Posted on 04/19/2007 2:34:41 PM PDT by Alter Kaker
WASHINGTON - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales confronted a fresh call for his resignation from a fellow Republican Thursday as he struggled to survive a bipartisan Senate challenge to his credibility in the case of eight fired prosecutors.
Gonzales told the Oklahoma Republican he disagreed, and said he didn‘t think resigning would put the controversy to rest.
Gonzales sat alone at the witness table in a crowded hearing room for the widely anticipated hearing. There was no doubt about the stakes involved for a member of President Bush ‘s inner circle, under pressure to resign since the dismissals of the prosecutors.
The White House offered support. Spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters, "I think the president has full confidence" in his attorney general.
Wow. Obviously, Perino didn't watch the hearing. Gonzales was pathetic.
I don’t “get” the controversy over the AG (apart from Dem political opportunism).
Don’t all US attorneys serve at the pleasure of the president, subject only to Senate confirmation? Doesn’t the Prez have absolute discretion to remove them if they aren’t effectuating his priorities?
Why isn’t that the end of this, particularly for Rep’s?
Jeff Sessions and John Cornyn didn’t call for Gonzales’ resignation explicitly, but implied pretty hard that it was a good idea.
“Why isn’t that the end of this, particularly for Rep’s?”
That’s the question that many of us have been asking for quite some time. Many GOPers in Congress are brainless, gutless, or, more often than not, both.
it couldn’t be that he’s been dealing with a mass terror attack in Virginia and didn’t have time to prepare for the hearing (witch hunt). /sarcasm
Coburn is sounding like a RINO here.
Gonzales needs to resign soon. He screwed up what should have been a no-brainer - and made it worse by simply not telling the truth all along - that the Prez can replace these folks for any reason he deems necessary.
Coburn's as far right as they get. You now have GOP opposition growing across the entire spectrum of the party.
It doesn’t matter if Gonzales was pathetic or not. Gonzales may be a weak sister, but if Bush gives the dems Gonzales, he might as well give them his entire cabinet.
“He screwed up what should have been a no-brainer - and made it worse by simply not telling the truth all along - that the Prez can replace these folks for any reason he deems necessary.”
Exactly. The only screw-up was not telling the Senate to “screw off.”
It was an awful performance. He inspired very little confidence and didn’t look like an AG. I wouldn’t trust a guy who looked that inept on the stand to defend me from a traffic ticket.
“Coburn is sounding like a RINO here.”
He is far from a RINO. Coburn is one of the good guys.
Have the Dims ever abandoned one of their own higher ups? Ever for any reason?
The press, carrying water for the libs, has been very effective in making something out of nothing. And, we have many on our side joining the show. That’s pathetic!
There is no issue here. Gonzales stays where he is because President Bush wants him there and it doesn’t matter a rat’s ass what the Dims want. This is a NON ISSUE!!
You rally around someone worth saving.
Gonzales only has himself to blame for all this. All he had to do was tell the truth. His changing stories and his unwillingness to just tell it how it is have sunk him.
The Dem's are attacking with no evidence or facts on their side, just using the ol' "scream the loudest" and "finger-point" tactic...and the MSM and looney lefties lap it up.
Gonzales can't handle the attack.
Exactly. If the GOP had done that, Tom Delay would still be Speaker.
This is SO stupid!! The US Attorneys serve at the pleasure of the President and can be replace at any time for any reason or for NO reason! What I really hate is the Repubs. joining in on this; they should know better, and they are only encouraging the Dems. to scream harder for Bush’s scalp, because even if the Dems win on this, it won’t make them any happier with this Administration.
Gonzales has not been truthful.
That is not a trait you want in an AG.
The Justice Department isn’t supposed to prosecute or not prosecute people for partisan political reasons. Gonzales, almost certainly by shear incompetence, has given the Judiciary Committee the impression that that’s what he did when he fired certain prosecutors. The problem here isn’t the act itself, but the bizarre way he’s handled it.
Alberto needs to go. But not as a sacrafice to the libs and not for this reason.
So what's new about the "far right" shooting their own party? This is utterly pathetic that ANY GOP anybody, gives aid and comfort to this phony RAT scandal.
I'd probably come across as pathetic too if I was being grilled by a bunch of buffoons for doing a part of my job that is none of their business.
Most of them are running scared that they may lose their most precious possession, their job. Some senators invest millions and millions of dollars to obtain this position and they will throw anybody overboard to keep it.
I agree with that... Gonzales is surprisingly quite inarticulate when it comes to his defense Its not worth saving someone who can’t even get his story straight...
Because our side just delights in capitulating to Democrats.
Gonzalez should stay PRECISELY so Dems. aren't given the pleasure of feeling like their dirty witch hunt succeeded. The president and the AG had every right to fire these people and frankly need answer to no one on this.
The Democrats' are using this to cover up their own dirty hands over election improprieties and other acts of corruption these attorneys refused to look into, now turning it around on the Bush adminstration instead and inventing the fiction willing regurgitated by the organ grinder media that they were fired for investigating Republicans! This is one of the dirtiest political gotchas in US political history and there is NO WAY Gonzalez should quit and thus dignify what is a massive screw job by Democratic pigs and their compliant apes in the media.
Any Republican who wishes for Gonzalez to quit is giving aid and comfort to the Democrats and their smear tactics. There is no way Gonzalez, whatever his shortcomings, should be shown the exit and thus validate yet another Democratic-invented "scandal." Anyone advocating otherwise is an idiot.
Gonzales gave the Dems the hammer to hit him with.
He had no reason to not be truthful from the start. By not being truthful, he's dug his own grave. Don't blame anyone but the guy who lied here.
Gonzales made a lot of enemies when he searched Jefferson’s office. I’m surprised he’s still around.
I disagree. This started out as a partisan witch hunt, and it would have blown over as such, except Gonzales bizarrely decided to lie. Everybody Republican on the Judiciary Committee wants him to go.
Gonzales should go not as a sacrificial lamb but by his own incompetence in giving this issue to bash the President with.
He turned this routine procedure into a scandal and naturally the Democrats are loving and encouraging it.
Bush is going to be impeached for violating the Tenure of Office Act, if he’s not careful.
Except that Coburn was a three-term Congressman who said he would retire after three terms, and did. He then was elected Senator four years later. He's the enemy of the porkers in the GOP. He's a straight shooter. And he's a doctor - he can make a good living without being a Senator.
In other words, he's exactly the kind of Senator we need a lot more of in the GOP. The fact that he thinks Gonzales should go speaks volumes if you're willing to listen.
The willingness to surrender is endemic.
Exactly.
Gonzales is an example of what happens when race becomes a primary consideration in hiring.
Not saying his race was the only factor, but it certainly gave him an advantage over more qualified candidates.
Yeah but then the spineles can blame Bush for not providing leadership. How come rats always defend rats but the repubs love to do the rats bidding, good job Tom the nyslimes thanx you RINO
There is only one person to blame for this turning into a scandal: Gonazales. Had he told the truth from the beginning, this would be a non event and the GOP would be standing squarely behind him.
Who says he hasn’t been truthful? Specter? Could those who testified to the contrary be untruthful? Do you see where this is leading?
One of his own aides who has testified, for starters.
And you know he lied by what? You read it in the press?
Ping to you.
I have no problem with his resignation. I can think of a half dozen rats who should be under investigation by the AG’s office and another 25 or so under indictment for sedition.
This man is not doing the job he’s paid for.
Here's why: Because, when questioned about it, the administration didn't respond by stating what you stated above. Instead, the admin said "Oh, no, we had good reasons to fire these people, and we'll be happy to tell you about it". They then proceeded to get caught in a bunch of lies.
Coburn is right that this is a case of gross incompetence.
One of his own as reported by whom? You read it in the MSM and you believe that on face value?
He held a press conference to say that he had not been involved in the process, had not been present at any meetings, etc. His own deputy, Kyle Samson, testified under oath that Gonzales' claim was false. Today, Gonzales conceded that he had been present at dozens of meetings. That Gonzales lied is pretty clear, and is why Republicans in Congress are no longer supporting him. I have no idea why he lied.
Then why, when this come up, didn't they say that? Instead they lied about it and got caught. The administration has nobody to blame but themselves, and it is absurd for the administration to expect Senators to cover up their stupid mess.
—Have the Dims ever abandoned one of their own higher ups? Ever for any reason?—
Jim Traficant, although his hair was the only thing that was “higher up”.
Did you notice that they postponed the hearings until after the Virgina Tech thing slowed down. Why do you think?
This hearing is a "kangaroo" show from the start. The Senators have complete control of the proceedings and they can make anybody look like a fool. They don't have a crime to investigate.
this is a scripted show to attack the president. After Gonzales is finished they will move on to somebody else.
I do not believe any statement would have led to this being a non-event. There was no Congressional right to even investigate these firings.
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