Vast right-wing conspiracy

I'm relatively happy in my current job, but prior to getting this position I applied to work at the DOJ. I thought I had a chance, especially when the DOJ flew me to D.C. for an interview. I was studying abroad in Belém at the time, and the round-trip from the Amazon involved 6 flights, 30+ hours on planes, and 1 hurricane. And then the DOJ also paid for my hotel and gave me a per diem.

I wonder why the DOJ wasted the taxpayer's money, especially in light of this snipet from an article on AG Gonzales's testimony today before the Senate:

"The House committee on Wednesday also released a letter it said it had received anonymously from Justice Department employees in which they complain about a partisan bias they said exists in hiring law school students or young lawyers for summer internships or new jobs.

The letter says senior aides to Mr. Gonzales removed from consideration any candidates who “had interned for a Hill Democrat, clerked for a Democratic judge, worked for a ‘liberal’ cause or otherwise appeared to have ‘liberal’ leanings.”

Let's see...after college, I was in the Peace Corps. Then I worked for a Democratic House member for 2 years. During law school, I did not one, but TWO summer internships that were all about saving nature. One of them was in a foreign country and I didn't speak much English that summer. Do you think my resume might indicate that I have "liberal" leanings?

I would like to say that I am outraged and shocked, but I'm not. I expect politics to play some role in the hiring process, but I would like think that entry-level civil servants come from a variety of backgrounds and represent the political spectrum. I'm eligible to apply for the same job again and I have been thinking about it, but now I wonder whether I should even bother since the same administration will be in place.

At least now I can say that I didn't get the job because of a Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy and not because the other candidates had higher grades.