ARIZONA STATE BAR HONORS FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY AND TWO FEDERAL PROSECUTORS

The award is being presented to former U.S. Attorney Paul Charlton, one of the nine federal prosecutors fired by the Bush Administration earlier last year, presumably, for not marching in step.

The award was presented at the 74th annual State Bar Convention in Scottsdale, the message sent out as a media release by the U.S. Attorney's Office.

You have to wonder who wrote it.

According the release, the award, "recognizes a criminal law prosecutor who during his or her career has worked tirelessly to advance the principles of criminal justice by representing the public’s interest with integrity, fairness, tenacity, creativity, brilliance and, above all, professionalism.”

The Feds claim Charlton as their own, writing this careful phrase, "Prior to joining Gallagher & Kennedy this year, Paul K. Charlton served as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona for six years after being nominated by President George Bush in 2001. As U.S. Attorney, Charlton focused on terrorism, illegal immigration, public corruption, and reducing violent crime on Arizona’s 21 Indian reservations."

Wonderful stuff and true; what's left out is the way the Feds did him in.

It seems Charlton has been busy in Washington, D.C. this week, testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee about Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' over-zealousness in seeking the death penalty. No one reason has ever been given for Charlton's firing; they range from opening an investigation into northern Arizona Republican Rick Renzi to declining prosecution on marijuana load seizures of less than 500 pounds, to not pushing the death penalty hard enough. Charlton seems to believe it's the latter

According to The Post, data made available at the hearings showed that Gonzales ordered his prosecutors 21 times last year to shoot for the death penalty compared to three times in 2005.

The Justice Department charged that Charlton was guilty of "repeated instances of defiance, insubordination" when he wouldn't seek the death penalty without tighter evidence than was being provided by FBI.

While this comes out in Washington, more locally, they boast of his integrity and brilliance.

I don't think most people who are fired from their jobs get these glowing reviews written about them - unless there's reason to think they weren't deservedly fired. I don't yet know who was in charge of the local write-up but it was a poor attempt to hit that delicate balance between defiant insubordinate and brilliant thinker. Surely they understand we know better?

It's what makes this case so intriguing. I don't think anybody feels Charlton deserved to be fired but the Feds need to keep their case airtight against him because the jefe, Gonzales, has been getting slammed in D.C.

Their maneuverings, albeit painful to watch at times, are endlessly fascinating.