Poll: Most Say Politics Motivated U.S. Attorney Firings

[LiberalFighter]

Source: Washington Post

Two thirds of Americans, including a narrow majority of Republicans, see political motivations behind last year's firings of eight chief federal prosecutors. But the nation is deeply divided along partisan lines about whether Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales should lose his job over the scandal.

The latest Washington Post-ABC News poll finds that Gonzales faces a broadly critical public as well as Congressional scrutiny about the firings of the U.S. attorneys.

/snip/

In the poll, 67 percent said they believed the prosecutors were fired by the Justice Department for political reasons, not on the basis of their performance. About eight in 10 Democrats and two-thirds of independents said they saw political motivations behind the firings of the U.S. attorneys, an attitude shared by 53 percent of all Republicans surveyed.

Overall, nearly six in 10 Americans disapproved of the way Gonzales has handled the issue. Among Republicans, 47 percent expressed disapproval of how the Republican attorney general has handled the matter, with 35 percent approving and 18 percent having no opinion.

With widespread public skepticism about the firings and low approval of how the attorney general has handled the matter -- 24 percent approved in this poll -- 45 percent of Americans said the attorney general should lose his job over the issue. Fewer, 39 percent, said he should remain in place; 16 percent expressed no opinion.

Read more: www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/16/AR2007041600422.html?hpid=topnews

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Poll Results More will be released at 5PM.

[bemildred]

1. "Deeply divided" my ass. nt

[melody]

2. The only thing divided in this country is the government from the people n/t