Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Time to Take Fredo Fishing
If we're talking impeachment - and we are - then we should recognize that Alberto Gonzales is the low-hanging fruit of impeachable Bush administration officials. Consider this: his popularity amongst Republican legislators is lower than either Bush or Cheney (at least publicly), his crimes are more apparent (serial perjury, violation of DOJ rules) and there is probably more willingness to take on a low level administration official rather than the President or Vice President amongst both Dems and Republicans. Thus, there may be a better chance of actually getting a conviction with Gonzales. Even if not, it would be an ideal push to get the impeachment train moving, and putting the Bush administration on notice that the legislative branch is watching.
At the very least, forcing Gonzales to the forefront of the media circus would be a great way to stamp the legacy of the Bush administration on the collective minds of the American people. As Andrew Cohen points out, Gonzales is an ongoing liability (via the Big Blue Satan):
At the very least, forcing Gonzales to the forefront of the media circus would be a great way to stamp the legacy of the Bush administration on the collective minds of the American people. As Andrew Cohen points out, Gonzales is an ongoing liability (via the Big Blue Satan):
Forget about the politicization of the Justice Department. Forget about the falling morale there. Forget about the rise in violent crime in some of our biggest cities. Forget about the events leading up to the U.S. Attorney scandal and the way he has handled the prosecutor purge since. Forget about the Department's role in allowing warrantless domestic surveillance. Forget about the contorted and contradictory accounts he's offered before in his own defense.Seriously Democratic lawmakers: Start here. It's blindingly obvious.
Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales deserves to be fired for his testimony Tuesday alone; for morphing into Jon Lovitz's famous "pathological liar" character (or maybe just one of the Marx Brothers) as he tried to dodge and duck responsibility before the Senate Judiciary Committee not just for his shameful leadership at Justice but also his shameless role in visiting an ailing John Ashcroft in the hospital to try to strong-arm him into renewing the warrantless surviellance program. Can anyone out there remember a worse, less-inspiring, less confidence-inducing performance on Capitol Hill? I cannot.
No reasonable person watching Gonzales' tragically comedic performance Tuesday's on Capitol Hill-- especially his miserable exchange with Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) in late morning-- can any longer defend his appalling lack of competence, courage and credibility. And no one who hears him say that he is what's best for the Department right now should forget that on the eve of his testimony (and a few days after he urged his subordinates to work diligently to regain their morale) the nation's top law enforcement official reportedly left work early to go for a bike ride Monday afternoon-- at about 3:50 p.m.
I am running out of words to describe how inept this public servant is and how awful is the message our government sends to the nation and to the world by allowing him to continue to represent us.
