Stern: Soares is a Bit Torquemada, a Bit Three Monkeys
Henry Stern is in with another column about Albany politics, in which he finds fault with Albany District Attorney David Soares for saying that the governor did nothing criminal.
From Stern’s column:
We do not know which is worse: the inquisitor before whom everyone is guilty, like Savonarola or Torquemada, or the Three Monkeys, see, hear and speak no evil, before whom everyone is innocent. Probably Soares, who was the Working Families Party candidate for DA against the Democratic organization, represents both worlds.
Soares received substantial campaign contributions from George Soros, the billionaire sponsor of moveon.com. He received the money on the basis of a commitment not to prosecute minor drug offenders, although sometimes state law required it. Soares has lost credibility because of the double standard he takes with different state-wide public officials. His conduct in these cases makes his political ambition another casualty of Troopergate, nee Choppergate.
- Poll
- Obama (D)
- McCain(R)
- Spread
- RCP Average
- 48.5
- 42.7
- Obama +5.8
- Candidate
- Favorable
- Unfavorable
- Spread
- Obama
- 61.0
- 32.7
- +28.3
- McCain
- 56.0
- 37.2
- +18.8
I thank The Politicker for quoting from my blog, where I said that the Albany DA has some of the qualities of Torquemada,
Savonarola and the Three Monkeys who see, hear and speak no evil.
This conclusion was NOT based on a belief that the governor did anything criminal. I never wrote that he committed a crime. If he did, I don't know anything about it. There is a difference between playing politics and committing crimes.
What distressed me was the conflation of two positions: one that neither the governor nor any member of his staff did anything wrong, and two, that Comptroller Hevesi, for the misuse of his car and driver alone, was guilty of a class E felony, which led to the forfeiture of the office to which he had just been re-elected by the people.
That was disturbing, throwing the book at one public official and giving a clean bill of health to another and to all his minions. It just didn't seem to add up to a consistent point of view in dealing with public officials. That's all.
This is pretty disingenuous. Soares took down Hevisi, and has always been considered an outsider in Albany. He hasn't shied away from tough cases before, saying he "sees no evil" is pretty unbelievable.
Also, it's moveon.org, not .com, and it's funded by a number of people besides George Soros. If you're going to be an attack dog, at least get your facts straight, otherwise you will have no credibility.
Just because Joe Bruno wants there to be wrong doing does not mean that there is.
In New York State, District Attorneys are elected. District Attorneys aspire to higher office, but which ones are they?
They are judgeships and, with enough statewide visibility, State Attorney General.
Bringing down Spitzer, if it was possible, would have vaulted Soares to the forefront of the next AG race. Indicting him and losing would have quickly relegated him to the political dust heap.
For what may be the wrong reasons, the system worked. Soares did not have enough evidence to convict, so he didn't indict.