Aspirants to the office of United States Attorney don’t openly campaign for it. That’s unseemly. Protocol dictates that they urge friends to lobby political party leaders on their behalf—governors, senators and representatives on down. The partisan bigwigs then narrow the list of aspiring candidates based on… what precisely? Loyalty? Patronage? Owed favors? We’ll never find […]
Tag: Fred Heebe
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Letten lesson: Even the best officials need ‘terrible scrutiny’
Teddy Roosevelt aimed his elephant gun at elephants, not house flies. News stories have talked up the “irony” of U.S. Attorney Jim Letten’s resignation, which is effective today. We’ve been reminded that in 2001 businessman Fred Heebe was the top candidate to replace then-interim U.S. Attorney Letten. But allegations of domestic abuse derailed Heebe’s candidacy, […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Earl updated: Don’t tweet or blog what you can wink or nod
Earl Long: close-lipped Eight years ago, I was up at odd hours of the night, helping my wife care for a newborn. After a bit of noodling on the internet I discovered and joined the wonderful (and wonderfully small) community of South Louisiana bloggers. We discussed politics and current events and mocked the stupid things […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Does the Canal Street brothel offer peephole on River Birch strategy?
Justitia – maybe not so blind. (credit: Tony Caffrey) Federal prosecutor Sal Perricone submitted his resignation to U.S. Attorney Jim Letten on Tuesday. It’s a shame because Perricone is one of the smartest guys in the region. Or at least that’s how he portrayed himself in the comment boards on nola.com. There, Perricone posed as […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
The Macedonian candidate … and other tales of guile and folly
1. It’s unfortunate my recent Superman column puzzled so many readers, because I don’t know how to make my warnings any clearer or more dire. Perhaps reading this recent news story might help others comprehend the problem. Apparently, former New Orleanian Bo McCalebb is playing basketball for the national team of … Macedonia. That’s right, […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Robinette’s silence on River Birch must also have been golden
For the past six years, talk radio host Garland Robinette lectured local public figures about the importance of perception. Many would appear on Robinette’s “Think Tank” program after a news report linked them to controversy, in order to “clear the air” and tell “their side of the story.” They’d use the forum to convince Robinette’s […]