12 shipping, and we’ll send it directly to the judge….”

  20. 20.

    Jay B.

    Somewhere, an inconsolable Judith Regan is lighting a candle in a window, to be extinguished when her man returns.

  22. 22.

    Midnight Marauder

    And in yet another installment of “Green Shoots, Justice Division”:

    Mark Sanford Facing Impeachment Resolution, S.C. Supreme Court Scrutiny

    South Carolina lawmakers are expected to introduce impeachment resolution against embattled Gov. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) next week. Republican State Rep. Greg Delleney is sponsoring the initiative and indicated that the motion will comprise three charges:
    Dereliction of duty for leaving the state to visit his mistress in Argentina in June; attempting to cover-up the scandal; and bringing “disgrace and shame and ridicule” on the state.

    Meanwhile, the South Carolina Supreme Court is considering whether the S.C. Ethics Commission’s investigation of the case should be released to state lawmakers.

    Slowly but surely, the wheels of justice continue to turn.

  24. 24.

    kay

    @Tsulagi:

    I always felt like Bush didn’t know what hit him with that pick.

    He always looked like ” who is this criminal-type standing next to me? Does he need a pardon?”

  26. 26.

    Leelee for Obama

    I remember when he was nominated thinking, out loud here in (at the time, Jeb Bush land) that GWB had made a huge blunder and it would not end well. The people around me immediately went into defend Bernie mode and I just said, ” I lived there, he’s a disaster!” They all got quiet and looked at me with what seemed to be respect coupled with sneering, if that’s possible. I only realized later that I was practically quoting the sacred Red Dawn, and so I must be believed. Good times, indeed.

    The sneering was likely for my liberal credentials-but I had first hand knowledge of Saint Kerik, so ….

    I also teetered on the edge with them when I said any mayor of NYC would have looked like a savior, cause the NYPD, NYFD and all the other first-responders knew their jobs better than anyone could imagine. Respect and sneering-it was an experience.

  27. 27.

    Rosali

    @kay: The White House said that the only thing that derailed Kerik’s nomination was a little nanny tax problem.

  28. 28.

    Little Dreamer

    “He sees the court’s rulings as an inconvenience,” Judge Robinson said, “something to be ignored, and an obstacle to be circumvented.”

    He sounds like a perfect candidate for Orly Taitz’ next husband after her current one decides she’s too expensive to keep bankrolling (and of course after both of them make it out of Club Fed).

  30. 30.

    kay

    @Rosali:

    Or, that ridiculous fisherman’s sweater he wore.

    Or that

    I’m telling you, President Bush did not know how that criminal got past security. He played along, sure, but he didn’t know what the hell was going on there.

  33. 33.

    gbear

    This tidbit on Kerik in Iraq from a review of the great book ‘Imperial Life in the Emerald City’:

    Former New York City police commissioner Bernard Kerik was assigned to oversee training of the Iraqi police force. Kerik spoke confidently of Iraqi security but traveled with a team of South African bodyguards. At one meeting, he noticed Iraqis in the room. “Who are these people?” he snarled. “What the f— are they doing here?” An aide replied: “Bernie, that’s the reason we’re here.”

  34. 34.

    Leelee for Obama

    “Who are these people?” he snarled. “What the f—- are they doing here?” An aide replied: “Bernie, that’s the reason we’re here.”

    No, actually. The reason Bernie was there was to get paid obscene amounts of money to make matters as much worse as he could manage in a short time. And he accomplished that mission, by all accounts.

  35. 35.

    Legalize

    South African body guards make sense. If you pay them, they will literally beat up anyone you ask. It strikes me that Bernie rolled that way.

  36. 36.

    JenJen

    O/T, but there’s some coup-throwing WOLVERINES!-type whacky Teabagger on Hardball right now, and it’s rather amusing teevee.

  38. 38.

    Martin

    South African body guards make sense. If you pay them, they will literally beat up anyone you ask. It strikes me that Bernie rolled that way.

    So will almost anyone from Newark, if memory serves. Maybe the South Africans are cheaper now. They have a cool accent, so they win big on international style points.

  39. 39.

    Travista

    Anyone else remember the story about St. Bernie when he was in the Green Zone gearing up in his SWAT gear and going on late-night raids around the city with some commando team he’d put together?

    Reminded me way too much of “The Most Dangerous Game”

  42. 42.

    General Winfield Stuck

    I hate it when those blue meanie numbers arrive. Usually something bad happens.

  43. 43.

    GregB

    This is clearly a sign that the GOP is about to turn it all around begin their new ascendency.

    -G

  45. 45.

    eemom

    on the general subject of “green shoots,” this is freakin hilarious:
    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/19/AR2009101902988.html
    a gang of highly “professional” liberal activists convinced all the major news bobblebots that they were the US Chamber of Commerce and held a conference at the National Press Club where they announced that the Chamber was supporting climate change legislation. They ended up getting busted — but not before the “breaking news” went out EVERYWHERE.

    Whoever made up that old saying, “a lie can get halfway around the world before the truth can put its boots on” must have prophesied the modern day emmessemm in all its glorious suckerdom. Tee hee.

  46. 46.

    JenJen

    @Cat Lady: I wouldn’t call it Kevin James-level, but it was pretty interesting. The guy clearly went on MSNBC just to mock them, and even said something like, “Well unlike you, a thrill doesn’t go up my leg”.

    It was just an all-around fail. The guy is convinced we’re thisclose to being thrown in concentration camps and being overthrown by Hessian UN soldiers if states don’t start seceding. You watch stuff like this, and it’s pretty clear why GOP Party ID is down to 20%.

    He was from something called “The Patriot Movement” and it’s all about recruiting ex-police and military who will re-swear a Constitutional oath (which somehow allows a state to secede!) so they can defend the “real” America against, you know, the current black President, basically. While we’re at it, let’s coin a new phrase for this brand of wingnut: Oathers.

  47. 47.

    kommrade reproductive vigor

    The only thing better than a pissed off judge is a pissed off judge who’s pissed off at a pissant little scofflaw.

    Sounds like one of his lawyers is a class act too:

    The judge said the lawyer, Anthony K. Modafferi, sent e-mail messages to him and to The Washington Times that defamed government prosecutors.

    @dmsilev: Thanks. A mouthful of hot tea really clears the sinuses. (Ow, ow, ow!)

  49. 49.

    Mike in NC

    South Carolina is too dangerous a state for the First Lady any non-batshit insane person to visit.

    Fixed

  51. 51.

    daryljfontaine

    @JenJen:

    He was from something called “The Patriot Movement” and it’s all about recruiting ex-police and military who will re-swear a Constitutional oath (which somehow allows a state to secede!) so they can defend the “real” America against, you know, the current black President, basically. While we’re at it, let’s coin a new phrase for this brand of wingnut: Oathers.

    The “Patriot movement” types are the perennial right-wing nutters who already hoard their weapons, distrust the government, and provide a breeding ground for the domestic terrorists like Timothy McVeigh. They always say they’re going to recruit a militia of like-minded Americans to “take back their country” and can never muster more than enough people to get into an armed FBI/ATF standoff in some backwater shithole every 5-10 years or so.

    Of course, the crazy dial has been amped up to 11 going on 100 since we elected the scary black man, so extra FBI scrutiny is not unwarranted.

    “Hollerin’ Oathers” and their new hit single:
    Whoa oh here he comes, watch out boy, his mind’s fucked up
    Whoa oh here he comes, he’s a Teabagger

    D

  52. 52.

    sm

    After 200+ years, S. Carolina has a track record — the home of Nullification and Secession, not to mention worse things.

  53. 53.

    maya

    This is what happens when you don’t follow the guidance of Cokie Roberts and spend your election campaign vacation in that exotic Hawaii place instead of Myrtle Beach.

  54. 54.

    Comrade Kevin

    @dmsilev:

    This is so like Martin Luther King and the Birmingham Jail.
    -dms

    Heh. More like the Feds finally catching up to Al Capone.

  55. 55.

    rapier

    Bernie’s nomination for Fatherland Security was the Bush White House at its disfunctional worst. Even if they liked and trusted Rudy you still have to do your own due diligence. Rudy and this guy I can sort of understand because Rudy is simply around the bend but Andy Card, I think it was Andy’s time, was usually nobodies fool. And what about Karl? He knows where every body is buried in every GOP office in the nation. Well that’s what we are supposed to believe. How could he let this urban cowboy slip through? It’s a puzzle.

    Harriet might have been just as bad but that was all Bush’s doing.

  59. 59.

    mds

    This is clearly a sign that the GOP is about to turn it all around begin their new ascendency.

    Well, the current polls have Rudy winning the governorship or a US Senate seat over the current incumbents, and losing the governorship to AG Cuomo by an ever-shrinking margin. Sure, he’s a corrupt vicious thug whose buddies are corrupt vicious thugs, and he has a sordid anti-family-values personal life. But he hates darker-skinned people and will cheer on violence against them, be it performed by NYPD or the US military. And that apparently still plays well with a lot of Upstate. (To be fair, outside of the Southern Tier the fact that he acts like a tough guy is probably sufficient.)

  60. 60.

    chrome agnomen

    just a bitter man.
    he must have really pissed off rudy.
    he should team up with OJ, in some reality venture.

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