I just couldn't go with another "Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead" headline, much as I wanted to.
Let me ask, were you ever so happy to see someone go?
I could be cynical and suggest that actually watching Gonzales twist in the wind, after having perjured himself before Congress (I first called it here), and then after subsequent witnesses failed to back up his concocted stories before Congress, so that he was literally dancing around on the thinnest of thin ice, had its entertainment value.
But I can't be entertained by the travesties of justice visited on US society because of Gonzales, through the politicization of the Justice Department, through the butt-wiping with the Constitution visited upon us all through the so-called "Patriot Act," and through the pathetic rationalization of torture by agents of the US government, both military and spook-based.
Much as his resignation stops some of the braying over how badly he screwed up the country (I hope it doesn't stop too much of it), far better that the housecleaning at the Justice Department begin! Here's to hoping the Senate Democrats have the guts to demand it, which the House can continue to hold Gonzales' feet to the fire..
Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales Resigns
Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales delivered a statement on his resignation on Monday at the Justice Department.
WACO, Tex., Aug. 27 — Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, whose tenure has been marred by controversy and accusations of perjury before Congress, announced his resignation in Washington today, declaring that he had “lived the American dream” by being able to lead the Justice Department.
Mr. Gonzales, who had rebuffed calls for his resignation for months, submitted it to President Bush by telephone on Friday, a senior administration official said. There had been rumblings over the weekend that Mr. Gonzales’s departure was imminent, although the White House sought to quell the rumors.
[...]
Mr. Bush has not yet chosen a replacement but will not leave the position open long, the senior administration official said early this morning. Among those being mentioned as a possible successor were Michael Chertoff, the secretary of homeland security who is a former federal prosecutor, assistant attorney general and federal judge; Christopher Cox, the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission; and Larry D. Thompson, a former deputy attorney general who is now senior vice president and general counsel of PepsiCo Inc.
Mr. Bush repeatedly stood by Mr. Gonzales, an old friend and colleague from Texas, even as Mr. Gonzales faced increasing scrutiny for his leadership of the Justice Department over issues including his role in the dismissals of nine United States attorneys late last year and whether he testified truthfully about the National Security Agency’s surveillance programs.
[...]
But Democrats cheered Mr. Gonzales’s departure. “Alberto Gonzales was never the right man for this job,” said Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader. “He lacked independence, he lacked judgment, and he lacked the spine to say ‘no’ to Karl Rove.”
Senator Charles E. Schumer, the New York Democrat who sits on the Judiciary Committee and has been calling for Mr. Gonzales’s resignation for months, said this morning: “It has been a long and difficult struggle, but at last the attorney general has done the right thing and stepped down. For the previous six months, the Justice Department has been virtually nonfunctional, and desperately needs new leadership.”
Senator Schumer said that “Democrats will not obstruct or impede a nominee who we are confident will put the rule of law above political considerations.”
Another Democrat on the Judiciary Committee who has been highly critical of Mr. Gonzales, Senator Russell D. Feingold of Wisconsin, said the next attorney general must be a person whose first loyalty is “to the law, not the president.”
[...]
Comments