Gonzales resigns

August 27, 2007 5:17 AM

Newsfilter: Attorney General Gonzales resigns
posted by rxrfrx (214 comments total)

Good.
posted by rmmcclay at 5:21 AM on August 27, 2007

Let's see if he remembers doing this.
posted by Challahtronix at 5:22 AM on August 27, 2007 [43 favorites]

Does this mean he is no longer protected by executive privilege?
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 5:25 AM on August 27, 2007

Woooooo-hooooo!

Wait, wait, I "woooo-hooo"'d when Ashcroft resigned, and look what we got.

So the rumor is Chertoff, but given this Administration, get ready for Jay "Torture Memo" Bybee or John "Torture" Yoo.
posted by orthogonality at 5:25 AM on August 27, 2007

Double good. Hopefully he'll never darken our doors again.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:25 AM on August 27, 2007

Wow. Fucking wow.
posted by Item at 5:27 AM on August 27, 2007

This is good news. The next AG probably won't cover for Bush and CO's crimes. Now all the Dems need to do is grow a pair.
posted by zardoz at 5:28 AM on August 27, 2007

I wonder if his own attorneys determined that he couldn't talk his way out of yet another investigation and told him to give up (and evade any backlash or consequences).
posted by mathowie at 5:30 AM on August 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

Ashcroft resigned because there were lines he was not willing to cross.

By the standards of this administration. Attorney General Ashcroft was a good guy.
posted by Malor at 5:30 AM on August 27, 2007 [14 favorites]

The extent to which this is a blow for the Bush administration cannot be overestimated; Gonzalez' replacement will now need to be confirmed by a hostile Senate that may be able to force a compromise candidate who will investigate the administration's profound malfeasance.
posted by The Confessor at 5:31 AM on August 27, 2007 [4 favorites]

Is there a German word that describes how we seem to be continually learning to appreciate worse and worse ex-officials, because the ones they get replaced with are always somehow even worse?
posted by rxrfrx at 5:32 AM on August 27, 2007 [16 favorites]

Are you kidding zardoz? That's what we said when Ashcroft resigned and Gonzales was 10 times worse. The next AG will probably be the former head of the Nicaragua death squads.
posted by any major dude at 5:32 AM on August 27, 2007 [3 favorites]

zardoz: "This is good news. The next AG probably won't cover for Bush and CO's crimes."

Define naive optimism.
posted by Plutor at 5:32 AM on August 27, 2007

This is good news. The next AG probably won't cover for Bush and CO's crimes.

No, he'll just do a better job.
posted by Item at 5:34 AM on August 27, 2007 [3 favorites]

We're getting ahead of ourselves here. The official announcement is supposed to be this afternoon. And let's be realistic, here: Come this afternoon, what's the chance that Alberto Gonzales will recall that he resigned?
posted by Flunkie at 5:34 AM on August 27, 2007 [15 favorites]

Does this mean he is no longer protected by executive privilege?

Depends on what you mean by "protected."

As I understand it, the Vice President's Office regards the "protection" as more or less permanent, so one answer to that question would be "of course not."

At a certain point, someone has to have the nerve to deputize marshalls and issue a warrant for arrest. Or however that works when all the law enforcement officials report in to the branch that's protected. (My arm is too tired to face-palm anymore over this kind of thinking...)
posted by lodurr at 5:35 AM on August 27, 2007

Wow, really? We beat fark AND drudge?
posted by Mach5 at 5:36 AM on August 27, 2007

Holy fucking shit.

And yeah, the confirmation process for the next A.G. should be, ah, interesting.

I believe he is still covered by executive privilege, even after he's resigned, since it's Bush who gets to decide what/whom is covered by e.p.

I bet it makes arresting him for perjury (do that do that?) easier, though.
posted by rtha at 5:37 AM on August 27, 2007

The Confessor is right. That's why I believe the Times when they say the president grudgingly accepted the resignation. Going through the nominating process will not be a whole lot of fun for the administration. The Senate is not run by Republicans anymore.

On the other hand, even though the Republicans in the Senate weren't too pleased with Gonzales, they rarely offered anything but hand-wringing. Maybe this will give them the cover they need to revert to defending the indefensible.

Still, there will be no-fun hearings at the least, and investigations if things go well. I think Chertoff is about the only person they can nominate.
posted by ibmcginty at 5:38 AM on August 27, 2007

This is great news. My uncle* was recently a victim** of a car accident*** and experienced some medical malpractice**** afterwards. I was going to call The Law Offices of James Sokolove, but hearing that Gonzales will be looking for work in the near future, I'll just wait and call him.

* uncle = large multinational pharmo firm
** victim = covered up
*** car accident = put rat poison in children's vitamins
**** medical malpractice = was caught
Also, there was embezzlement, bribery, and something about a private police action in Hong Kong. And hookers. And blow.

Yessir, Mr. Gonzales sounds like the man for the job.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 5:39 AM on August 27, 2007 [13 favorites]

I didn't even know Chertoff was an attorney. How strangely appropriate for the DHS chief.
posted by lodurr at 5:40 AM on August 27, 2007

Are you kidding zardoz? That's what we said when Ashcroft resigned and Gonzales was 10 times worse. The next AG will probably be the former head of the Nicaragua death squads.

There are significant differences between then and now. Namely, the Senate is no longer Bush's lapdog, and both they and the American people as a whole are fed up with Bush's shenanigans.

Witness, for example, our Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates. He's a GHWBush crony, not a GWBush crony; given choice of Bush cronies, I would take GHWBush crony any day of the week. At least they're based in reality, rather than in some alternate universe where Rush Limbaugh is the voice of reason.

And incidentally, many of us were not happy with the choice of Gonzales in the first place.
posted by Flunkie at 5:40 AM on August 27, 2007

Depends on what you mean by "protected."

Can he be compelled to testify if he is no longer in employ of the executive branch?
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 5:41 AM on August 27, 2007

Can he be compelled to testify...

Well, I was being facetious, of course, but again: Depends on what you mean by "can be compelled."
posted by lodurr at 5:43 AM on August 27, 2007

So, did we ever clarify whether Chertoff indeed has dual citizenship, US and Israeli?
posted by etaoin at 5:43 AM on August 27, 2007

This is great news for his family, which he'll be spending more time with.
posted by DU at 5:44 AM on August 27, 2007

Surely this...
oh...wait...never mind.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:44 AM on August 27, 2007

Recess appointment in 3...2...1...
posted by Poolio at 5:44 AM on August 27, 2007 [13 favorites]

Can he be compelled to testify if he is no longer in employ of the executive branch?

Blazecock, are you looking for a legal argument?

I don't think you're going to find one, one way or the other. The recent all-inclusive claims of Executive Privilege are de facto based on the force of will of the Administration, not de jure.

Nothing's going to stop the Administration from claiming Executive Privilege in any situation whatsoever, and I don't hold hopes up for Congress calling them on it.
posted by Flunkie at 5:45 AM on August 27, 2007

We grew a pair, alright. And the next confirmation hearing will be our turn to kick Bush right in the Pelosis.
posted by hermitosis at 5:45 AM on August 27, 2007

And this evening he'll be found lying dead in a pool of his own blood inside a flipped SUV.

Police investigation will determine there was a nail in the road that burst a tire causing him to lose control and veer into a ravine -- despite four sets of skidmarks, crushed front and back bumpers, cut brake lines and a blood alcohol level six times the self dosing limit. And twenty bullet holes.

"There's no proof to link these things to the terrible accident that befell Mr. Gonzalez. We're currently investigating the road cleaning schedule and if we find any negligence there, we'll deal with it at the appropriate level."
posted by seanmpuckett at 5:45 AM on August 27, 2007 [5 favorites]

"And yeah, the confirmation process for the next A.G. should be, ah, interesting."

Recess appointment
posted by Tenuki at 5:45 AM on August 27, 2007

I didn't even know Chertoff was an attorney.

Everyone in government above the level of mail carrier is an attorney.
posted by DU at 5:46 AM on August 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

If you ask me, Nicaraguan death squads have been getting a bad rap recently.
posted by The Straightener at 5:50 AM on August 27, 2007

Recess appointment

Oh, jeez. I forgot about those. Will BushCo have the balls to do this?
posted by rtha at 5:51 AM on August 27, 2007

Also, you can't have a recess appointment without a recess. When is Congress back in session and how long does Bush have to cram someone in there?
posted by DU at 5:51 AM on August 27, 2007

Not only did MeFi beat Drudge and Fark; we beat the Washington Post and CNN. I was making my usual circuit of all the major news sites and saw it on NYTimes first, then MeFi, then everywhere else. Newsfilter indeed. MeFi rocks.
posted by fourcheesemac at 5:52 AM on August 27, 2007 [3 favorites]

Recess appointment

Oh, crap. They're in recess right now, aren't they?

Just checked - the Senate reconvenes on September 5th.

Crap.

Here comes Attorney General Zombie John Wayne.
posted by Flunkie at 5:52 AM on August 27, 2007 [5 favorites]

It's like they always say: When the going gets tough, the chickenshit, power-hungry, ass-kissing fuckwads quit. Too bad Dubya doesn't learn well by example.
posted by Benny Andajetz at 5:54 AM on August 27, 2007

Also, you can't have a recess appointment without a recess.

Congress has been in recess since Friday, August 3.

They're not back in session until next Tuesday (September 4).
posted by Poolio at 5:54 AM on August 27, 2007

There was a plan floating around for a while that Reid was going to keep a skeleton quorum going to prevent recesses. Maybe he can reconvene at the speed of awesome to prevent shenanigans?

Here's a question: Why have the last two big Admin shockers come on Monday morning rather than Friday evening? Are they going down in flames in slow motion to wait out the clock?
posted by DU at 5:55 AM on August 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

Reid abandoned the plan to call pro-forma sessions, DU.
posted by Poolio at 5:56 AM on August 27, 2007

Blazecock, are you looking for a legal argument?

Sure, I'd love some informed commentary here.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 5:56 AM on August 27, 2007

http://reid.senate.gov/contact/email_form.cfm

If you care about this, tell Reid to call the senate into immediate pro forma session to prevent a recess appointment. That is the *obvious* reason why this news would come down on a Monday of all days. It cannot be allowed.

Assuming you agree, as all posters to this thread would seem to do, tell him you'll never support an incumbent senator again if they aren't on airplanes back to DC this afternoon.
posted by fourcheesemac at 5:57 AM on August 27, 2007 [6 favorites]

Flunkie: "Here comes Attorney General Zombie John Wayne."

Actually, I'd vote to confirm him.
posted by Plutor at 5:59 AM on August 27, 2007

I'm sure you would, Senator Brownback.
posted by Flunkie at 6:00 AM on August 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

DU: Why have the last two big Admin shockers come on Monday morning rather than Friday evening?

Because it's better to have this in the news than Iraq or the market volatility.

They're just keeping us occupied until Patraues's book report.
posted by These Premises Are Alarmed at 6:00 AM on August 27, 2007

Is there a German word that describes how we seem to be continually learning to appreciate worse and worse ex-officials, because the ones they get replaced with are always somehow even worse? -- posted by rxfrx

Schadincompetence.
posted by fourcheesemac at 6:02 AM on August 27, 2007 [23 favorites]

Why have the last two big Admin shockers come on Monday morning rather than Friday evening?

Wondering that myself. (Aside from a couple smart-ass remarks I could make) I can't think of why these are timed for maximum coverage.
posted by McLir at 6:02 AM on August 27, 2007

Maybe they were waiting for the Daily Show to go on vacation...
posted by Tenuki at 6:02 AM on August 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

Will BushCo have the balls to do this?

Why wouldn't they? Has Congress done anything recently to check the abuse of the recess appointment power?
posted by grouse at 6:03 AM on August 27, 2007 [3 favorites]

DU: Why have the last two big Admin shockers come on Monday morning rather than Friday evening?

Recess appointment. It was the last chance they had to go for it. Mark my words, they would *never* let this go down on a Monday otherwise. Rove was different. He left in triumph having never been seriously touched by the dems.

These snakes have a plan. Write your senators: emergency session NOW!
posted by fourcheesemac at 6:03 AM on August 27, 2007 [2 favorites]

Confessor wrote:

Gonzalez' replacement will now need to be confirmed by a hostile Senate that may be able to force a compromise candidate who will investigate the administration's profound malfeasance.

This is the same "hostile" senate that just acquiesced to Bush's illegal wiretapping of Americans? Don't kid yourself all Cheney has to do is question the Dems patriotism once and they'll lie down on the spot - there's an election coming up and they CANNOT have anyone questioning their patriotism when their jobs are at stake.
posted by any major dude at 6:04 AM on August 27, 2007 [8 favorites]

They're just keeping us occupied until the White House's book report.

Edited for clarity.
posted by DU at 6:05 AM on August 27, 2007 [2 favorites]

If you care about this, tell Reid to call the senate into immediate pro forma session to prevent a recess appointment.

Done. I urge everybody to do the same.
posted by Benny Andajetz at 6:05 AM on August 27, 2007 [2 favorites]

Apparently there is a deal between Sen. Reid and the White House that there will be no recess appointments without having to keep the Senate in pro forma session. A deal with the White House, what could possibly go wrong?
posted by ltl at 6:07 AM on August 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

Why have the last two big Admin shockers come on Monday morning rather than Friday evening?

In order to control the weekend news programming. All the Sunday morning talk shows, etc. it gives them an entire weekend to control what gets discussed (Iraq, the surge is working, stay the course, if you elect a Dem, you're going to die, etc.)

If Gonzalez had resigned on Friday, that's all the shows would talk about and then White House would not be able to control the message.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:11 AM on August 27, 2007

Apparently there is a deal between Sen. Reid and the White House...

That deal does not include the Office of the Vice President.
posted by Poolio at 6:12 AM on August 27, 2007

If the new candidate does go to confirmation I’m sure all the White House water carriers will be all over the networks complaining that the Democrats are using partisan politics to delay filling a vacancy that is vital to National Security during this time of terror and war. Blah blah blah.
posted by Tenuki at 6:13 AM on August 27, 2007

And yeah, the confirmation process for the next A.G. should be, ah, interesting.


No it won't. Assuming he doesn't just bail on the deal with Reid and make a recess appointment "given the urgent immediacy of a new AG for security reasons, blah blah blah," Bush will nominate Chertoff, who has far more judicial experience than Gonzales did and is easily more qualified, as well as already being in a Senate-appointed position with no major recent acts to merit Democrats calling him on it and saying he's unqualified.

This is the same Senate that just rolled on illegal wiretaps; we'll have a new AG by the end of the week.
posted by XQUZYPHYR at 6:14 AM on August 27, 2007

Is there a German word that describes how we seem to be continually learning to appreciate worse and worse ex-officials, because the ones they get replaced with are always somehow even worse?

Amtsvorgängernostalgie?

Amtsvorgängersehnsucht?

Seriously, there is a word that describes longing for the way things were concerning a particular problem before a solution was implemented and made it much worse. I can't remember it though. D'oh!
posted by chillmost at 6:15 AM on August 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

Or perhaps the new talking point will be that the Fourth Branch of Government, His Esteemed Majesty Cheney, will be interpreting the law henceforth, so there's no need for an Attorney General.
posted by DU at 6:15 AM on August 27, 2007

If the new candidate does go to confirmation I’m sure all the White House water carriers will be all over the networks complaining that the Democrats are using partisan politics to delay filling a vacancy that is vital to National Security during this time of terror and war. Blah blah blah.

Good. Let them.
posted by Flunkie at 6:17 AM on August 27, 2007

(via ltl's deal link above):
I figured Gonzales would resign during this recess and Bush would immediately appoint a new lackey, er, Attorney General.

I guess I was wrong.
Posted by: nisleib
Date: August 13, 2007 4:25 PM
posted by acro at 6:18 AM on August 27, 2007 [3 favorites]

A deal with the White House, what could possibly go wrong?

No kidding. And what a coincidence that this happened during a recess. If bush does to a recess appointment, maybe the senate will finally get some balls. But I doubt it.
posted by delmoi at 6:19 AM on August 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

According to NPR, Solicitor General Paul Clement will be acting AG for now.
posted by McLir at 6:19 AM on August 27, 2007

Does this mean the US is going to stop torturing people, and stop with all the blowing shit up in Iraq? Because if it doesn't, I don't see how this is something to cheer about.

Well, unless this dude's ass is going to jail.
posted by chunking express at 6:19 AM on August 27, 2007 [2 favorites]

Will BushCo have the balls to do this?

Of all the things BushCo is lacking, i.e.: intelligence, foresight, discretion, loyalty, patriotism, etc., balls is/are certainly not among them.
posted by psmealey at 6:20 AM on August 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

Maybe now he can get help with his Alzhiemer's.
posted by HyperBlue at 6:24 AM on August 27, 2007 [2 favorites]

Can I be the first to say Ha-Ha in the voice of Nelson Muntz?
posted by ob at 6:26 AM on August 27, 2007

As recently as Sunday afternoon, Mr. Gonzales was denying through his press spokesman, Brian Roehrkasse, that he intended to leave.

Asshole was lying right up to the end.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 6:26 AM on August 27, 2007 [3 favorites]

It would be awesome if people waited for the actual news, instead of rumors and did something more than a lame, one link post as an excuse for people to do a circle jerk.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:29 AM on August 27, 2007

Brandon Blatcher: It'd also be awesome if the Bush administration could be trusted not to abuse Constitutional processes.

Guess neither of us gets our pony. :(
posted by grouse at 6:31 AM on August 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

It would be awesome if people waited for the actual news...

What, like Gonzo has resigned and Congress is not in session?

Participation in threads you don't like is not mandatory or anything, BTW.
posted by Benny Andajetz at 6:33 AM on August 27, 2007

Can we make a run at impeaching Bush & Cheney now?
posted by EatTheWeak at 6:36 AM on August 27, 2007

Hey wait a minute--if Gonzo no longer runs the place, does that mean that the Justice Dept might start enforcing contempts of court against Admin officials? So we don't have to worry about inherent contempt anymore?

(I've already thought of the snarky replies to my own questions, so only real ones are requried.)
posted by DU at 6:41 AM on August 27, 2007

I hope the next nomination process is contentious, but on some issues the new congress just hasn't lived up to its potential, so well see.
posted by edgeways at 6:42 AM on August 27, 2007

Here's a profile of Paul Clement from '04. I don't know if he's in the running for the permanent position, but I suspect his odds are better than Patrick Fitzgerald's.
posted by McLir at 6:44 AM on August 27, 2007

It's amazing how many people who were in power just a few short years ago are no longer in power.

Seriously - of the Republicans that were most powerful, say, four years ago, how many of them still have their jobs?
posted by Afroblanco at 6:45 AM on August 27, 2007

Hey wait a minute--if Gonzo no longer runs the place, does that mean that the Justice Dept might start enforcing contempts of court against Admin officials? So we don't have to worry about inherent contempt anymore?

The acting AG is now Paul Clement, the Solicitor General. The Solicitor General is essentially the legal representation for the United States government. So no, it's probably a safe bet that the lawyer for the U.S. government isn't going to start enforcing legal charges against the U.S. government.
posted by XQUZYPHYR at 6:52 AM on August 27, 2007

It's so hard to find good help these days.
posted by blue_beetle at 6:52 AM on August 27, 2007

I didn't even know Chertoff was an attorney. How strangely appropriate for the DHS chief.
posted by lodurr at 8:40 AM on August 27

Not only is he a lawyer, we used to work for Guiliani as a prosecutor, before working at Latham & Watkins, one of the top law firms in the word. Though appointed as a US Attorney by H.W. Bush, Democratic Bill Bradley asked him to stay on during the Clinton Administration. Chertoff left in 1994 and went back to private practice.

I don't get this dual citizenship discussion. Chertoff was born in New Jersey.
posted by Pastabagel at 6:53 AM on August 27, 2007

Gonzo is holding a press conference at 10:30, and Bush is holding one at 11:30 am... supposedly to announce that Barney is leaving as well.
posted by Poolio at 6:54 AM on August 27, 2007

Prediction: Bush won't even try to get a nominee through the Congress. He will go straight to a recess appointment.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 7:00 AM on August 27, 2007 [2 favorites]

CNN¹ reports that officials¹ say Chertoff will be nominated.

¹Strikes against the credibility of this post.
posted by DU at 7:02 AM on August 27, 2007

this the beginning of a new beginning.....
posted by stevejensen at 7:03 AM on August 27, 2007

So, if the current DHS chief gets the position, does that signal a move to combine the Justice Department and state security apparatus into one monstrous federal police agency?
posted by Burhanistan at 7:03 AM on August 27, 2007

is it going to be Skeletor/Chertoff as replacement, like the rumors are saying?
posted by amberglow at 7:03 AM on August 27, 2007

Prediction: Bush won't even try to get a nominee through the Congress. He will go straight to a recess appointment.

That's what i think, too.
posted by amberglow at 7:04 AM on August 27, 2007

I hope the recess appointment is Miss Teen South Carolina.
posted by R. Mutt at 7:08 AM on August 27, 2007 [6 favorites]

We're getting ahead of ourselves here. The official announcement is supposed to be this afternoon. And let's be realistic, here: Come this afternoon, what's the chance that Alberto Gonzales will recall that he resigned?

"I never said that I resigned. I said that I re-signed -- I signed up for two more years of obfuscation and creative Constitution end-running!"
posted by pardonyou? at 7:09 AM on August 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

Good good good. That only took, what.....six months...for him to realize what a lying meathead he is PUBLICLY?
posted by gcbv at 7:15 AM on August 27, 2007

When Ari Fleischer resigned, rather than spouting some boilerplate about "spending more time with the family", I wished he would have said something like "it's really hard to baldly and lie to the people of this country day after day after day, even for a lowlife like me". I'm kind of hoping against hope that we'll see something like that from Gonzo. But the truth is that he wasn't just a liar, he also happens to be completely terrible at his job. Which, for this administration, is really saying something.
posted by psmealey at 7:19 AM on August 27, 2007

If you care about this, tell Reid to call the senate into immediate pro forma session to prevent a recess appointment.

You underestimate this administration. I'm willing to bet money that the appointment already happened this weekend, probably Friday evening.
posted by gsteff at 7:23 AM on August 27, 2007 [2 favorites]

(or will have happened before Bush goes to the podium this morning)
posted by gsteff at 7:24 AM on August 27, 2007

It's nice watching the rats leave and all, but when the hell is the goddamn ship going to sink already?
posted by caution live frogs at 7:24 AM on August 27, 2007 [9 favorites]

psmealey - Josh Marshall had this to say:

... Gonzales is probably the best I've ever seen of late in shameless statement of bald face lies. So I could actually see him going with, 'I'd always planned to leave in August 2007'.
posted by Poolio at 7:25 AM on August 27, 2007

What's Harriet Myers doing these days?
posted by RavinDave at 7:29 AM on August 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

Anyone remember the myth of the Hydra?

Just because the head is gone doesn't mean the beast is killed. The attorney scandal showed that the DOJ was undermined by loyal Bushies. Just removing the head wan't change the system Bush - just another chronie will follow.

It would be more interesting to see if the DEMS have the balls to still charnge him with anything and who will be his successor?!
posted by homodigitalis at 7:33 AM on August 27, 2007

effective sept 17, 2007 - news conference
posted by madamjujujive at 7:33 AM on August 27, 2007

fourcheesemac: "If you care about this, tell Reid to call the senate into immediate pro forma session to prevent a recess appointment. That is the *obvious* reason why this news would come down on a Monday of all days. It cannot be allowed."

Done. What I sent:

Mr. Reid:

I implore you to call the Senate into an immediate pro forma session, and to call every Senator personally to ask them to get on a plane back to DC as soon as humanly possible. The only reason the administration chose to keep Alberto Gonzalez's resignation secret for the weekend is to allow George Bush to use a recess appointment to hand-pick a successor without congressional checks. I'm afraid that whoever he picks will continue Gonzalez's devotion to the White House and will not return the office to the role of Attorney of the People.

posted by Plutor at 7:36 AM on August 27, 2007

That was an odd resignation announcement.
posted by R. Mutt at 7:36 AM on August 27, 2007

If he is not resigning until effective Sept 17, is a recess appointment even in play any longer?
posted by madamjujujive at 7:37 AM on August 27, 2007

the fact that this person is seated at Bobby Kennedy's desk never fails to amuse me
posted by matteo at 7:37 AM on August 27, 2007 [4 favorites]

What, if anything, is there to keep GW from leaving the post open? Would leaving an "acting" AG in place be a viable option? (That way he wins without even playing.)
posted by Benny Andajetz at 7:40 AM on August 27, 2007

What's Harriet Myers doing these days?

Ducking Congressional subpoenas.
posted by Poolio at 7:41 AM on August 27, 2007

effective sept 17, 2007

They're going to do something (or many things) in Sept before then--Iran, i bet, for one.
posted by amberglow at 7:41 AM on August 27, 2007

Wikipedia credits Chertoff as the co-author of the USA PATRIOT Act.
posted by Slothrup at 7:41 AM on August 27, 2007

That Chief of Staff and his Labor Day Whip. He's obviously the most powerful man in Washington D.C....

Hallelujah and Amen.
posted by Skygazer at 7:42 AM on August 27, 2007

*
posted by SansPoint at 7:43 AM on August 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

"spending more time with the family"

Wait, his whole family's in prison?
posted by IronLizard at 7:45 AM on August 27, 2007 [5 favorites]

and just on the 23rd, Kim resigned too: Wan Kim, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, announced today that he'll be leaving at the end of the month, according to a statement from the Justice Department.
...
Kim follows a flurry of senior resignations in the past few months, including former Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty, his chief of staff Michael Elston, White House liaison Monica Goodling, chief of staff Kyle Sampson, Acting Associate Attorney General William Mercer, and Schlozman, who had moved to a spot in the office that oversees U.S. attorneys. ...
posted by amberglow at 7:48 AM on August 27, 2007

because McNulty is gone (he was #2), Clement is next in line.
posted by amberglow at 7:50 AM on August 27, 2007

on Clement: ... the guy in charge of all that is Solicitor General Paul Clement. That means Clement was in charge of personnel decisions relating to Monica Goodling (in other words, it was his call to make her the first ever DoJ official to stay on the payroll after pleading the Fifth), he's supervising the Department's joint investigation into the firings by the Office of Professional Responsibility and Inspector General, and he's in charge of which documents are doled over to Congress and which aren't. ...
posted by amberglow at 7:51 AM on August 27, 2007

OK, if a recess appointment is off the table . . . our next move is to insist that the senate *refuse* to confirm anyone with previous ties to or service in the Bush administration. The next AG must be independent, above reproach, and bipartisan in appeal.

I nominate Patrick Fitzgerald. But whoever. If Reed lets Chertoff get through, I give the hell up on the democratic party.
posted by fourcheesemac at 7:53 AM on August 27, 2007

"spending more time with the family"

Don't fret for them. They still have unlimited access to the Executive Viewing Lounge at the torture chambers in Gitmo (the sea bass is phenomenal there!) until the end of W's term. It's always a family friendly atmosphere there, and a great way to reconnect with the kids when you've been away in DC stripping the Constitution.
posted by Burhanistan at 7:53 AM on August 27, 2007 [3 favorites]

I still think they'll go for a Senator or ex-Senator--Hatch or someone.
posted by amberglow at 7:54 AM on August 27, 2007

CHERTOFF SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING AN ADOLESCENT BOY DOES IN A LOCKED BATHROOM
posted by quonsar at 7:55 AM on August 27, 2007 [7 favorites]

Ah, then maybe a cleverer person than myself could make a Chertoff vs Santorum dirty joke, then.
posted by Burhanistan at 7:57 AM on August 27, 2007

Ah, I see from our cable news networks that the bigger story today is some athlete who had a dogfighting operation. Yeah, Michael Vick, I know. Can the idiocy of the national media be a little more apparent?

Obviously, the administration's plan to time the AG resignation today was to take some of the spotlight off Michael Vick, because George Bush does like Black people.
posted by fourcheesemac at 7:59 AM on August 27, 2007

Ah, then maybe a cleverer person than myself could make a Chertoff vs Santorum dirty joke, then.

I can't vouch for the authenticity, but I heard Gonzales and Santorum used to be part of a weekly circle Chertoff.
posted by Benny Andajetz at 8:00 AM on August 27, 2007

MeFi also beat Daily Kos.
posted by iviken at 8:10 AM on August 27, 2007

Fox News this morning: Brit Hume talking about how Gonzalez wasn't a real conservative anyway. Michael Vicks. A story about some child molester.

*Click*
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 8:15 AM on August 27, 2007

I don't get this dual citizenship discussion. Chertoff was born in New Jersey.

His mother was Israeli. I think she was the first stewerdess for El Al - remember reading that somewhere. Israel considers children of Israelis born anywhere to be Israeli whether or not they themselves set foot in Israel or speak a word of Hebrew. I don't know if Chertoff himself realizes it or considers himself "Israeli."

PS, Israel is not alone in this, not by a long shot. Cuba, for example considers children of Cubans to be Cuban no matter where they are born, whether or not they speak a word of Spanish. Ditto Korea. State department has warnings on their Web sites lest young men get forced into military service for the "old country," should they go to visit grandma and grandpa - it happens.
posted by xetere at 8:15 AM on August 27, 2007

I wonder if the WH knows something we don't about pending subpoenas...

OK, if a recess appointment is off the table . . . our next move is to insist that the senate *refuse* to confirm anyone with previous ties to or service in the Bush administration.

fourcheesemac, I hate the Bush Admin as much as anyone, but your in-thread rallying and crusading is grating and not what this site is for.

I was making my usual circuit of all the major news sites and saw it on NYTimes first, then MeFi, then everywhere else. Newsfilter indeed. MeFi rocks.

Increasing MeFi's profile as NewsFilter is not something to rejoice.
posted by mkultra at 8:28 AM on August 27, 2007

Reid: "This resignation is not the end of the story. Congress must get to the bottom of this mess and follow the facts where they lead, into the White House."

Conyers: "...If the power of the prosecutor has been misused in the name of partisanship, we deserve a full airing of the facts. The responsibility to uncover these facts is still on the Congress, and the Judiciary Committee in particular."
posted by McLir at 8:34 AM on August 27, 2007

Since the newsfilter isn't "Gonzales Pulled From His Warm Bed at Three AM by Rough Men in Black Masks, Trussed like a Luau Pig With His Head Cocooned in Duct Tape and Flown in an Unheated Cargo Plane to be Locked in a Dungeon and Get Pissed on and Beaten With Phone Books by Langley Virginia's Finest Remorseless Sadist Ex-Jocks" I have to say I'm not surprised or that excited.
posted by Divine_Wino at 8:52 AM on August 27, 2007 [9 favorites]

Rep. Rahm Emmanuel (D-IL): "Alberto Gonzales is the first Attorney General who thought the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth were three different things." (via TPM)
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 9:12 AM on August 27, 2007 [12 favorites]

Since the newsfilter isn't "Gonzales Pulled From His Warm Bed at Three AM by Rough Men in Black Masks...

No, that happened to Elian Gonzalez, not Alberto.
posted by pardonyou? at 9:12 AM on August 27, 2007 [9 favorites]

His mother was Israeli. I think she was the first stewerdess for El Al - remember reading that somewhere. Israel considers children of Israelis born anywhere to be Israeli whether or not they themselves set foot in Israel or speak a word of Hebrew. I don't know if Chertoff himself realizes it or considers himself "Israeli."

Chertoff is American. All of us Jews anywhere on Earth can go become Israeli citizens if we want--whether our parents were Israeli or not. We're not automatically dual-citizens. Israel can consider whatever it wants--it doesn't make it true--especially when someone has a citizenship already.
posted by amberglow at 9:19 AM on August 27, 2007

Pfff, Conyers. Today is Day 33 of him neglecting and/or declining to enforce subpoenas on Miers, Bolten and Rove.
posted by DU at 9:25 AM on August 27, 2007

Now all the Dems need to do is grow a pair.

I'm not holding my breath.
posted by blucevalo at 9:28 AM on August 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

Via Glenn Greenwald, the acting attorney Solicitor General Paul Clement can serve in acting capacity for up to 210 days. The clock is reset as soon as a new nominee is announced. Gonzales' resignation doesn't take place until Sept. 17. Clement can serve for 210 days and at some later date Bush can announce his nominee and Clement then gets another 210 days. Essentially, Bush can run out the clock until he leaves office with a "backdoor" recess appointment. I wouldn't expect Bush to be in any hurry to put up a new nominee. He knows the hearings would be damaging. We may not see a new attorney general until after the 2008 elections.
posted by JackFlash at 9:44 AM on August 27, 2007

Gonzales was lying right til the end: ...A senior administration official said today that Mr. Gonzales, who was in Washington, had called the president in Crawford, Tex., on Friday to offer his resignation. The president rebuffed the offer, but said the two should talk face to face on Sunday.

Mr. Gonzales and his wife flew to Texas, and over lunch on Sunday the president accepted the resignation with regret, the official said.

On Saturday night Mr. Gonzales was contacted by his press spokesman to ask how the department should respond to inquiries from reporters about rumors of his resignation, and he told the spokesman to deny the reports.

White House spokesmen also insisted on Sunday that they did not believe that Mr. Gonzales was planning to resign. Aides to senior members of the Senate Judiciary Committee said over the weekend that they had received no suggestion from the administration that Mr. Gonzales intended to resign.

As late as Sunday afternoon, Mr. Gonzales himself was denying through his spokesman that he was quitting. The spokesman, Brian Rohrekasse, said Sunday that he telephoned the attorney general about the reports of his imminent resignation “and he said it wasn’t true — so I don’t know what more I can say.” (the NYT link)
posted by amberglow at 9:44 AM on August 27, 2007

I thought it was 120, not 210. Still, that's 8 months if you get the time reset at the end. Could be effectively enough.
posted by DU at 9:48 AM on August 27, 2007

According to the NYT, Bush "complained of the 'months of unfair treatment' that preceded the resignation."

Yes, the treatment Gonzales got was unfair indeed when you consider the sort of treatment that he advocated suspects should receive.
posted by grouse at 9:56 AM on August 27, 2007 [3 favorites]

"Gonzalez' replacement will now need to be confirmed by a hostile Senate "

Never fear, he will be. You don't get to be a Senator without somebody compiling a blackmail dossier on you, not that anybody has to blackmail these Pelosi "Democrats."

But Americans like it that way; whenever somebody suggests an alternative s/he gets shouted down by all the kewl "progressives." Americans get the misgovernment they deserve.
posted by davy at 10:04 AM on August 27, 2007

According to the NYT, Bush "complained of the 'months of unfair treatment' that preceded the resignation."

The only way that statement becomes more ironic is if Bush plays the Race Card.
posted by mkultra at 10:04 AM on August 27, 2007

he'll use his noise machine (Rush, Coulter, and the millions of others) to do that, mk.
posted by amberglow at 10:06 AM on August 27, 2007

"Gonzales appeared cheerful and composed when he announced that he was stepping down effective Sept. 17."

Not effective till Sept. 17th, three weeks away. What are you people crowing about? Analogous to Clinton's parting pardons for pay, now Gonzales can feely make even worse decisions. For all you know the still current A.G. could say torture's mandatory. What else could the Senate do to him, make him decide to resign?
posted by davy at 10:16 AM on August 27, 2007

No one ever resigns immediately. That is a complete admission of failure and weakness.
posted by smackfu at 10:20 AM on August 27, 2007

The timing of this has nothing to do with Congress being in recess.

It has everything to do with the fact that the Daily Show and Colbert Report both just started a two week break.

Two weeks before Jon plays a bunch of embarassing clips, then mugs for the camera! Two weeks before Colbert parrots their own spin back at them!

They must feel like they really lucked out here.
posted by sparkletone at 10:21 AM on August 27, 2007

...not that anybody has to blackmail these Pelosi "Democrats." But Americans like it that way; whenever somebody suggests an alternative s/he gets shouted down by all the kewl "progressives."

So the reasonably centrist position is to impeach, but progressives are against it?
posted by DU at 10:25 AM on August 27, 2007

Oh yeah, Gonzales could still be "impeached," but that word does not mean what y'all think it means.
posted by davy at 10:26 AM on August 27, 2007

No DU, impeachment does not come within a country kilometer of what I think should be done. But us Mefites get time-outs for suggesting what I'm thinking, not to mention its possible technical illegality.
posted by davy at 10:29 AM on August 27, 2007

What are you people crowing about?

I just saved a bundle on car insurance.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 10:32 AM on August 27, 2007 [2 favorites]

>>What are you people crowing about?

>I just saved a bundle on car insurance.

I mean in this thread, guy. By the way, have you been saved yet?

/irreverence
posted by davy at 10:33 AM on August 27, 2007

So, if I understand how this works, we don't need the Senate back in session on an emergency basis. But we do need Comedy Central to return as soon possible?
posted by mmahaffie at 10:34 AM on August 27, 2007

Is there a word for the delusion of wanting a result that is so unlikely it will never happen, and then complaining about all results that are less than that?
posted by smackfu at 10:36 AM on August 27, 2007

"Idealism." And you misuse "delusion."
posted by davy at 10:43 AM on August 27, 2007

hot White house mess: we got to do better.
posted by thanatogenous at 10:43 AM on August 27, 2007

But we do need Comedy Central to return as soon possible?

Yes. A pro forma session of The Daily Show / Colbert Report is necessary now!! There's comedy gold in them there hills. Write to Comedy Central

(it's your duty as a political junky).
posted by Skygazer at 10:43 AM on August 27, 2007 [4 favorites]

Now all the Dems need to do is grow a pair.

Maybe we're asking too much. How about if they grow just one?
posted by Kirth Gerson at 10:47 AM on August 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

Muted woo-hoo. What horrobile kind of evil will he be replaced by?
posted by Artw at 10:50 AM on August 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

Damn you, skygazer - I wanted to be the first one to suggest that.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 10:51 AM on August 27, 2007

At this point "Utopianism" would also be a reasonable characterization of my ideal. As in "in the best of all possible worlds someone who did that would swing from a lamp post."

In contrast, there's "realism".
posted by davy at 10:52 AM on August 27, 2007

Maybe we're asking too much. How about if they grow just one?

Do you know who else only had one testicle?
posted by mazola at 10:54 AM on August 27, 2007 [3 favorites]

mazola (god)wins
posted by psmealey at 10:56 AM on August 27, 2007

mkultra, who put you in charge of what this site is "for?" Since we have plenty of newsfilter scoop-ish posts, presumably that is what this site is for. And I see plenty of advocacy (and links to relevant resources) in most political threads here.

I've been here a long time (originally under another handle), though not as long as you. More than 10 percent of my posts have been favorited by others. So if you don't like it, take it to Metatalk and let's have at it.
posted by fourcheesemac at 10:57 AM on August 27, 2007

, presumably that is what this site is for.

Obviously, among other things. Because sometimes politics, in this web-driven era, is the best of the web.

But I don't see anything about maintaining a neutral attitude on political questions in the guidelines.
posted by fourcheesemac at 10:58 AM on August 27, 2007

Afroblanco: Seriously - of the Republicans that were most powerful, say, four years ago, how many of them still have their jobs?

The only one that matters.
posted by oncogenesis at 10:58 AM on August 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

People that refer to political parties or sports teams as "we" creep me out.
posted by eyeballkid at 11:00 AM on August 27, 2007 [5 favorites]

We think you need to relax and take a soma.
posted by lodurr at 11:01 AM on August 27, 2007

eyeballkid: Well, you know, people here are likely to be a member of one of those political parties, so I think it's a bit different from a professional sports team.
posted by grouse at 11:02 AM on August 27, 2007

Well, you know, people here are likely to be a member of one of those political parties, so I think it's a bit different from a professional sports team.

Really it's no different than being part of the Raider Nation. When it comes down to it, you may have a little power to sway the lineup, but you don't have much control over the play calling on the field.
posted by eyeballkid at 11:07 AM on August 27, 2007

(if you did, this GWB prick would be impeached by now)
posted by eyeballkid at 11:08 AM on August 27, 2007

"We think you need to relax and take a soma."

"It rubs the lotion on its skin."
posted by davy at 11:10 AM on August 27, 2007

Wow! Good riddance.
Can we start prosecuting him now?
posted by dougzilla at 11:10 AM on August 27, 2007

...but you don't have much control over the play calling on the field.

If that's the metric, then you can't use "we" to refer to your nationality or website, either.
posted by DU at 11:16 AM on August 27, 2007

is there any law preventing Jeb from taking the spot?
we are now entering the lame duckling part of Bush II.
Return your seats to the upright position, turbulence is expected.
posted by Busithoth at 11:23 AM on August 27, 2007

is there any law preventing Jeb from taking the spot?

Why would there be, and why would he want it?
posted by grouse at 11:25 AM on August 27, 2007

That would be ridiculous to have the President's brother be the attorney general. A Democrat would never do that.
posted by smackfu at 11:34 AM on August 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

Like, can you imagine JFK doing that?
posted by smackfu at 11:35 AM on August 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

As recently as Sunday afternoon, Mr. Gonzales was denying through his press spokesman, Brian Roehrkasse, that he intended to leave.

Gonzales denied that he intended to leave the position under discussion at the time, which according to his television at the time of the call was that of quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons.
posted by eddydamascene at 11:49 AM on August 27, 2007 [2 favorites]

Jeb and Dub would be fools to consider it, for the same reason that Senators don't do well in Presidential elections: Service would establish a national track record that Jeb could then be referenced against.

I wonder what the prospect is for a Jeb Veep slot... Fred and Jeb: Two Smooth, Hulking Southerners...

Anyway, they'll go with Clement. He's compliant, relatively clean of observable dirt, and can be slotted in without any kind of Congressional oversight. (Yes, I know he stinks, but it's all relative when you live in an outhouse.)
posted by lodurr at 11:49 AM on August 27, 2007

"A deal with the White House, what could possibly go wrong?"

Molotov-Ribbentrop pact?
posted by klangklangston at 11:52 AM on August 27, 2007

"I don't get this dual citizenship discussion. Chertoff was born in New Jersey."

Yes, but his passport reads "Mook."
posted by klangklangston at 11:54 AM on August 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

Shit, that's it -- nominate Ron Vibbentrop!
posted by lodurr at 11:54 AM on August 27, 2007

In terms of Attorneys General, if one could plot shittiness on a graph starting with Janet Reno and finishing with Gonzalez, it would look just like an S curve. The question is, are we at the crest or can we keep reaching for those great heights of shitopia? I think if Chertoff becomes AG, we already know the answer. Up, up and away!
posted by chlorus at 12:03 PM on August 27, 2007

So if you don't like it, take it to Metatalk and let's have at it.

done.
posted by mkultra at 12:36 PM on August 27, 2007

Janet Reno had zero shittiness?
posted by Slap Factory at 12:38 PM on August 27, 2007

In my world, Divine_Wino writes all the headlines.
posted by lekvar at 12:41 PM on August 27, 2007

Janet Reno had zero shittiness?

She did throw a kick-ass party.
posted by mkultra at 12:43 PM on August 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

Well the Justice department is effectively hallowed out. I vaguely wonder if senior Justice Department officials told Gonzales to quit or they would resign en mass, it certainly has been hemmoraging lately.

The only name I heard mentioned (and this wasn't by Republicans) that would do a good job was Fitzgerald, but he wouldn't the nomination if he was the only lawyer left in America. My 2 cents is on a senator like Hatch.
posted by edgeways at 1:08 PM on August 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

In terms of Attorneys General, if one could plot shittiness on a graph starting with Janet Reno and finishing with Gonzalez, it would look just like an S curve.

Am I reading that wrong, or did you just imply that Janet Reno wasn't horrible?
posted by The World Famous at 1:14 PM on August 27, 2007

You know, the combination of the Bush-Kennedy comparison and davy's vague suggestions of political executions is a little scary.
posted by Anduruna at 1:30 PM on August 27, 2007

Hatch has been rumored about taking the spot, edge, but I cannot believe the GOP would lose a vote in the senate, weakening the filibuster threat.

bring on the mormon hammer!
posted by Busithoth at 1:38 PM on August 27, 2007

My 2 cents is on a senator like Hatch.

yup--Hatch or Spector (Hatch has been lobbying for it for a long time tho)
posted by amberglow at 1:39 PM on August 27, 2007

Reno? The Reno responsible for burning babies at Waco? That Reno?
posted by davy at 1:44 PM on August 27, 2007

She may have given the order, but at least she remembered giving it.
posted by lodurr at 1:51 PM on August 27, 2007

Busithoth, Hatch is from Utah, the current Gov of Utah is a Republican, so if Utah is typical in it's process of replacing senators when they vacate prior to their term expiring the replacement will be selected by a Republican governor in a "red" state, there is no way putting Hatch in as AG will cost the R's any more seats.
posted by edgeways at 1:59 PM on August 27, 2007

Does this news means we will now hear about Gonzales' father's multiple genital piercings, too? 'Cause at this point, there's very little left that's going to surprise me.
posted by mosk at 2:38 PM on August 27, 2007

Since the newsfilter isn't "Gonzales Pulled From His Warm Bed at Three AM by Rough Men in Black Masks...

No, that happened to Elian Gonzalez, not Alberto.

Oh please. The crime in the Elian case isn't that he was taken by force but that it happened so late in the game. Just like Waco, the offense by Reno and company wasn't the action, but the completely ham-handed and poorly-timed manner in which it was taken. Why pick up the clown when he's jogging by the side of the road when you can enter into an extended siege with a compound full of people? Why remove the kid to return him TO HIS SURVIVING PARENT when you can get involved in an idiotic extended protest because you don't like his political leanings?
posted by phearlez at 2:53 PM on August 27, 2007

phearlz, you really got a grasp on how things should be handled. If you can't end a crisis by the end of the news cycle, what the frak's wrong with you, right?

and edge, I guess I'm more shocked to understand Hatch would abandon his position as a Senator for a paltry 17 months as the AG in a shitfucker administration, besodden with the piss of Cheney in all matters.

Senators got a pretty good gig going.
posted by Busithoth at 2:59 PM on August 27, 2007

Oh please. The crime in the Elian case isn't that he was taken by force but that it happened so late in the game.

Yeah, um, I was just making a joke based on the coincidence of both having the same* last name, and the fact that Elian was pulled out of bed in the middle of the night which was an opportune (if slight) connection to a comment Divine_Wino had made a few posts before.

I don't have a particular issue with the handling of the Elian Gonzalez situation. I was just trying to make a funny.

*I realize the names are not spelled the same
posted by pardonyou? at 3:01 PM on August 27, 2007

Well, I was going for the idea that you end a crisis before a shitload of semi-innocents get set on fire, or before you have to send an armed assault team through a camped-out crowd of protesters, thereby reducing the chance of someone getting ventilated.

But your strawman is quite nice too.
posted by phearlez at 3:01 PM on August 27, 2007

Well, Elian's support group was well-grounded in the right-wing florida Cuban expat base, and they mobilized the Congress to scrutinize how it transpired, pointing out the faults in the process. (what can I say? the GOP proved itself in the 90s to be an excellent watchdog)

Strawmen aside, I agree they would've been excoriated for whichever decision they took, so maybe sooner would have been better than later in both cases. It just seems too pat to dismiss it as a simple matter.

Really, they just cared too much about protocol and the law.

Contrasting with the present shitbirds, I hope a good lesson has been learned by all.
posted by Busithoth at 3:15 PM on August 27, 2007

You could have made a killing at Intrade.com betting on a Gonzales resignation by Sept. 30. The price of contracts have drifted down from $90 in early summer to about $5 on Friday. Today those $5 contracts paid off $100. I wonder if any White House insiders cashed in. Or maybe Gonzales bet on himself to pay for a going away party.
posted by JackFlash at 3:42 PM on August 27, 2007

The Reno responsible for burning babies at Waco?

Holy crap. That dog still hunts after all these years?
posted by psmealey at 4:48 PM on August 27, 2007

The Reno responsible for burning babies at Waco?

Holy crap. That dog still hunts after all these years?

Only when someone brings up Ms. Reno as an example of a good A.G.
posted by The World Famous at 5:01 PM on August 27, 2007

He serviced the country well.
posted by phoque at 5:21 PM on August 27, 2007

"You can't just say with Attorney General Gonzales these investigations should be pushed under the rug," said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. "But what you can say with a new attorney general, there'll be cooperation, there'll be compromise. We can see what happened, put rules and laws into place so it doesn't happen again, and move on."
Link

Now who says we Dems don't have balls? We're going to cooperate, we're going to compromise, we're going to move on. You just can't get any ballsier(?) than that!
(We may also say "Sucks Boo!" and "I fart in your general direction!". But probably not.)
posted by speug at 5:28 PM on August 27, 2007

No one ever resigns immediately. That is a complete admission of failure and weakness.

...and a waste of accrued sick leave.
posted by peeedro at 7:18 PM on August 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

The dismal legacy of Bush's top yes man: Alberto Gonzales' successor will face a heckuva job rectifying the damage the attorney general did to American justice.
posted by homunculus at 8:02 PM on August 27, 2007

Did Chertoff lie to Congress about Guantánamo? He told the Senate that Pentagon interrogation methods were "plain vanilla," but e-mails reveal his top staff met weekly with FBI officials who said they were torture
posted by homunculus at 8:07 PM on August 27, 2007

Chertoff won't get it.

I'm betting Hatch, another Senator or ex-Senator--but most likely it's Ted Olson-- the GOP's bad penny? --...In 1988, when President Reagan left office, Theodore Olson became his personal attorney and represented him in matters relating to the Iran Contra scandal. Olson monitored Reagan's testimony throughout the investigations and hearings, a central and indispensable figure during the examination of the extra-Constitutional power grab effected by conservative Republicans.

Shortly after President Clinton took office in 1993, a loose cabal of conservative Republicans plotted to drive him from office. The same Theodore Olson, and his wife Barbara, were at the core of the effort, which nearly succeeded in deposing a popular, duly elected president against the expressed will of the American people.

In 2000, Theodore Olson represented George W. Bush as conservative Republicans seized the presidency by forcing Florida to cease the counting of lawful votes through the machinations of the conservative Republican majority of the U.S. Supreme Court. Olson, again, was central to the effort -- a successful coup d'état. ...
posted by amberglow at 8:24 PM on August 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

...
A congressional source familiar with deliberations about Gonzales' replacement told CNN that the successor will not be Chertoff and that senior administration officials are "playing you guys," referring to the media. ...
posted by amberglow at 8:33 PM on August 27, 2007

Yeah Busithoth, I could buy that as a reason for Hatch not to want the AG position, I wonder though, if he took the spot and a fill in was put in place for his Senate job, Hatch could easily just run again when that seat came up for grabs again at the end of the AG position. Not saying he would, but it's a possibility
posted by edgeways at 8:48 PM on August 27, 2007

I say we insist cortex at least get considered. I find him so judicious already.
posted by davy at 11:25 PM on August 27, 2007

I read that as: "I find him so delicious already"

It's late
posted by IronLizard at 12:43 AM on August 28, 2007

Hatch wouldn't want the job because it would mean he can't be Senator anymore. The Bushites wouldn't want him because he has an annoying habit of occasionally acting on principle -- and anyway, those damn Mormons sometimes get a bug up their butts about the establishment clause. He's a partner of convenience for them; I don't think they respect him, or that he really respects them.

OTOH, they might be happier with a more compliant Senator from UT. Hard to imagine that job not going to an R, with an R governor. But convenient partner or no, he does pretty much go along with whatever they want.

Olson sounds letter-perfect for the wants and needs of the Bushites, even as amberglow left off the part about his wife plowing into the Pentagon on AA 77. That's liable to get him a pass on confirmation, even with all the shit that amberglow linked.

If they can't make Olson happen on a recess appointment, Clement is the obvious choice. But appointing Olson would fuel speculation about a Bush coup among some of the fringe elements, and I think the Bushite brain trust likes that kind of speculation -- it lets them paint the "left" as whacko. And it would put him in a position to lay groundwork for practical R hegemony, even if a D gets the white house.
posted by lodurr at 5:54 AM on August 28, 2007

Olson sounds letter-perfect for the wants and needs of the Bushites, even as amberglow left off the part about his wife plowing into the Pentagon on AA 77. That's liable to get him a pass on confirmation, even with all the shit that amberglow linked.

totally--it gives the Repubs a readymade attack line --"how dare they treat this poor man harshly after what happened on 9/11!!!"
posted by amberglow at 8:00 AM on August 28, 2007

Please, PLEASE let Bush trot out Harriet Miers again...
posted by hermitosis at 8:11 AM on August 28, 2007

Heckuva Job: The Unqualified, the Unscrupulous, and the Bush White House
posted by homunculus at 9:48 AM on August 28, 2007