In our country (South Africa) having a criminal record is a 'pre-requisite' to attaining high political standing, the more corrupt, the higher the government office! :-D I smiled at your Q, but in reality its very sad, both for your country and mine x

Interesting, isn't it? I wonder why these appointments didn’t make the morning headlines when they occurred. Check them out: John Poindexter, Convicted of conspiracy, lying to Congress. Appointed to head DARPA by Bush Elliot Abrams, Pleaded guilty in 1991 to withholding information from Congress in the Iran-contra affair. Appointed as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Global Democracy Strategy by Bush Otto Reich, Convicted in 1990 on five felony charges of conspiracy. Appointed by Bush to direct Inter American affairs at the State Department. President Bush used the tricky recess appointment procedure to bypass potential hostile and damaging questioning by Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. John Negroponte, Convicted of lying to Congress about the Iran-Contra affair Bush appointed him as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Rogelio Pardo-Maurer. Supported Contra forces in Nicaragua. Appointed by Bush as deputy assistant secretary of defense for Western Hemisphere affairs. These men, all rewarded with powerful jobs in the Bush government for their felonious and murderous backgrounds, are the same people that John Kerry has fought to remove from government because of their support of terrorism.

The real news would be if George Walker Bush appointed someone who wasn’t a convicted felon -- In fact, Bush administration’s lies, felonies, and illegalities boldly suggest it to be a criminal administration from top to bottom. Several convicted felons, including John Poindexter, convicted of lying to Congress, and Elliot Abrahms, another major Iran-contra figure who also was convicted of lying to Congress (this risumi is apparently required for Bush appointees), have been appointed by President Bush, who had promised during his presidential campaign to bring honor back to the White House. As well, George Walker Bush has suspiciously appointed Iran-contra insider, Lee Herbert Hamilton, to head the September 11, 2001 investigation, following a failed attempt to appoint alleged war criminal Henry Kissinger.

I suppose that gives Osama Bin Laden hope that he might qualify for some kind of part-time job at the White House as well, under Bush administration.

To be quite honest, nothing surprises me anymore about this administration.