Tim Griffin is well-known to those who followed the investigation of Karl Rove's corruption of the Justice Department, as Glenn Greenwald recaps:

In 2005, Griffin became Karl Rove’s top aide in the White House, and then found himself in the middle of the U.S. Attorney scandal when Rove engineered the forced resignation of Arkansas U.S. Attorney Bud Cummins, to be replaced by … Tim Griffin, who then oversaw all federal investigations and prosecutions for the entire state of Arkansas. 

Griffin now does "oppo research" and blogs. Glennwald continues:

Yesterday, Griffin - unintentionally displaying the oozing politicization of our federal justice system which he helped to implement - wrote a post recommending that John McCain, at the next debate, call for the appointment of a Special Prosecutor to criminally investigate the financial crisis, to include a focus on every GOP bogeyman:  Democratic Senators Chris Dodd and Kent Conrad, "the role of former Fannie Mae chief Franklin Raines in the collapse of Fannie Mae," and ACORN:  "The Special Prosecutor could work together with the federal prosecutor prosecuting ACORN under the RICO law as a criminal enterprise if that in fact occurs as some have suggested." 

With no hint of irony at all, Karl Rove's top hatchet man actually wrote this:

If McCain were to make such a proposal, it would demonstrate that he is a man of action, not just words.

It would demonstrate that he understands someone must be held accountable for the mortgage meltdown if criminal laws were broken. (I understand that greed in and of itself is not criminal.)

It would demonstrate that we are a nation of laws, even for the wealthy and well connected.

And ask Sen. Obama to join him in this proposal. He won't… . A Special Prosecutor. For action. For accountability. For confidence.

Pardon me, but I just have to repeat that.  From Karl Rove's top disciple, former key White House aide, the man at the center of some of the tawdriest abuses of our justice system over the last decade, including the U.S. attorney scandal:  "It would demonstrate that we are a nation of laws, even for the wealthy and well connected."

Guess what - Griffin is right! We do need a special prosecutor to investigate criminal actions that produced the mortgage meltdown - starting with Phil Gramm's deregulation of the financial sector in 1999 and 2000, followed by Hank Paulson's lobbying for a massive increase in the leverage ratio for investment banks.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg of Bush-era crimes that require a special prosecutor. So I'm delighted to second Tim Griffin's demand!