Ed O'Callaghan, ATAC Coordinator

At the end of July, a U.S. Attorney from the Southern District of New York left the Justice Department and went to work for John McCain's campaign. As an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Edward O'Callaghan had worked on prosecutions related to Iraq and the U.N.'s Oil-for-Food program, but his most recent title was "ATAC Coordinator."

ATAC stands for Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council. After the September 11th attacks, "the ATAC Coordinator positions were created in every federal district at the direction of the U.S. Department of Justice to coordinate the efforts of all local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to address the threat of terrorism," according to the biography of another attorney who held one of the ATAC Coordinator positions.

Right now, Ed O'Callaghan is in Alaska coordinating the McCain campaign's response to developments in the so-called "Troopergate" investigation.

Troopergate, from the McCain campaign's perspective, is a troublesome inquiry into whether Governor Sarah Palin abused the power of her office by firing a respected state public safety official who refused to fire a state trooper that the governor wanted dismissed.

Ed O'Callaghan has been heading up the campaign's legal strategy on Troopergate, recently declaring that the governor will not cooperate with the legislature's official investigation and that her husband will not comply with a subpoena for his testimony.

This is kind of disturbing.

If Ed O'Callaghan was conducting an investigation in New York, how would he react to key witnesses who defied subpoenas and held press conferences accusing the investigators of partisan political motives?

Not well, we suspect.

Yet there he is, a former U.S. Attorney, using all his skills to shut down, stymie or delay an investigation authorized by a bipartisan vote of the state legislature.

The really disturbing thing is that he might be perfect for the job.

What does it mean to be an ATAC Coordinator?

Maybe the position was created to make sure terror prosecutions didn't fail due to legal 'technicalities.'

Maybe an ATAC Coordinator's job is to see the big picture and make sure that the law -- due process and habeas corpus and Miranda rights -- doesn't allow terrorists to take over the streets of New York.

Maybe Ed O'Callaghan's job in Alaska is to see the big picture and make sure that the law -- due process and subpoenas and testimony under oath -- doesn't allow Barack Obama to take over the White House.

A lot of lawyers might object to fighting a U.S. presidential campaign with the damn-the-law the-ends-justify-the-means techniques the Bush administration lawyers have used against accused terrorists.

But not Ed O'Callaghan, apparently.

He's a big-picture guy.

And in the big picture, he's going to be appointed to the federal bench.

What a way to get there.


Copyright 2008

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