That's one way to get smaller government

My crankiness today has already been covered by a New York Times editorial but I had one more example and a slightly different take on it.

First there was the story that religion and politics at the F.D.A. was used when when top officials there "decided to reject an application to allow over-the-counter sales of the morning-after pill [called Plan B] months before a government scientific review of the application was completed." The decision was described as "very, very rare" and "unprecedented" since the decision ignored the recommendation "of an independent advisory committee as well as the agency's own scientific review staff." And there's this, "From 1994 to 2004, F.D.A. advisory committees reviewed 23 applications to switch drugs from prescription to over-the-counter status. Plan B was the only one of those 23 in which the agency went against the committee's advice."

Then there was this story that "[a] team of Justice Department lawyers and analysts who reviewed a Georgia voter-identification law recommended rejecting it because it was likely to discriminate against black voters, but they were overruled the next day by higher-ranking officials at Justice, according to department documents."

Now this story that "Justice Department lawyers concluded that the landmark Texas congressional redistricting plan spearheaded by Rep. Tom DeLay (R) violated the Voting Rights Act, according to a previously undisclosed memo obtained by The Washington Post. But senior officials overruled them and approved the plan."

Hmmmmm. Any theme here? How about career staff or independent panel recommendations overruled by senior Bush Administration officials. While election tampering by the "legal" manipulation of re-districting, between a census, or requiring a voter ID card that some won't get or can't afford is as the New York Times says is fixing the game, the Plan B rejecting is just as despicable.

What this really is total control of the government by less people than there are fingers on your right hand. Why even have career staffs and panels to do reports and research if Cheney and Rove can make a phone call and overturn months or years of work? Why not just fire everyone below cabinet rank and rule by decree? Smaller and more efficient governement right? Exactly what the Corrupticans stand for and preach and what your seeing at work with Plan B, Georgia voting ID cards and Texas re-districting.

And you wonder why I'm cranky?

BONUS POSTING: Watch this nut-job of a woman and then ask yourself could she be up for a cabinet job herself in the W Administration.