According to the writer, The Bush Administration's Department of Justice

has notably shirked its legal responsibility to protect voting rights. From 2001 to 2006, no voting discrimination cases were brought on behalf of African American or Native American voters. U.S. attorneys were told instead to give priority to voter fraud cases, which, when coupled with the strong support for voter ID laws, indicated an intent to depress voter turnout in minority and poor communities.

And indeed, two of the U.S. Attorneys who were fired (Mckay and Inglesias), were fired in part because they refused to use their office to continue the Bush policy of voter disenfranchisement -- and we are not talking about the long lines, the two few machines, the lock down on voter recounts because of terrorist threats in Ohio. Instead, we are talking about a systematic, planned process of shutting out the poor and middleclass.

In Missouri, an acting interim U.S. Attorney Brad Schlozman was installed after the Patriot Act Reauthorization, thus side stepping any Senate confirmation process:

Missouri had one of the closest Senate races in the country last November, and a week before the election, Schlozman brought four voter fraud indictments against members of an organization representing poor and minority people. This blatantly contradicted the department's long-standing policy to wait until after an election to bring such indictments because a federal criminal investigation might affect the outcome of the vote. The timing of the Missouri indictments could not have made the administration's aims more transparent.

To understand why Schlozman was the "right man" for this job, but had to be snuck in the back door of the Pat Act Reauthorization, you need to read the entire piece. Even if you thought you couldn't ever be more outraged by what this administration has done, you will be.

In the last two years, 55% to 60% of attorneys in the voting section have transferred to other departments or left the Justice Department entirely.