Our View-Former Bush mastermind Rove deserves jail time

Once again, the Daily Forty-Niner editorial staff deems it necessary to slam the former Bush Administration for yet another clear “cult” example of how corrupt and unethical their practices were.

Narrowing down the millions of those affected by the former administration’s responsibility in the financial crisis, the war on “errorism” and the breakdown in healthcare — just to name a few — we again focus on how members of Bush’s crooked crew singled out an innocent public official and destroyed his life for the sake of the Republican Party.

Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, by all standards a good and moral politician who served almost a year in prison in 2007 for allegedly taking a bribe, is an individual example of how Bush and his aides used their powers to execute unjust causes.

You see, Siegelman was one of the few Democratic leaders in a state the Republicans were hoping to make as red as Karl Rove’s sunburned head in 2002. Rove, the former political adviser who manipulated the strings of the George W. puppet, felt it necessary to take down Siegelman in an act of political persecution.

In a covert set-up that would make “Tricky Dick” Nixon proud, Rove’s rogues used all of their powers to convince a court of law that a $250,000 check allegedly given to Siegelman was actually a pay off for appointing wealthy businessman Richard Scrushy to a board that would further Scrushy’s interests.

“I personally believe that what happened here is that they targeted Don Siegelman because they could not beat him fair and square,” said Grant Woods, the former Republican attorney general of Arizona in a “60 Minutes” interview last year.

It’s nice to see a politician willing to forget about his party loyalty and stand up for the rights of a fellow American.

Woods said there is no allegation that Don Siegelman ever put one penny in his pocket; Siegelman merely asked Scrushy to donate money to a project that would help the state of Alabama, similar to contributions Scrushy had made prior to Siegelman’s entry into governorship.

In his efforts to boot Siegelman from office, Rove went to great lengths to tarnish the former governor’s character. Ah yes, the magician behind the infamous “Iraq’s stockade of weapons of mass destruction” and “hanging chad” electoral illusions attempted to use more smoke and mirrors to bring down Siegelman.

In a 2007 interview with CBS News, former Republican campaign operative Jill Simpson alleged that Rove asked her to take pictures of Siegelman “in a compromising, sexual position with one of his aides.”

“Rovey” must’ve been sorely disappointed when no pictures surfaced; he probably had to watch a lot of Skinamax to make up for it.

Siegelman continues to fight an uphill battle to clear his name. A predominately Republican-appointed federal appeals court upheld most of the bribery and corruption charges against the former governor last month. Siegelman’s chief attorney Vince Kilborn asked new U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder last week to intervene and requested that the federal court toss the conviction on grounds that “prosecutors withheld evidence from his defense team during the trial,” according to the Associated Press.

Siegelman was committed to creating jobs and investing in education throughout his political career. He went after domestic violence offenders and fought for the rights of underprivileged children. Rove may have temporarily taken away Siegelman’s freedom, but he will never take away his legacy as a caring politician.

This legacy continues with Siegelman’s daughter Dana. The CSULB alumna is still very involved in campus and community programs to promote peace and human rights.

Hopefully Rove doesn’t try throwing her in jail for being a liberal communist hippie.

We submit that Don Siegelman’s corruption conviction must be overturned and that the federal court system should pursue the true villain — Karl “Bush’s Brain” Rove.