A New Kind Of Border Trouble

Firing by Bush rejected by boundary official

By David Bowermaster - Seattle Times staff reporter

A dispute over a backyard wall in Whatcom County has reached all the way to the White House, with President Bush firing International Boundary Commissioner Dennis Schornack over his handling of the matter.

But on Wednesday Schornack rejected his dismissal by the commander-in-chief.

In a strongly worded letter to Bush, Schornack said the International Boundary Commission (IBC) is an independent, international organization outside the U.S. government's jurisdiction. Schornack wrote that according to the 1908 treaty that created the IBC, a vacancy can only be created by "the death, resignation or other disability" of a commissioner. ...(full article)

Why would Bush fire a boundary commissioner? Maybe this sentence in the article: "So Schornack pressed ahead, against the wishes of the Justice Department, and last week enlisted former U.S. Attorney Mike McKay to represent the IBC in U.S. District Court in Seattle, Feldman said." could give us a clue.