150 Regent grads in the Bush administration?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!

[Hugo Chavez]

Did you catch that on Bill Maher last night?  150 graduates of Pat Robertson's Regent University are in the Bush Administration?  "Regent Law was ranked in Tier 4 by U.S. News, the lowest ranking and essentially a tie for 136th place out of 170 schools surveyed."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/max-blumenthal/monica-goodling-one-of-1_b_44588.html

Regent recently hired former attorney general John Ashcroft for the class on "Human Rights, Civil Liberties, and National Security." http://www.regent.edu/news/_press_releases/march_2005/ashcroft.cfm ahahhahhahahhahahhahhaha

[240 is Back]

the school teaches them to use secular arguments to support their religious beliefs.

In other words, every possible loophole to merge church and state.



The Taleban did that too.

[sandycoosworth]

at this point the only people retarded enough to vote for the republican party are people retarded enough to believe in god ... you gotta pander

[BayGBM]

I heard about that fact on MSNBC earlier this week.  Shocking! 

Hard to believe this is legal.  Someone, somewhere needs to be investigating this.  Maybe the ABA needs to revisit the accreditation of that school.

I wouldn't hire a Regent law school grad to fight a traffic ticket.

[ieffinhatecardio]

Yes, the Boston Globe did a piece on this subject last week.

Calling Regent a Law School is insulting to real law schools. For a time in the last 20 years or so they weren't even accredited.

[Straw Man]

This is emblematic of the entire administration.  Loyalty is the only requirement.  What's odd to me is that they could still hire the really qualified people who are also loyal.  It almost seems like actually being qualified for the position works against you.  Maybe it has something due with the chief executive who failed  upward his entire life.   Maybe he thinks actually having the skills for the job doesn't really matter 

[24KT]

This is emblematic of the entire administration.  Loyalty is the only requirement.  What's odd to me is that they could still hire the really qualified people who are also loyal.  It almost seems like actually being qualified for the position works against you.  Maybe it has something due with the chief executive who failed  upward his entire life.   Maybe he thinks actually having the skills for the job doesn't really matter 

In his administration, it doesn't.

[Straw Man]

In his administration, it doesn't.

it doesn't matter for getting the job (kind of like Bush) but it does matter when you actually have to execute the duties of the position.   I think that's why Bush is CONSTANTLY saying how everything is HARD WORK. 
This coming from a guy who's never done a day of hard work in his life.  Personally, I think he's tired of being President and he's basically checked out.   Too bad we (the human race of planet earth) are stuck with him for the next ~ 20 months.

[24KT]

it doesn't matter for getting the job (kind of like Bush) but it does matter when you actually have to execute the duties of the position.   I think that's why Bush is CONSTANTLY saying how everything is HARD WORK. 
This coming from a guy who's never done a day of hard work in his life.  Personally, I think he's tired of being President and he's basically checked out.   Too bad we (the human race of planet earth) are stuck with him for the next ~ 20 months.

I get the feeling that right about now the lizards are also pretty fed up with him as well! 

[Straw Man]

I get the feeling that right about now the lizards are also pretty fed up with him as well! 

you're right, I shouldn't discount the effect on the non-human species on the planet too

[Dos Equis]

Big deal.  Talk about struggling to find news.  This reporter should quit his day job.  

[240 is Back]

Big deal.  Talk about struggling to find news.  This reporter should quit his day job.  

If 150 members of the 2008 Obama Administration happened to have earned their law degrees from a school which taught its students to use the law to further a radical islamic agenda, would you have any concerns?

[Camel Jockey]

This is emblematic of the entire administration.  Loyalty is the only requirement.  What's odd to me is that they could still hire the really qualified people who are also loyal.  It almost seems like actually being qualified for the position works against you.  Maybe it has something due with the chief executive who failed  upward his entire life.   Maybe he thinks actually having the skills for the job doesn't really matter 

Less qualified people are less intelligent and more likely to go along with the current administration. 

[ieffinhatecardio]

If 150 members of the 2008 Obama Administration happened to have earned their law degrees from a school which taught its students to use the law to further a radical islamic agenda, would you have any concerns?

Rob, although I agree the issue with Robertson is very troubling the fact that so many graduates of such a TERRIBLE law school were hired by this administration is more troubling.

One would think that quality of one's educational background would play a role in hiring applicants with law degrees.

[24KT]

Rob, although I agree the issue with Robertson is very troubling the fact that so many graduates of such a TERRIBLE law school were hired by this administration is more troubling.

One would think that quality of one's educational background would play a role in hiring applicants with law degrees.

Maybe it did, ...it allows one to pass the buck saying "We consulted [insert nimrod's name here], who advised us that [insert illegal and/or unconstitutional act here] was perfectly legal and acceptable"

[militarymuscle69]

Maybe it did, ...it allows one to pass the buck saying "We consulted [insert nimrod's name here], who advised us that [insert illegal and/or unconstitutional act here] was perfectly legal and acceptable"

how many lawyers are employed by the government and what percentage does this 150 make up?

[24KT]

An interesting question would be how many of the fired lawyers were replaced with Regent grads?

[Dos Equis]

how many lawyers are employed by the government and what percentage does this 150 make up?

Good question.  Talk about a meaningless issue.   

[Straw Man]

some might find it relevent that there seem to be a lot of people from a very marginal school at very high positions within the justice department.  It would be interesting to see the qualifications of the other applicants for these 150 positions.

[ieffinhatecardio]

how many lawyers are employed by the government and what percentage does this 150 make up?

That's a good question but the issue is lawyers hired by the Bush administration. I think a better question would be out of all the lawyers hired by the current administration what percentage are Regent Graduates.

[militarymuscle69]

That's a good question but the issue is lawyers hired by the Bush administration. I think a better question would be out of all the lawyers hired by the current administration what percentage are Regent Graduates.

Right, and I bet there has been a really high turnover rate in the last 6+ years, so yeah what percentage. I mena this story doesn't say much without a comparison. If there are 50,000 lawyers and 150 from that school, is that as shocking?

[ieffinhatecardio]

Right, and I bet there has been a really high turnover rate in the last 6+ years, so yeah what percentage. I mena this story doesn't say much without a comparison. If there are 50,000 lawyers and 150 from that school, is that as shocking?

No, it wouldn't be shocking at all. Here's a short passage from the Globe story along with the link.

Not long ago, it was rare for Regent graduates to join the federal government. But in 2001, the Bush administration picked the dean of Regent's government school, Kay Coles James , to be the director of the Office of Personnel Management -- essentially the head of human resources for the executive branch. The doors of opportunity for government jobs were thrown open to Regent alumni.

"We've had great placement," said Jay Sekulow , who heads a non profit law firm based at Regent that files lawsuits aimed at lowering barriers between church and state. "We've had a lot of people in key positions."

Many of those who have Regent law degrees, including Goodling, joined the Department of Justice. Their path to employment was further eased in late 2002, when John Ashcroft , then attorney general, changed longstanding rules for hiring lawyers to fill vacancies in the career ranks.

Previously, veteran civil servants screened applicants and recommended whom to hire, usually picking top students from elite schools.

In a recent Regent law school newsletter, a 2004 graduate described being interviewed for a job as a trial attorney at the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division in October 2003. Asked to name the Supreme Court decision from the past 20 years with which he most disagreed, he cited Lawrence v. Texas, the ruling striking down a law against sodomy because it violated gay people's civil rights.

"When one of the interviewers agreed and said that decision in Lawrence was 'maddening,' I knew I correctly answered the question," wrote the Regent graduate . The administration hired him for the Civil Rights Division's housing section -- the only employment offer he received after graduation, he said.

The graduate from Regent -- which is ranked a "tier four" school by US News & World Report, the lowest score and essentially a tie for 136th place -- was not the only lawyer with modest credentials to be hired by the Civil Rights Division after the administration imposed greater political control over career hiring.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/08/scandal_puts_spotlight_on_christian_law_school/?page=2

[Straw Man]

Right, and I bet there has been a really high turnover rate in the last 6+ years, so yeah what percentage. I mena this story doesn't say much without a comparison. If there are 50,000 lawyers and 150 from that school, is that as shocking?

What if those 150 were disproportionally in very high positions in the Justice department and were chosen over people with objectively much better qualifications and experience.   T

[militarymuscle69]

What if those 150 were disproportionally in very high positions in the Justice department and were chosen over people with objectively much better qualifications and experience.   T

I would object to it, so really there is a lot of info missing to make a decision if this is really a big story. And cardio, every job you go to interview for people have things they are looking for. If a dem wins in "08 they will hire people that support gay marriage and abortion right? I just don't see the big deal in the story without alot more info

[Hugo Chavez]

Big deal.  Talk about struggling to find news.  This reporter should quit his day job.  

Hold up Bubba... Wait one second....  Goodling is only 33, was the 3rd highest ranking person at the Justice Department, had never worked as a prosecutor and was in charge of overseeing the job performace of all 93 US Attorneys and you think Bill Maher shouldn't give up his day job for bringing light to her and other graduates of Pat Robertson's University being given fastrack in the Bush Administration... GOOD FUCKING GOD, GIVE ME A BREAK, TELL ME YOU'RE NOT ACUTALLY SERIOUS WITH YOURSELF???