This New York Times story on the firing of numerous U.S. attorneys includes e-mails from Bush administration officials. Here's an excerpt:

“Has ODAG ever called Carol Lam and woodshedded her re immigration enforcement? Has anyone?”

ODAG is the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, and Lam is one of the ousted prosecutors. But what's interesting here is the "woodshedded" reference. "Woodshed" can be a verb (as defined here, among other places), but I get the feeling that this e-mail was not talking about practicing a musical instrument.

The stories about the firing of the attorneys, by the way, are in need of context. Already we are reading and hearing the "everybody does it" rationale, but is that the case? Are the actions of the Bush administration different from others? If so, how? And how are U.S. attorneys selected, and what do they do? All of these questions would make for a great Q&A. Let's hope that a wire desk puts one together.

UPDATE: A kind reader of this blog directed me to this Q&A from the Los Angeles Times.