Letters to the Editor
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Let's just move to impeachment
OK Congress, Gonzales has had his day before each house, and you've gone above and beyond the call of decorum in letting Gonzales hang around. How much more crap will you take from him? By now even though most naive must have figured out that no amount of exposure of wrongdoing will cause him to resign. Yes, any honorable man would have been gone by now. He clearly has no scrap of honor left. He moreover showed complete contempt for Congress by reusing his Senate opening statement, and not checking into those questions he was explicitly told to check on and answer. That's assuming my eyes deceived me, and he was not wearing the conservative pundit smirk --- you know, the one conservatives wear when they think they're putting something over on dumb liberals.
At this point, you know he's at minimum the most incompetent AG in US history. He contradicted himself in testimony, contradicted other sworn testimony, has held back documents he was supposed to release and didn't admit they existed until leaked. He has plainly allowed if not caused the politicization of prosecutions and hiring. He even has Republicans calling for his resignation.
Impeachment would pass the House, and there's even a chance the Senate will convict. So what are you waiting for?
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I'd have to agree
I have a back-arching response anytime I hear the Southern twang. It is even worse than the twitch my remote finger feels whenever Bush comes on the tube. Maybe it is unfair but I can't help it. I suspect that watching Cspan for a certain number of years will give you this prejudice. Between listening to the phone-in callers and the Southern Congressional delegation... you can't help but come away with a feeling that the South is populated with evil Ma and Pa Kettles, espousing inequality and mental infertility. Membots all.
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Unfortunately, he isn't going anywhere...
As disgusted as I am by this man, I don't think he will be going anywhere. First, he has the full support of the White House. Second, he has the benefit of a patron who values loyalty above all else. Third, this administration is reflexively unable to admit to even a common mistake, let alone acts done with any kind of malicious intent. Fourth, to have him resign would, in the minds of the White House only make it more likely that Karl Rove will be called to testify and that is something the White House will litigate until Dubya is an ex-President.
Most important to the chances of Gonzales remaining, however, is the fact that this White House could not possibly win a confirmation battle with a Democratically-led Senate. They could never hope to get an appointment of someone like Gonzales approved. In fact, the Senate might vote down two or three candidates just to flex its muscle and force the President to appoint someone who will actually enforce the laws fairly and not for political benefit. Given how many emails have gone missing without excuse, it's clear that the administration has cleaned up the crime scene as well as it possibly could.
I don't think that this means Congress should call off the dogs or stop searching for answers. I just think we need to accept that no matter how horrible this man is and how feckless the Republican minority is in its complacency, the best we have here is a campaign issue for the upcoming election. Maybe then we will be able to get some of the answers.
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Impeachment might not be such a bad idea after all...
...if it would preoccupy Joe Conason and John Conyers for the next year and a half.
Impeachment (and an inevitably failed trial in the Senate) could be a very good thing indeed if it prevented Democrats from "legislating" on taxes, or health care, or the environment.
The way I see it, every new subpoena and every new hearing is that much less in terms of time and resources for the Democrats to legislate their way through American life.
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Grow Up Joey
I see the word incompetent being thrown around a lot. Was Janet Reno’s approval of the raid on David Koresh’s compound, which resulted in the incineration of children, incompetent?
I know we could find many more examples of incompetent leadership, across all parties and levels of government.
The point is, the finger pointing at Gonzalez, Reno, or doesn’t solve anything. It’s just another weekly vent.
The Gonzalez “scandal” revolves around the reasons for firing political appointees. Gee, who would have thought that politics may play a role in determining who is, or who is not, a political appointee?
If you don’t like the process, one which both sides take advantage of, come up with a new one.
Let’s have prosecutors who understand existing laws, and prosecute those who break them, without regard for the consequences.
Let’s have judges who understand existing laws, and make judgments based on them.
That sounds very Republican to me. A judiciary made up of strict constitutionalists.
I read Salon to try and understand opposing points of view, to find alternative solutions to the problems we face.
All I hear is name calling, naa-naa-naa-naa boo-boo stuff. No solutions.
Grow up Joey.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Koresh#Raid_and_siege
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Pockmarked Inquisitor slithers away unscathed
Didn't Carol Lam want to pursue "Dusty" Foggo's connection to disgraced dumbfuck Republican (now felon) Randy "Duke" Cunningham? Foggo has more intelligence connections than a switchboard, plus an unfortunate connection to an abandoned plane with five and a half tons of cocaine on board. You've probably read all about that in the MSM. Ahem.
Carol was clearly not tough enough on immigration. Immigration being a Rovian distraction from real issues, like the disastrous and never-ending occupation of Iraq. Immigration! Gay marriage! The CHILDREN! We MUST PROTECT THE CHILDREN!!
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Elephantman,
Why don't you explain to us unenlightened folk how a Democratic congress is going to pass sweeping, or even modest progressive legislation while President fucktard wields the veto pen?
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According to the AP, Gonzales's testimony was a triumph, and the scandal is over.
Also, the ongoing Congressional investigation is nothing more than partisan "criticism."
Here are a few highlights. I don't know what Salon's rules are about posting links in comments, so I haven't included one here, but I encourage you to read the whole thing on the AP's website; it's pretty unbelievable -- particularly the stuff about the supposedly stark contrast between the House and Senate hearings. (Note also that this article never makes clear that the reason "served up few new facts about the firings" is that the witness refused to answer any of the questions he was asked. Basically, the content of this hearing is completely absent from this article.) The story was accompanied, in most markets, with an AP video headlined: "Gonzales testifies with new confidence."
GONZALES DEFLECTS DEMOCRATS' CRITICISM
Lara Lakes Jordan
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Attorney General Alberto Gonzales confidently deflected House Democrats' demands Thursday for details in the firings of U.S. attorneys, appearing ever more likely to survive accusations that the dismissals were politically motivated.
. . .
The mostly muted five-hour hearing in front of the House Judiciary Committee was a sharp contrast to Gonzales' sometimes testy appearance three weeks ago when Senate Republicans questioned his competence to run the Justice Department. One senator at that session joined a small GOP chorus saying he should step down.
"I will work as hard as I can, working with this committee and working with DOJ employees, to reassure the American people that this department is focused on doing its job," Gonzales said Thursday.
That did not satisfy exasperated Democrats, who accused Gonzales of being evasive.
"Your reputation is on the line, Mr. Attorney General. What do you have to say for yourself?" asked Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., adding that the "buck stops at the top."
"I accept responsibility," Gonzales answered.
President Bush steadfastly has stood by Gonzales, his longtime counselor and friend. Even career Justice Department staffers angered by the attorney general's response to the firings acknowledge Gonzales appears to have beaten back calls to leave.
. . .
Republicans sought to portray the controversy as losing steam. They pushed Democrats to wrap up the congressional probe that has dogged the department since the beginning of the year.
"The list of accusations has mushroomed, but the evidence of wrongdoing has not," said Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas, top Republican on the committee. "If there are no fish in this lake, we should reel in our lines of questions, dock our empty boat and turn to more pressing issues."
. . .
On the other side, GOP Rep. James Sensenbrenner leaned on Gonzales on Thursday to speed the department's corruption investigation of Democratic Rep. William Jefferson of Louisiana.
"Congressman, you know I cannot talk about that," Gonzales told Sensenbrenner, R-Wis.
"Well, everybody's talking about it except you," Sensenbrenner answered. "The people's confidence in your department has been further eroded, separate and apart from the U.S. attorney controversy, because of the delay in dealing with this matter."
The House committee also released a portion of closed-door testimony from Sampson suggesting that the Justice Department spared U.S. Attorney Steven M. Biskupic in Milwaukee to avoid angering Sensenbrenner.
Thursday's hearing served up more political bickering but few new facts about the firings.
At one point, as many as nine Capitol Police officers escorted a half-dozen protesters from the room out of concern they would disrupt the hearing.