I have no recollection of remembering that recollection

April 19, 2007 11:37 AM

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is in the middle of his testimony before Congress on firing of eight US Attorneys. The questioning has gotten heated at times, and TPM Muckraker has many highlights from the testimony. DailyKos has been giddily blogging live, and there are many sites carrying the live video feed. Conservative blogs have been mysteriously quiet about this.
posted by OldReliable (190 comments total)

Orrin Hatch is under the table sucking his cock, I'm sure.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 11:44 AM on April 19, 2007

Schumer v. Gonzales (Part 2)
posted by phaedon at 11:44 AM on April 19, 2007

Nina Tottenberg just did an impressive 10-minute solo freestyle on NPR while waiting for the hearings to restart.
posted by These Premises Are Alarmed at 11:45 AM on April 19, 2007

Also an interesting take on Slate.
posted by OmieWise at 11:49 AM on April 19, 2007

Conservative blogs have been mysteriously quiet about this.

I'm guessing the response would be that they are too busy covering the VTech shooting and that outweighs the magnitude of this 'blatant political' yadda.
posted by ao4047 at 11:51 AM on April 19, 2007

Specter Dresses Down Gonzales: ‘I Don’t Think You’re Going To Win A Debate About Your Preparation’
posted by ericb at 11:51 AM on April 19, 2007

Graham: DoJ "Made Up Reasons"
posted by ericb at 11:53 AM on April 19, 2007

Tell me you didn't just link LGF on MeFi.
posted by eyeballkid at 11:54 AM on April 19, 2007 [3 favorites has favorites]

I understand the glee after six really bad years, but this impalement of a highly expendable hatchet man just means that the Democrats are unable -- or even worse, unwilling -- to take down (ie, seriously investigate and/or impeach) the boss
posted by matteo at 11:57 AM on April 19, 2007

How many of Bush's lackeys are going to resign or be fired before he leaves office. Does it matter? Bush and Cheney are still there, fucking shit up. It's not like Gonzales is going to be replaced by Captain Happy and the Shiny Patrol.
posted by chunking express at 11:59 AM on April 19, 2007 [7 favorites has favorites]

(and by seriously investigate I mean really looking into all those billion of dollars being burned in no-bid contracts to the VP's BFF company; investigating the pre-war lies is at this point an impossibility)
posted by matteo at 11:59 AM on April 19, 2007

Agreed. Impeachment proceedings against the Cheney must begin immediately!
posted by stenseng at 11:59 AM on April 19, 2007

Another minority Cabinet member willingly takes a bullet for the Cheney/Bush.
posted by nofundy at 12:03 PM on April 19, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

Gonzales and the other investigations are just foreplay. They don't want to go right after Bush and bust their nut too soon. You have to work up to it.
posted by WhipSmart at 12:05 PM on April 19, 2007 [5 favorites has favorites]

Damn, he's getting worked today. At his best he looks incompetent, and at his worst he looks like a liar (a bad one). Not the home run he needed to keep his job. He'll be gone by the end of the month.
posted by brain_drain at 12:05 PM on April 19, 2007

keep it coming. more more more. one by one this entire administration must be done away with.
posted by quarter waters and a bag of chips at 12:07 PM on April 19, 2007 [2 favorites has favorites]

Wait for the 2008 whiplash effect. Now that will be news. As the war goes away, and both parties have no other economy going on...
posted by buzzman at 12:11 PM on April 19, 2007

Thank goodness we got rid of that one rotten egg!
posted by Uther Bentrazor at 12:14 PM on April 19, 2007 [2 favorites has favorites]

But who will they get to replace Gonzales or anyone else? What attorney will accept the liability and the risk? Once you get to the cabinet level, there is no plausable deniability. Everyone knows that Gonzales knows, he just won't talk: he's an insider. The administration is too far gone, too mired in lies upon lies upon god-knows-what kind of crimes to risk bringing in someone new and untrustworthy.

The Republicans may give up Gonzales, call him incompetent and try to say that it ends there. It is entirely up to the congress to make absolutely sure that this is just the first stone chiselled out. Gonzales must face corruption charges, and they must follow the trail as deep into the White House as they can go. They must keep going.
posted by OldReliable at 12:15 PM on April 19, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

They must keep going.

Well if there is one thing the Democrats are known for, it's really giving it to the Republicans.

Oh wait.
posted by chunking express at 12:18 PM on April 19, 2007

Agreed. Impeachment proceedings against the Cheney must begin immediately!

Articles of Impeachment To Be Filed On Cheney by Kucinich.

Impeach Cheney First?
posted by ericb at 12:21 PM on April 19, 2007

Q: WHAT DO BILL COSBY AND FEMALE ROCK STAR BJORK SHARE IN COMMON?
posted by stenseng at 12:25 PM on April 19, 2007 [3 favorites has favorites]

It's not like Gonzales is going to be replaced by Captain Happy and the Shiny Patrol.

Whoever gets replaced needs to be confirmed by the senate, which means you're really not likely to see another obvious bush crony. However, my guess is that the job will just go to the "next in line" and bush will never appoint anyone to fill his shoes.

Bush probably doesn't want have anyone but Gonzo in that job, because anyone else could cause serious problems. Anyone who could actually get confirmed anyway.
posted by delmoi at 12:26 PM on April 19, 2007

oh. dear. SO the wrong thread. *shakes fist at self, firefox tabs, self again.*
posted by stenseng at 12:27 PM on April 19, 2007

CSPAN direct stream link (VLC)
posted by acro at 12:33 PM on April 19, 2007

The hearings have been some of the finest political theatre I've heard in ages.
posted by lekvar at 12:35 PM on April 19, 2007

Appaently he has nothing to hide, and so most likely just hid things for fun.
posted by Artw at 12:36 PM on April 19, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) to Gonzales: "You should resign."
posted by ericb at 12:37 PM on April 19, 2007

I find it odd that the hearings are on C-Span 3. Most cable companies (mine included) do not carry more than the first two. I would think that these hearings are more important than round the clock coverage of a mostly empty Senate chamber.
posted by WhipSmart at 12:38 PM on April 19, 2007

If he steps down who will be head of torture?
posted by Artw at 12:40 PM on April 19, 2007 [2 favorites has favorites]

Conservative blogs have been mysteriously quiet about this.

Thats because they're too busy suggesting that the deranged Korean-American spree killer was actually a Muslim sleeper terrorist who was enraged by his sister's participation in the Iraq war.

Christ, I wish I was making that up.
posted by Avenger at 12:42 PM on April 19, 2007

Conservative blogs have been mysteriously quiet about this.

No mystery. The whole thing is stupid. Bush can fire these attorneys for any reason whatsoever. Clinton did the same thing (only he fired ALL of them, not just 8). Questioning ANYONE about this is just more liberal witch-hunting.
posted by tadellin at 12:46 PM on April 19, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

I find it odd that the hearings are on C-Span 3. Most cable companies (mine included) do not carry more than the first two. I would think that these hearings are more important than round the clock coverage of a mostly empty Senate chamber.

When the house and senate are in session, c-span 1 and 2 must cover them respectively no matter what else is going on. It's some sort of unbroken rule.
posted by a_day_late at 12:49 PM on April 19, 2007

Questioning ANYONE about this is just more liberal witch-hunting

That's why Gonzalez is faring well with the Republicans questioning him today. See above -- Coburn Graham, Specter -- for starters.
posted by ericb at 12:50 PM on April 19, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

Geez, tadellin, check the expiration dates on those talking points.
posted by and hosted from Uranus at 12:51 PM on April 19, 2007 [4 favorites has favorites]

Bush can fire these attorneys for any reason whatsoever.

Including firing them to stop politically damaging investigations of fellow Republicans?

I daresay that might be a tad illegal, ol chap!
posted by Avenger at 12:51 PM on April 19, 2007 [3 favorites has favorites]

Clinton did the same thing (only he fired ALL of them, not just 8)

That is the practice of every administration. Bush 41 did it to. It's is common for the incoming administration (or after a re-election) to fire or accept the resignation of most political appointees.

Doing it mid-stream, however, is highly unusual and there is certainly at the very least the appearance of impropriety if not outright obstruction of justice involved in these 8 firings.

That is the issue. It isn't simply that Bush fired them. It is why and what implications that has on current and future investigations.
posted by WhipSmart at 12:52 PM on April 19, 2007

"'Why is your story changing?' asked Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa....'This is not a game of gotcha,' said [Sen. Arlen] Specter [R-Pennsylvania]. In a reflection of the stakes, he told the attorney general he faced the equivalent of a 'reconfirmation hearing.'" etc.
posted by ericb at 12:54 PM on April 19, 2007

a_day_late, I do believe you are correct. It's still a shame that I have to rely on a choppy stream to keep up on this rather important hearing.
posted by WhipSmart at 12:54 PM on April 19, 2007

Geez, tadellin, check the expiration dates on those talking points.

Next up -- "the attorneys general serve at the pleasure of the President." Blah, blah, blah.
posted by ericb at 12:56 PM on April 19, 2007

AG is getting well and truly roasted. Sheldon Whitehouse, in particular, killed him.

Your point, matteo, is well taken, but I'd hardly call the Attorney General a "highly expendable hatchet man." This is a very big deal, and concerns something that is, to my mind, as important as the probable crimes associated with the situation in Iraq.
posted by kosem at 12:56 PM on April 19, 2007

Real Alternative seems to cope with the lack of capacity better...
posted by acro at 12:59 PM on April 19, 2007

It's still a shame that I have to rely on a choppy stream to keep up on this rather important hearing.

I agree.
posted by a_day_late at 1:00 PM on April 19, 2007

Tadellin, that's just the firings - what about the subsequent perjury by several people in the administration? Or the Hatch and Presidential Record act violations that are too numerous to mention?
posted by Challahtronix at 1:01 PM on April 19, 2007

You tell'em tadellin!
I listen to Rush, and I fart!
posted by 2sheets at 1:02 PM on April 19, 2007 [2 favorites has favorites]

some one needs to mail that man some ginkgo.
posted by nihlton at 1:04 PM on April 19, 2007

Oh, here's John McCain singing about bombing Iran. Supposedly. I don't have headphones at this office.

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) to Gonzales: "You should resign."

Tom Coburn is about as nuts as they get, but unlike most republicans he seems to actually have some principles.
posted by delmoi at 1:05 PM on April 19, 2007

talledin, we've gone over this before, the scandal isn't the firings, it's what got revealed when the administration (mistakenly) tried to handle them, and the question of whether they were being used as a legal bludgeon against Democrats.

That's how I understand it anyway.
posted by JHarris at 1:06 PM on April 19, 2007

Q: WHAT DO BILL COSBY AND FEMALE ROCK STAR BJORK SHARE IN COMMON?

oh. dear. SO the wrong thread. *shakes fist at self, firefox tabs, self again.*

You missed a golden opportunity to rescue that misstep with a cheeky non-sequiter answer.

A: Both would be more convincing in portraying themselves as competent than Gonzalez is.

etc....
posted by googly at 1:06 PM on April 19, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

So I'm thinking there is going to be an opening for AG any day now,
would you provide a reference for me ?
There doesn't seem to be any ethical requirements or responsibilities
related to the position which makes me ( or a block of wood ) uniquely
qualified as a candidate, although the block can't rubber stamp
presidential policy for shit. Unless there is a rubber stamp attached
to the block of wood, in which case, it would be fine.
Alberto, we will
miss you and will revisit the smoking crater of your career as a
reminder of something . . . Please run for president." I apologize to wood blocks everywhere.
posted by epjr at 1:07 PM on April 19, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

CNN says top Republicans are "flabbergasted" at how badly he's doing. His days are numbered.
posted by poxuppit at 1:09 PM on April 19, 2007

Q: WHAT DO BILL COSBY AND FEMALE ROCK STAR BJORK SHARE IN COMMON?
A: THEY BOTH SERVE AT THE PLEASURE OF THE PRESIDENT
posted by eddydamascene at 1:10 PM on April 19, 2007 [11 favorites has favorites]

Good night folks, enjoy the buffet!
posted by BobFrapples at 1:13 PM on April 19, 2007

White House official tells CNN the testimony is akin to "clubbing a baby seal."
posted by poxuppit at 1:14 PM on April 19, 2007

RedState is covering it, and suggesting that the new AG be John Bolton.
posted by caddis at 1:16 PM on April 19, 2007

suggesting that the new AG be John Bolton

I just threw up in my mouth a little...
posted by WhipSmart at 1:17 PM on April 19, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

Q: WHAT DO BILL COSBY AND PRESIDENT BUSH SHARE IN COMMON?
posted by homunculus at 1:21 PM on April 19, 2007

suggesting that the new AG be John Bolton

JB couldn't even get out of committee for UN representative why would the brain trust at Redstate think that he'd get farther for AG?
posted by octothorpe at 1:22 PM on April 19, 2007

Here's my dream: Once he is without a job, Gonzales becomes the target of other countries who want to have him arrested for war crimes with regard to his sanctioning of torture. Freaking out, he agrees to spill everything in return for protection.

The dirt is so deep and rich that that only possible response is the immediate removal and trials of both Bush and Cheney.

Then Gonzales quits the law and turns to science. In order to redeem himself in the eyes of the world he dedicates himself to creating a device that will turn sea-water into fresh-water and electricity. Sadly, days before he finishes, he is killed by a beautiful assassin who has dedicated herself to killing every person with the initals AG.

Fortunately she is stopped when a the chain on her motorcycle breaks and causes her to lose control and slide off a cliff.

Interestingly the inspector of her chain when it left the manufacturer was named Anthony Graves, and she would have killed him eventually anyway.

Then I wake up in a cold sweat, realizing that eating spicy foods before going to bed makes my dreams way too specific.
posted by quin at 1:22 PM on April 19, 2007 [14 favorites has favorites]

See there, it's just your subconscious fear of baby seals.
posted by acro at 1:27 PM on April 19, 2007

Caddis - they're just fucking with us, surely?
posted by Artw at 1:30 PM on April 19, 2007

Q: WHAT DO BILL COSBY AND FEMALE ROCK STAR BJORK SHARE IN COMMON?

A: WHAT IS NEITHER HAVE BEEN IN MY KITCHEN?
posted by inigo2 at 1:34 PM on April 19, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

I love how the Fox News headline is "Gonzales Defends His Right to Fire" -- as if a) it's the AG's "right" to fire any US attorney whenever he feels like it for whatever reason he likes because he's the "decider" or something, and b) he's somehow valiantly "defended" himself in these hearings in which thus far he's been pretty much eviscerated by even his party colleagues. Gotta hand it to them. Only Fox News can out-bullshit the bullshit administration.

It's been nice seeing the Senate bare its teeth in this investigation but it's just a start. There needs to be much more of this (especially with regard to Iraq, obviously).
posted by inoculatedcities at 1:44 PM on April 19, 2007

Perhaps they would trot out John Yoo, another old Bushie.
posted by caddis at 1:46 PM on April 19, 2007

Sadly, days before he finishes, he is killed by a beautiful assassin who has dedicated herself to killing every person with the initials AG.

Not Andy Garcia!
posted by Faint of Butt at 1:46 PM on April 19, 2007

White House official tells CNN the testimony is akin to "clubbing a baby seal."

CNN video

"Loyal Republican after loyal Republican in this hearing room, and more specifically, in private to CNN today have made it clear that they are frankly flabbergasted by how poorly they think the attorney general has done in this hearing. … During the lunch break, in private, several very loyal Republicans made it clear to CNN that they were really dripping with disappointment.

...[White House officials] believe Gonzales is in trouble. … Two senior White House aides here describing the situation, Gonzales’ testimony, as 'going down in flames.' That he was 'not doing himself any favors.' One prominent Republican describing watching his testimony as 'clubbing a baby seal.'"

posted by ericb at 1:51 PM on April 19, 2007

Chairman Whitehouse "It may not have been a knockout punch, but he took 20 steps backwards... it's hard to imagine the White House would want him to continue, after today."
posted by acro at 1:52 PM on April 19, 2007

Perhaps they would trot out John Yoo, another old Bushie.

Or David Addington. Both architects of the "unitary executive" theory of gutting the US Constitution.
posted by inoculatedcities at 1:53 PM on April 19, 2007

sorry... Sen. Charles Schumer
posted by acro at 1:53 PM on April 19, 2007

Has anyone have a link to the chart that shows the growth of authorized contacts between the White House and DoJ?
posted by eddydamascene at 1:59 PM on April 19, 2007

Q: WHAT DO BILL COSBY AND FEMALE ROCK STAR BJORK SHARE IN COMMON?

A: They both played key roles in THE MOST AWKWARD THREE-WAY OF MY LIFE!!!
posted by LordSludge at 1:59 PM on April 19, 2007

Q: WHAT DO BILL COSBY AND FEMALE ROCK STAR BJORK SHARE IN COMMON?

A: They both hate black people? See what I did there?
posted by basicchannel at 2:01 PM on April 19, 2007

Libel?
posted by acro at 2:03 PM on April 19, 2007

No mystery. The whole thing is stupid. Bush can fire these attorneys for any reason whatsoever.

Well sure. And you are more than likely an at-will employee at your job, which means you too can be fired for any reason or no reason at all. But if you do get fired, wouldn't you be curious what the reason might be? And if your employer gave you conflicting answers that hinted at some reason other than poor performance on your part, wouldn't you be a little put out? Wouldn't you demand a clear answer?

No, I suppose you'd just say "I serve at the pleasure of Sam Walton" and leave it at that.
posted by schoolgirl report at 2:05 PM on April 19, 2007 [8 favorites has favorites]

Zing!
posted by basicchannel at 2:13 PM on April 19, 2007

Exactly what sort of pleasure does Bush get out of all those people serving him?
posted by ericb at 2:14 PM on April 19, 2007

Firing State Attorneys for political reasons is not OK, and it is not the AG's right. Indeed, it would be illegal, if it that were proved to be the case. People could serve time in jail for doing that.

You CAN NOT use the state law-enforcing apparatus to further partisan political aims. There is absolutely no universe in which that is OK. Nor is it legal. Nor is it ethical. Nor is it "American." Nor is it a part of a healthy democracy.

The firings were investigated because it looks very much like this is what Bush (through toady Gonzales) did: firing State Attorneys that weren't both investigating Democrats in battleground state's to Bush's liking and ignoring Republican malfeasances sufficiently. Any subsequent perjury might land folks in jail, but what is being investigated here is not "no big deal."

You can not even get an internship at the state Attorney's office unless you are a hard-line, Bush-worshipping Republican these days, if the reports are true. Such partisan political tests for hiring in the State Attorney's offices are illegal.

These are not lies about blow jobs. These are lies about turning the State Attorneys Offices into a Republican Politburo, a la Soviet Russia.

I realize tadellin is either deluded or trolling or both, but don't buy into the talking point, as I have seen other folks here do.

This is very fucking serious. More serious than any of Nixon's crimes. It's not just a perjury hunt.
posted by teece at 2:14 PM on April 19, 2007 [11 favorites has favorites]

Kremlin justice in the U.S.
The U.S. attorney scandal is part of a larger Bush administration offense -- using law enforcement as a tool of the ruling party.
posted by octothorpe at 2:26 PM on April 19, 2007 [2 favorites has favorites]

Sounds like all that prep work really paid off.
posted by kirkaracha at 2:26 PM on April 19, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

I don't think they should let him resign. If he resigns, then they get to sweep all this crap under the rug. He needs to pay.

I hope that the congress responds well to the smell of blood in the water.
posted by OldReliable at 2:51 PM on April 19, 2007

i've been listening to the Pacifica coverage... Someone is keeping track of all the times Alberto says "I don't recall." It was up to almost 30 times in the first hour, i think he's probably quadrupled that number by now.....
posted by TechnoLustLuddite at 2:52 PM on April 19, 2007

45: Number of times Alberto Gonzales “testified that he could not recall events he was asked about,” according to an AP article/
posted by ericb at 2:59 PM on April 19, 2007 [2 favorites has favorites]

heh, wow. I'll have to remember that tactic if I'm ever under oath...
posted by TechnoLustLuddite at 3:02 PM on April 19, 2007

I don't think they should let him resign. ... He needs to pay.

This isn't about Gonzales. Does anyone believe he did any of this on his own initiative? Back in Texas his job was writing opinions telling Bush that whatever he wanted to do was legal. Prosecuting Gonzales for this would be like prosecuting a handgun for murder or a coat pocket for shoplifting.
posted by George_Spiggott at 3:06 PM on April 19, 2007 [4 favorites has favorites]

Worked for everyone in the Reagan administration.
posted by zoogleplex at 3:08 PM on April 19, 2007

Sorry, was responding to TechoLustLuddite. Will hit Preview next time!
posted by zoogleplex at 3:09 PM on April 19, 2007

Q: WHAT DO BILL COSBY AND FEMALE ROCK STAR BJORK SHARE IN COMMON?

HITLER!!
posted by pyramid termite at 3:12 PM on April 19, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

"Prosecuting Gonzales for this would be like prosecuting a handgun for murder or a coat pocket for shoplifting."

So in other words, Gonzales is just a great big tool?
posted by stenseng at 3:14 PM on April 19, 2007

he had a smirk on his face during the entire hearing - he looked like a guy who knew he was pulling a scam, knowing he can't really get caught
posted by Flood at 3:16 PM on April 19, 2007

Q: WHAT DO BILL COSBY AND FEMALE ROCK STAR BJORK SHARE IN COMMON?

I can't recall.
posted by Skygazer at 3:21 PM on April 19, 2007

This isn't about Gonzales. Does anyone believe he did any of this on his own initiative? Back in Texas his job was writing opinions telling Bush that whatever he wanted to do was legal.

Seems his job description hasn't really changed, huh?
posted by deCadmus at 3:22 PM on April 19, 2007

pyramid termite yet again fails to condemn Stalin.
posted by Artw at 3:24 PM on April 19, 2007

Metafilter: Serving at the pleasure of the President.
posted by lostburner at 3:28 PM on April 19, 2007

I wonder if he'd recall more if they gave him the waterboarding technique...
posted by TechnoLustLuddite at 3:39 PM on April 19, 2007 [7 favorites has favorites]

I realize tadellin is either deluded or trolling or both, but don't buy into the talking point, as I have seen other folks here do.

QFT.
posted by Tacos Are Pretty Great at 3:42 PM on April 19, 2007

TechnoLustLuddite - IIRC anything up to the loss of a limb is okay.
posted by Artw at 4:05 PM on April 19, 2007

> Perhaps they would trot out John Yoo, another old Bushie.

> Or David Addington. Both architects of the "unitary executive" theory of gutting the US Constitution.

I've got to think that these guys must not be able to pass the public politician litmus test, because Gonzales is essentially just a mouthpiece for their policies.

Incidentally, either one of these guys in the position of AG would be supremely frightening to me.
posted by Brak at 4:23 PM on April 19, 2007

Artw writes "TechnoLustLuddite - IIRC anything up to the loss of a limb is okay."

Pain equilvalent to that associated with organ failure was the exact criterion, I believe.

But does organ failure really hurt? I'm not sure I would know if my kidneys shut down, aside from the water retention and the not peeing.
posted by mr_roboto at 4:23 PM on April 19, 2007

Incidentally, either one of these guys in the position of AG would be supremely frightening to me.

They couldn't get any of those people thru--it'd have to be an ex-Senator, who would sail thru. (Delay? Santorum? etc)
posted by amberglow at 4:40 PM on April 19, 2007

Sununu.
posted by Joey Michaels at 4:42 PM on April 19, 2007

(I mean former Bush I Chief of Staff Sununu, fwiw)
posted by Joey Michaels at 4:46 PM on April 19, 2007

The AP is now saying that Gonzales "fell back on faulty memory" 71 times.
posted by kyrademon at 4:52 PM on April 19, 2007

probably--i wouldn't be surprised, and he would get thru with no problem at all, sadly.

On Gonzales: ...The most profound lie may just be the foundation of his entire defense--that he's an incompetent buffoon, that that all the things done in the Justice Department over the last two years that were legally or morally question happened without his approval or even his knowledge.
He wouldn't be the first right-wing attorney general to be a black-hearted man willing to break the law out of a twisted means-justifies-the-ends morality. He's not even the second. ...


And this is really something: Don't miss Alberto Gonzales' heartfelt ode to the importance of protecting minority's right to vote. This from a man who has gutted the department's Civil Rights Division. ...
posted by amberglow at 4:55 PM on April 19, 2007

That's equivelent to a very elderly South American dictator or someone involved in installing one.
posted by Artw at 4:55 PM on April 19, 2007

This isn't about Gonzales. Does anyone believe he did any of this on his own initiative? Back in Texas his job was writing opinions telling Bush that whatever he wanted to do was legal.

Bush and Gonzales "deepen friendship" by executing prisoners together
posted by amberglow at 4:57 PM on April 19, 2007

Joey Michaels writes "I mean former Bush I Chief of Staff Sununu, fwiw"

GWB wouldn't appoint anyone from his father's administration. He's broken with those people for good post-Iraq Study Group.

Santorum would not be completely surprising. How about Jim Talent? He'd be like an echo of Ashcroft.
posted by mr_roboto at 4:58 PM on April 19, 2007

Did the cable news networks cover it at all today, or was it all VA shooting stuff?
posted by amberglow at 4:59 PM on April 19, 2007

McClatchy today: For six years, the Bush administration, aided by Justice Department political appointees, has pursued an aggressive legal effort to restrict voter turnout in key battleground states in ways that favor Republican political candidates. ...
posted by amberglow at 5:01 PM on April 19, 2007

one more: LA Times OpEd: Kremlin justice in the U.S.--...Most people are under-reacting. Allowing the security apparatus of the state to help tilt elections is an extremely grave precedent. When the line of acceptable behavior can be moved without much protest, it often can be moved further the next time. ...
posted by amberglow at 5:06 PM on April 19, 2007

(oop--sorry octothorpe)
posted by amberglow at 5:06 PM on April 19, 2007

WILL YOU CUT OUT THE BJORK COMPARISONS ALREADY?
THAT WAS A SWAN AROUND HER NECK, NOT AN ALBOTROSS!
posted by Smart Dalek at 5:32 PM on April 19, 2007

"You CAN NOT use the state law-enforcing apparatus to further partisan political aims."

Who says? What else is the spoils system for?

"There is absolutely no universe in which that is OK."

Please define "OK" for us?

"Nor is it legal. Nor is it ethical. Nor is it 'American.' Nor is it a part of a healthy democracy."

It is, however, Standard Operating Procedure in the U.S.A., on the planet Earth in the Sol System.

(What planet are you from?)
posted by davy at 5:44 PM on April 19, 2007

Probably not a practical solution...
posted by davy at 5:52 PM on April 19, 2007

The AP is now saying that Gonzales "fell back on faulty memory" 71 times.

Either he's (a) incompetent or he's (b) lying. Either choice does not make for confidence in our senior-most law enforcement agent.
posted by ericb at 6:42 PM on April 19, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

But does organ failure really hurt?

Yep -- had an emergency appendectomy two-years ago.
posted by ericb at 6:43 PM on April 19, 2007

Conservative blogs have tadellin has been mysteriously quiet about this.

Fixed that for you.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 6:57 PM on April 19, 2007

My prediction: George W. will appoint Bolton as attorney general as a recess appointment, because he really, really wants to destroy the remainder of the Republican party.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 7:01 PM on April 19, 2007 [2 favorites has favorites]

because he really, really wants to destroy the remainder of the Republican party.
This is like the only thing we can count on--the sitting GOP Senators and Reps finally being scared enough about all losing their jobs to stop all this shit or at least tamp it down or something.

The Democratic National Committee sued the Justice Department on Thursday, demanding it turn over any e-mail traffic with the Republican Party on the U.S. attorneys controversy and criminal investigations. ...
posted by amberglow at 9:31 PM on April 19, 2007

I'm surprised no one's speculated yet on the remarkable coincidence that the Blackberry servers went down just after the whole RNC email/Blackberry thing came out, and right in the middle of the hubbub of the VT incident. Wouldn't put it past the administration to try and look for anything incriminating on RIM's systems. But it is just a coincidence, right? Right?
posted by greatgefilte at 9:41 PM on April 19, 2007

the remarkable coincidence that the Blackberry servers went down just after the whole RNC email/Blackberry thing came out

Doubtful. Those servers are in Canada, firstly. All the mail that was not delivered during the outtage was still delivered to their normal mail inboxes on their mailservers. Once the Blackberry servers came back online they pushed out the missed messages to the handhelds. Blackberry just forwards messages; you have to have a separate mailserver.
posted by Burhanistan at 9:46 PM on April 19, 2007

Burhanistan, I meant that they might have been trying to purge any incriminating copies of emails that RIM may have had, and inadvertently brought down the server... Fanciful, I know, but not impossible.
posted by greatgefilte at 9:56 PM on April 19, 2007

...and not true either, it seems.
posted by greatgefilte at 9:59 PM on April 19, 2007

Actually, I think the Federal govt has its own set of Blackberry servers independent of the civilian RIM network.
posted by Burhanistan at 10:01 PM on April 19, 2007

No comments (media or elsewhere) yet about the spectators singing "hey-hey--goodbye" when Gonzales was leaving the room... kind of weird.
posted by acro at 10:07 PM on April 19, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

In the good old days they would've thrown rotten eggs and produce at him.
posted by Burhanistan at 10:08 PM on April 19, 2007

OK, nevermind
posted by acro at 10:10 PM on April 19, 2007

It is, however, Standard Operating Procedure in the U.S.A.,

No, it's not. You are confused about how the SA offices used to work. Seriously. Your cynicism is faux, and quite harmful, davy.

And I forget the names of the statutes, but laws have been violated if Gonzales did what he, and his underlings, seem to have done in their hiring and firing. Really.

I can't repeat it enough: WAKE UP. You do not understand the situation.
posted by teece at 10:40 PM on April 19, 2007

Gonzales already broke the law by lying in his previous testimony to Congress, let alone all the other stuff.


Actually, I think the Federal govt has its own set of Blackberry servers independent of the civilian RIM network.
It's RNC-provided Blackberries being used by the officials -- not the Govt's.
posted by amberglow at 10:53 PM on April 19, 2007

Doubtful. Those servers are in Canada, firstly.

Gosh, yes. It's not like the US would just go fuck with stuff in another country!

LOLWTF? What is with the focus on Gonzales? We all know what he did, so much so that even the Capital is beginning to take serious notice. In 'net terms, Gonzales is old news.

We really should be one step ahead of the game, helping lead the changes. F'rinstance, it needs to be decided how to deal with religious operatives that have been planted in the Justice.

Gonzales placed some exceptionally young, inexperienced, fundamentally religious people into positions of judicial oversight and power that are simply inappropriate. The horse is out of the barn.

At this point Gonzales is the whitehead. WTF are you going to do about the actual infection?
posted by five fresh fish at 11:21 PM on April 19, 2007

One should fundraise for a "What About The Cronies?" T-Shirt series with a "Gonzales is the Whitehead, Squeeze for the Pus!" meme.
posted by five fresh fish at 11:27 PM on April 19, 2007

... Why is it than when our heap big manly Republican men get backed into a corner, they all turn into these hissing, pissy, prissy little bitch-queens, anyhow? Especially Preznint Fauntleroy, there. He makes Bill Frist look about as macho as Henry Rollins when he's mad.
...
Wake me when the little pissant gets a new job as Prison Bitch. Otherwise, don't bother me.
posted by amberglow at 11:37 PM on April 19, 2007

(Gonzales really is extra-effeminate--is that how Bush likes his boyfriends? I always thought he went for the Gannon/Kerik type)
; >
posted by amberglow at 11:39 PM on April 19, 2007

Amberglow: don't be silly. Surely you don't thing dubya would allow himself to be topped by a brown person? What would his mama think?
posted by Goofyy at 1:58 AM on April 20, 2007 [2 favorites has favorites]

I can't wait for Gonzalez to resign and write a book about it so his agent can book him on the The Daily Show. I'm sure Jon Stewart would relish the opportunity to dress down another deposed 'Loyal Bushie'. His interview with the illustrious Mr Bolton a few weeks ago was comedy gold.

Yeah, I just linked to YT. You fuckers do it every three seconds; I'm just trying to fit in.
posted by chuckdarwin at 2:04 AM on April 20, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

So at what point does Karl Rove take little Fredo out fishing on Lake Tahoe?
posted by JackFlash at 2:24 AM on April 20, 2007

He needs to be fired then prosecuted. It is obvious he is lying.
posted by scissorhand2 at 5:39 AM on April 20, 2007

The irony behind this is that Iglesias (a Republican) will probably pick up Domenici's seat when the latter chooses not to run for mumble-mumble reasons. This scandal has shown that the Republicans do have a Few Good Men - even if they choose to fire them.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 5:55 AM on April 20, 2007

Like most Republicans under oath, Mr. Gonzalez is a Peter Gabriel fan:

I don't remember, I don't recall
I got no memory of anything at all
I don't remember, I don't recall
I got no memory of anything -anything at all

posted by kirkaracha at 7:50 AM on April 20, 2007

The irony behind this is that Iglesias (a Republican) will probably pick up Domenici's seat when the latter chooses not to run for mumble-mumble reasons.

That would be fitting. Who'll take Wilson's seat out there?
(and Specter and Hatch, etc...)
posted by amberglow at 8:49 AM on April 20, 2007

Bush is pleased! with Gonzales' performance.
posted by minda25 at 9:08 AM on April 20, 2007

I do not recall adding that exclamation mark.
posted by minda25 at 9:10 AM on April 20, 2007

I like how predictable the Bush strategy is. By using his bully pulpit, he can get the press to quote what he says so it sounds like its the actual news. That press release is a perfect example:

After hours of testimony in which he answered all of the Senators’ questions and provided thousands of pages of documents, he again showed that nothing improper occurred. ... The Attorney General has the full confidence of the President, and he appreciates the work he is doing at the Department of Justice to help keep our citizens safe from terrorists, our children safe from predators, our government safe from corruption, and our streets free from gang violence.
posted by OldReliable at 9:16 AM on April 20, 2007

President Bush--AKA The Decider Decision-Maker--didn't actually see the testimony.
posted by kirkaracha at 10:03 AM on April 20, 2007

The real problem is GW. Lackeys like Gonzalez just help him to consilidate power.
posted by caddis at 11:08 AM on April 20, 2007

That's exactly why we need to get the enablers out of the way. We need to get subpoenas and investigate, investigate, investigate. Once we have court orders, we can get the real dirt, and follow the muddy footprints all the way to the top. That is why we must go after Gonzales. This screw up is the crowbar that we can use to blow down the wall of secrecy that has protected this administration.
posted by OldReliable at 11:21 AM on April 20, 2007

Jon Stewart Video: Gonzales’ Amnesia.
posted by ericb at 12:40 PM on April 20, 2007

Number Of White House Officials Allowed To Intervene In DoJ Cases Jumps By 10,325 Percent.
posted by ericb at 12:47 PM on April 20, 2007

The Tao of Gonzo--...Verse 1:

"I now understand that there was a conversation between me and the President." --Tao of Gonzo, Apr 19, 2007

Ah, yes. Here we are introduced to a moment of deep spiritual contemplation. There are times in our lives, he is saying, when we understand the experiences we have when we are having them. I ate a sandwich, I understand. I drive to work, I understand. But there are other times when we have an experience, but we do not understand the experience as such at the time. ...
posted by amberglow at 3:57 PM on April 20, 2007

And from there: ... to a spiritual master, such as Gonzales, the purpose of a hearing is really about the enlightenment of others. He has enlightenment. The testimony is an opportunity to pass on that enlightenment to others. But not just to some others--to all others. In a sense, by listening to Gonzales, we are not just hearing answers, we are being given the opportunity to enter into the information that will also help us to achieve enlightenment--help us to become one with the truth as he sees it. And what is that truth? That there is no untruth, only the appearance of untruth. If we do not see this, it is not because we see a different truth than the truth presented, but because we are not yet educated and informed as to the one true truth. ...
posted by amberglow at 3:58 PM on April 20, 2007

Ted Olson?????
posted by amberglow at 4:10 PM on April 20, 2007

A reminder: ...As Dilulio told reporter Ron Suskind, writing in Esquire magazine, the tone was set from the top. He overheard Rove shouting about some poor object of his anger, "We will fuck him. Do you hear me? We will fuck him. We will ruin him. Like no one has ever fucked him." Dilulio was shocked to discover not only that Rove was placed in charge of domestic policy but also that Bush had no interest in it except as a political tool. "On social policy and related issues, the lack of even basic policy knowledge, and the only casual interest in knowing more, was somewhat breathtaking", Dilulio said.
...
posted by amberglow at 4:29 PM on April 20, 2007

And this is exactly true and important: ...If the party line from this administration and Alberto today is that he was minimally involved in high level personnel issues and pleads ignorance about them, then Democrats need to make it clear that the religious right and Karl Rove are running the top law enforcement agency in the land. Let the public get its arms around that for a few days. ...
posted by amberglow at 4:46 PM on April 20, 2007

Waxman Letter Sheds More Details About White House-MZM Contract: It Was ‘Related To WMD’
posted by homunculus at 7:55 PM on April 20, 2007

Slate: Maybe Gonzo Was Brilliant and We Missed It.
posted by George_Spiggott at 9:04 PM on April 20, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

School for scandal
posted by amberglow at 7:55 AM on April 21, 2007

who's next? (yt)
posted by acro at 9:58 AM on April 21, 2007

meanwhile, Rove admits they take their foreign policy advice from Osama: ...In a question-and-answer period after his speech, Rove was asked whose idea it was to start a pre-emptive war."

``I think it was Osama bin Laden's,' Rove replied. ...
posted by amberglow at 11:26 AM on April 21, 2007

... Q Does the President ever get tired of having to express his full confidence in the people around him these days?

MS. PERINO: When you're President of the United States and you have this many folks that you are employing, it's a pretty small number that he's had to express full confidence in. All of us who serve at the pleasure of the President, if the moment he doesn't have full confidence in you, you no longer work for him. And we all take that very seriously.
posted by amberglow at 11:35 AM on April 21, 2007

I think it was Osama bin Laden's,' Rove replied. ...

Oh fucking-fuck. I can't believe they are still suggesting that there was a connection between Bin Laden and Iraq.

I wish the war were over,' Rove said. ``I wish the war never existed... History has given us a challenge. It is a challenge which we will at our own peril ignore.'

Fuck you Rove.

That is all.
posted by quin at 11:42 AM on April 21, 2007

from that
Slate: Maybe Gonzo Was Brilliant and We Missed It link:

...This record reflects either a Harvard-trained lawyer—and former state Supreme Court judge—with absolutely no command of the facts or the law, or it reveals a proponent of the unitary executive theory with absolutely nothing to prove. Gonzales' failure to even mount a defense; his posture of barely tolerating congressional inquiries; his refusal to concede that he owed the Senate any explanation or any evidence; his refusal to even accept that he bore some burden of proof—all of it tots up to a masterful display of the perfect contempt felt by the Bush executive branch for this Congress and its pretensions of oversight. In the plainest sense, Gonzales elevated the Bush legal doctrine of "Because I said so" into a public spectacle. ...

Everything they do is a "Fuck You!" to law and the people.
posted by amberglow at 12:57 PM on April 21, 2007

I can't believe they are still suggesting that there was a connection between Bin Laden and Iraq.

They know the more gullible part of their base will always believe it, so they'll never stop saying it.
posted by homunculus at 1:30 PM on April 21, 2007

Right-wing blogs discover massive conspiracy to hide WMDs in Iraq
posted by homunculus at 1:06 AM on April 22, 2007

generally related: When Evil Met Stupid
posted by amberglow at 1:31 PM on April 22, 2007

RNC Resists Democratic Demands for Database Access--The
Republican National Committee will work with the White House to turn over E-mails related to the congressional probe into the firings of federal prosecutors but won't give in to demands that the Democratic-chaired House and Senate committees get access to the party's database.

"We are drawing a line in the sand on this," said a party executive. "For the first time, we are saying that we are not going to put up with this." ...
posted by amberglow at 6:56 PM on April 22, 2007

Bush has more confidence in Gonzales now--another Fuck you to us people and Congress.
posted by amberglow at 3:02 PM on April 23, 2007

and 25 Senators wrote to the WH, because they haven't answered questions nor provided documents demanded.
posted by amberglow at 3:04 PM on April 23, 2007

In Alaska too this shit was happening
posted by amberglow at 5:06 PM on April 23, 2007

ahhh...Bush never watched the testimony--he was told about it, and then decided to show his confidence. And Rove wasn't involved--another lie.
posted by amberglow at 6:09 PM on April 23, 2007

and the key phrase, repeated by her and Bush: "as honestly as he could"
posted by amberglow at 6:12 PM on April 23, 2007

The Slate article is actually quite chilling, but the "Has he ever lost confidence" question is hilarious.
posted by OmieWise at 6:27 PM on April 23, 2007

even more chilling: ... There is more than ample documentation to show that on Election Night 2004, Ohio's "official" Secretary of State website -- which gave the world the presidential election results -- was redirected from an Ohio government server to a group of servers that contain scores of Republican web sites, including the secret White House e-mail accounts that have emerged in the scandal surrounding Attorney General Alberto Gonzales's firing of eight federal prosecutors. ...
posted by amberglow at 7:30 PM on April 23, 2007

...We’ve been here before. Gonzales is getting Libby’d. Takes the bullet for Karl Rove and the White House. If you wondered why the Republican jackals like the sinister Senator Specter piled on Gonzales — it’s because they were told to.

These guys learned from Richard Nixon. In 1973, when Nixon was getting hammered over Watergate, he threw the Senate Committee his Attorney General, a schmuck named Richard Kleindienst. Famously, Nixon’s own Rove, a devious creep named John Erlichman, told Nixon to leave the Attorney General, “twisting slowly in the wind.”

Rove and Bush are doing the Nixon Twist on Gonzales. ...
posted by amberglow at 1:57 PM on April 25, 2007

That slow twist might be backfiring. From TPM:

Why the sudden explosion of movement on the Abramoff and other GOP corruption investigations? Is it tied in some way to the Purge story? It's always hard to infer just what the delays and speed-ups in these investigations mean. Most of the big developments we don't know about until long after the investigation is completed. Sometimes we never know. And that leaves us like the proverbial blind men and the elephant, each speculating based on our little patch of facts with little understanding of the big picture.

That said, there's been such an avalanche of developments in recent days and weeks, that I think it's now quite reasonable to conclude that the turnaround is related to the fact that Gonzales and his crew are flat on their backs and aren't able to block them any more.

posted by caddis at 2:26 PM on April 25, 2007

...I think it's now quite reasonable to conclude that the turnaround is related to the fact that Gonzales and his crew are flat on their backs and aren't able to block them any more.

"aren't able to Bloch them any more" --might be more apt. The whole Bloch thing is a block. Karl Rove's Least Likely Interrogator: Scott Bloch and the Office of Special Counsel
posted by amberglow at 2:49 PM on April 25, 2007

Support of Gonzales affirms power play--... It's well known that the administration is seeking to maximize its own powers. This effort takes many forms, from asserting the right to bypass laws that Bush himself has signed, to asserting the authority to hold prisoners without trials, to forbidding Congress from seeing information the administration deems sensitive to national security, to asserting its own, highly debatable interpretations of the Geneva Conventions.

There may well be other, similar claims of power that the public does not know about, leading to secret actions that the president believes are justified through his authority as commander in chief. ...
posted by amberglow at 3:03 PM on April 25, 2007

on Goodling testifying and her immunity and her attitude: Oh, boy, the Judiciary Committee is going up against God. They think they will get to the truth through Monica Goodling. I'm not saying they won't because when it comes right down to it, I think most fundies don't like to lie. But there are some potential mindfields that the Judiciary will have to navigate in order to get the most from Monica. I predict they are going to have trouble in two areas: Monica's martyrdom and Monica's reluctance to obey the authority of the state. ...
posted by amberglow at 8:51 PM on April 25, 2007

Pray for lower-level whistle-blowers to voice the facts? Or did the government remove protection for public employees?
posted by five fresh fish at 9:52 PM on April 25, 2007

Congressional sources who have seen unedited internal documents say the Bush administration considered firing at least a dozen U.S. attorneys before paring down its list to eight late last year. The four who escaped dismissal came from states considered political battlegrounds in the last presidential election: Missouri, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Two of the four said they resigned voluntarily before the mass firings of U.S. attorneys on Dec. 7. Two continue to serve as federal prosecutors.
The latest revelation could provide new evidence to critics who contend that politics, not performance, played the determining role in the firings. The White House and the Justice Department have repeatedly denied that politics played any role.
Congressional sources, who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to discuss the information publicly, Friday confirmed two additional names to McClatchy Newspapers: U.S. Attorney Todd Graves of Kansas City, Mo., and U.S. Attorney Thomas Marino of Scranton, Pa. ...
McClatchy had previously identified two other prosecutors who dropped off the final "hit" list - former U.S. Attorney Thomas Heffelfinger of Minneapolis and U.S. Attorney Steven Biskupic of Milwaukee. ...

And there was a new document dump tonight, along with a big resignation by a guy in the DOJ office charged with investigating Abramoff but all tied up in it himself!--A senior Justice Department official has resigned after coming under scrutiny in the department's expanding investigation of convicted super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff, according to a Justice Department official with knowledge of the case.

Making the situation more awkward for the embattled department, the official, Robert E. Coughlin II, was deputy chief of staff for the criminal division, which is overseeing the department's probe of Abramoff. ...
posted by amberglow at 4:40 PM on April 27, 2007

Escorts!!!!! Deputy Secretary of State Randall L. Tobias submitted his resignation Friday, one day after confirming to ABC News that he had been a customer of a Washington, D.C. escort service whose owner has been charged by federal prosecutors with running a prostitution operation. ...
posted by amberglow at 7:42 PM on April 27, 2007

likely excuse,
like McGreevey leaving ofice because he was gay,
yeah, that's the reason.
posted by caddis at 7:46 PM on April 27, 2007

I wonder if he always wore a condom?

...As the Bush administration's so-called "AIDS czar," Tobias was criticized for emphasizing faithfulness and abstinence over condom use to prevent the spread of AIDS. ...

faithfulness and abstinence...hmmmm
posted by amberglow at 8:24 PM on April 27, 2007

But, y'see, you want to put someone into power who knows the business. You can't leave prostitution in the hands of some innocent noobie! No, Bush always hires the best men for the jobs, men who know what it's all about.
posted by five fresh fish at 8:27 PM on April 27, 2007

So "Heckuva Job" Brownie was into watersports? ; o
posted by amberglow at 8:30 PM on April 27, 2007

Even the summer interns were loyal Bushies at the DOJ.
posted by amberglow at 11:29 AM on April 28, 2007

Secret Order By Gonzales Delegated Extraordinary Powers To Aides
posted by amberglow at 2:44 PM on April 30, 2007

Update: the fired Attorney count is up to 13--the most recently disclosed was fired directly by Miers herself.

And another one was told by the Civil Rights Div of DOJ not to pursue a cross-burning case!

And Goodling was investigating and firing career DOJ staff because she thought they were Democrats, which was forbidden, apparently
posted by amberglow at 11:29 AM on May 12, 2007

Deputy attorney general to resign, officials say.
posted by ericb at 2:53 PM on May 14, 2007

New York Times: On the night of March 10, 2004, a high-ranking Justice Department official rushed to a Washington hospital to prevent [Card and Gonzales] from taking advantage of the critically ill Attorney General, John Ashcroft, the official testified today.
posted by russilwvong at 11:50 AM on May 15, 2007

Withheld Documents Contradict Gonzales Testimony.

Specter Predicts Gonzales Will Quit.
posted by ericb at 11:27 AM on May 17, 2007

Gonzales rapped as Bush ‘yes man’ at high cost.
posted by ericb at 9:07 AM on May 19, 2007