Alabama Democratic Party Chairman Joe Turnham came to the defense of Democratic Congressman Artur Davis today. Davis was publicly and personally castigated by both the GOP Party Chairman and the governor in Alabama newspapers for his participation and remarks in this week’s congressional hearings looking into the Republican political prosecution of Democrats, including former Governor Don Siegelman.

It is incredible that only now, when Congress is having formal investigations, and after months of debate on the subject of political prosecution, are Governor Riley and Rep. Hubbard dismissing and criticizing the legitimate process of oversight.

“The shrill and unprofessional personal reactions of Riley and Hubbard to Artur Davis’ participation in this process are unbecoming and insulting to the Congressman,” Turnham said in a press release. “Representative Davis is a former assistant U.S. Attorney, a prominent member of Congress and a member of the House Judiciary Committee. Not only is he uniquely qualified to speak to these issues, but he has a sworn duty to pursue truth, justice and to see that the rule of law through our constitution is followed.

“His remarks and actions in those roles have been only professional and indeed courageous,”
Turnham said. “He does not deserve the personal, partisan attacks from Alabama’s top Republicans that are akin to ‘killing the messenger’ who seeks the truth.”

The whole issue of political prosecutions is now a national one and part of a large-scale examination of the Bush Administration, he said. It is not a political sideshow in Alabama and it is not a partisan spin machine.

“In fact, the public statements of the last several days from the GOP and Governor Riley (their first and most significant comments to date on this year long subject) are serving to disrupt legal processes and only add fodder to a growing sentiment that the White House and prominent Republicans in our state may have been involved in incredible actions of misconduct.”

To read the rest, go to the Locust Fork News page and find the local coverage under Regional news.

Under the Microscope
by Glynn Wilson

TUSCALOOSA, Ala., Jan. 7 - It is 72 degrees in mid-January and still drizzling rain in T-Town. It looks like global warming is taking a toll after six years of being denied and ignored by the Bush administration.

All the national news organizations are focusing on what Bush will say in an address to the nation this week about the quagmire in Iraq.

Trial balloons are being floated over the airwaves saying he will propose sending anywhere from 20,000 to 40,000 more troops to face the growing insurgency there. Not many Republicans or Democrats think that will be enough troops to do much good, and most of the Democrats think it will just do more harm than good.

The notable exception is Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona, who wants to run for president in 2008 and thinks the only path to that success will be some sort of “victory” in Iraq.

Photo by Glynn Wilson

“Bear” Bryant’s image casts a shadow over Tuscaloosa.

Meanwhile back at the Christian-Republican ranch in Alabamaland, all the buzz is about the University of Alabama’s success in recruiting Nick Saban to take over the UA football program.

The only war that really matters here is the one between the Crimson Tide and a smattering of orange-clad opponents on the gridiron, most notably the Auburn tigers and the Tennessee volunteers.

As usual I am torn between the glaring contradictions.

While the people of Alabama claim to be deeply Christian, their Bible clearly says in the venerated Ten Commandments, “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me … Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image…”

Yet towering over the psyche of this place is a granite statue of the winning football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, who in life was compared to Jesus Christ himself for his mythical ability to “walk on water.”

As we reported this week before the Saban press conference, there is an empty spot on the “walk of champions” in front of the expanded Bryant-Denny Stadium for a new statue for the next coach who wins a national championship. Just about everyone around here, including virtually every sports writer at every local newspaper and all the local sports broadcasters, think Saban has what it takes to capture that spot in college football history - even if the national sports press corps thinks Saban is a liar.

The opinion and theory that Saban will be a winner will be tested on the football fields of the Southeastern Conference and beyond.

What I want to know is this: When will the people of Alabama and the local news media start caring as much about good government as they do about a winning football program? When will they get as tough on politicians as they are on football coaches?

If a football program is a business and the coach should be treated as a CEO, then shouldn’t we think of government in the same way? If George W. Bush was the CEO of a corporation - or a football coach - he would have been fired in 2004.

But the people elected him again for another four years and the mainstream press for the most part went along with it and even endorsed him.

So much for the theory of the “liberal media.”

Now that the Democrats have taken back control of both houses of Congress, there are many of us out here wondering if they will play the role of a national board of directors - and fire Bush by impeaching him and removing him from office.

The people and the press in Alabama so wanted former Gov. Don Siegelman and HealthSouth founder Richard Scrushy to go to jail for their alleged crimes. Where is the outrage over Bush’s crimes against nature and humanity?

If we had elected Al Gore in 2000, we would live in a different world today - a world with no quagmire in Iraq and perhaps some progress by now in dealing with global warming.

But no, the oil companies and corporate CEOs have gotten richer under Bush’s watch - and we’ve done absolutely nothing to deal with the growing threat to the planet from climate change and the greenhouse effect due to the burning of fossil fuels.

Maybe someone will start caring about that issue here when the sea levels rise and the beaches of Gulf Shores erode north to Bay Minette.