President Bush is still standing behind embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, calling him today to reaffirm his "strong backing and support." The White House also denied rumors that it had already begun looking for Gonzales’ replacement. There was doubt about the extent of Bush’s support after White House spokesman Tony Snow’s lukewarm endorsement Monday, when he said of Gonzales, "We hope he stays."
Meanwhile, the Washington Post reported: "U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald was ranked among prosecutors who had ‘not distinguished themselves’ on a Justice Department chart sent to the White House in March 2005, when he was in the midst of leading the CIA leak investigation that resulted in the perjury conviction of a vice presidential aide, administration officials said yesterday."
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
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50 Comments
Congressional rancor anyone?
“You’re doing a heckuva job !”
So Bush is standing behind Gonzales; is he holding a knife? Gonzales will be gone within the week!
Unfortunately I have to agree with you Jed! Generally a resignation occurs within a week of the president’s assurance of support!
Hank
I agree, Hank. Being the # 2 guy in Al Quada and getting the president’s support both mean you have about a week left.
Yea,
It would be interesting to be in the cave when they all got together and drew for that straw!
Hank
Bush HAS to stand with Gonzales. If Gonzales gets impeached, Bush will follow (or at least SHOULD follow) since he was involved in the same decisions.
“If Gonzales gets impeached, Bush will follow…”
Thanks for reminding me. How is that coming? Or are you people still working on the most important issue of the day, minimum wage?
Are you surprised that Bush stands with Gonzales? Have we not seen this before? With the truth staring the “Administration” in the face they do not waver. Do not expect this government to do the right thing! They are as loyal as they are ignorant. I could only wish that when confronted by my superiors that I could mislead them, then when confronted with the truth keep my job. I say keep on truckin Pres. Bush! You will go down as the worst leader this country has ever known. History will judge you worse than Nixon with your wiretapping and lying.
Nope, investigations are the order of the day. You know, ones like this one involving Gonzales which clearly show that he broke several laws including lying to Congress. Oh wait, I forgot that that one is only important if you are a Democratic politician.
Dear fleetwood,
I’m pretty sure we’ve got the minimum wage increase. Isn’t the ‘100 hours’ over with?
Hank
Buh bye Alberto.
Of course, Pat Fitzgerald has not distinguished himself. He only got Cheney’s chief of staff Scooter Libby on obstruction of justice and lying to federal investigators and grand jury charges. To distinguish himself would have required Fitzgerald’s getting to the source of the Plame leaks and prosecuting the original leaker or the person who incited the leak. Maybe like Dick Cheney or Karl Rove, for example.
Napoleon met his Waterloo and it looks like George W. Bush is about to get drenched.
Mike,Let’s not give the guy the honor of being the worst anything. Just because he still hasn’t got the silver spoon out of his backside doesn’t mean he’s incompetent at everything. Surely there’s something he hasn’t tried yet!
No heartlander, that would have ranked him even lower!
“The ranking placed Fitzgerald below “strong U.S. Attorneys . . . who exhibited loyalty”"
To rank high on THAT list he would have had to prove that Hillary clinton was the leaker!
This is such a non-issue. Just what the heck did Gonzales do that was wrong?
The libs, (and a few conservatives) really want Gonzalez to resign. I’m not sure what he did wrong, if anything, but it doesn’t take much for them to start calling for heads to roll.
I recall a couple of liberal posters on this blog were willing to wager that VP Cheney would resign after shooting that lawyer. They will remain nameless. But kfg and CF each made a donation to charity shortly thereafter.
outlander?
I remember no such thing. Unless you can PROVE otherwise I will have to get out the l word.
JR, want to bet?
The issue at hand SOB is the misleading of congress and the purge of atty’s that did not tow the admin. line. They were fired because they exercised their own judgement. Not because of performance as the AG originally indicated. Its a non issue to those of us that allow the administration to tap our phones, kill our best, and walk on the constitution. I guess Republicans only care about the 3 G’s—Guns, God and Greed. Truth is spelled with at T. So they are not interested. And I concur Jed!
Mike, you could be correct, they could have been fired for using their own judgement…
But as long as they serve at the “pleasure of the President,” that, and a buck fifty can buy you can buy you a cup of cheap coffee.
It’s simply a non-issue.
The Dems need to choose their battle a little better.
Tap our phones?? Hogwash.Kill our best?? Anti-war tripe.Walk on the Constitution?? Where?
If what you say is true, impeach.
And what is greed, anyway?Definition, please.
“kill our best”? How they doing that Mike?
GS, I do agree that dems should pick their battles carefully. Here are some of the 35 or so scandals they should investigate. 1. Jack Abramoff and the Indian Gaming Scandal2.Halliburtons No Bid Contracts3.Halliburton overcharging the gov’t for gas in Iraq for 61 million of our dollars4.1.8 Billion of undocumented dollars that went to Halliburton.5.Diverting 700 Million dollars out of Afghanistan without notifying Congress.6.600 Million dollars missing for Iraq reconstruction fund.7.Wiretapping at the UN prior to going to war8.TOM DELAY9.The EPA declaring that the air at ground zero was safe to breathe. And then turning their backs on the firefighters after they got sick.Shall I continue? You are right GS the dems have bigger fish to fry.
Do you not consider our fighting men and women as our best? SOB?
“Bush is standing behind Gonzales”
Does that mean Bush is using him as a human shield?
Do you people not read any newspapers? It is a fact the the FBI used national security letters to obtain information on American citizens without warrants.
GO get proof outlander. Until you do it is a lie and an attack on those not here to refute it. And you are better than that. Or are you?
This will be my last post of the day. God bless us all when we live in a police state under the “War On Terror” catch phrase. Big brother is growing everyday. And it seems to me that nobody really cares. He is watching. All of you. You just dont know it. Or maybe you don’t want to know.
“…the FBI used national security letters to obtain information on American citizens without warrants.”
Would these be citizens who communicated with known terrorists?
Well JR, if I am “better than that”, I wouldn’t lie about it. Wouldn’t it be logical for you to just ask them before accusing me of lying?
Most of the communications seized were of non suspected individuals. They just took all of them. To find a few. We throw the label of terrorist around the exact same way we use to throw Communist around. I thought we had evolved from the 1950’s. I guess not.
“Most of the communications seized were of non suspected individuals.”Why would one waste time on “non-suspected” people?
“They just took all of them. To find a few.”
I trust they found them. How many lives were saved?
“…the exact same way we use to throw Communist around.”
A little too close to home?
Bush will fight, as I said before, letting anyone in his Admin. testify under oath, that is just waaay to dangerous territory! And, an alien landscape to those that lead our great nation. Executive privelege, it seems extends to anyone that works for Bush, but a sitting president can be compelled to testify under oath in a civil matter. Strange times indeed!
First off thanks Hank two laughs in one setting of reading the blog! Yeah I hear from now on it someone does something to wrong the Mob boss they will get a Presidential endorsement! LoL
I think I may have figured out what is going on, yes this is much to do about nothing.BUT I think the end game is to get Rowe under oath, he is the one that knows where all the bodies are buried. Mostly because he is the one that was responsible for their demise.The rest may end up getting that “Presidential endorsement” because their loyalty is sealed. Rowe on the other hand is a rat that will sale his own mother to escape.Bush knew this upon hiring him and wanted Rowe close as he knew that Rowe was a asset to have when there was something needed done that might be amoral.
I will not be surprised to learn that President Bush will fight clear up to the SCOTUS to keep Rowe from testifying under oath.
Writer dog..
You are correct the Left will make up anything to try to get ahold of the one guy that kicked their butts on the last 2 elections..
screw the country till we get even with that Evil (Genius) Rove..
bush has made a strategic blunder.
He did not give Congress the access it wanted. Now Congress will DEMAND it.
I hope they bring the whole lying sorry bunch down!
There will some Democrats sorry they are pushing the “show trial.”
It will be interesting to watch them squirm in the days to come. :)
Congress doesn’t need access.. this is none scandel like the libby trial..
they know there isn’t anything there so they will try to get someone with a bad memory and call it perjury..
Clinton should have said “I don’t remember having sex with that woman”, would you have given him a pass too?
The only reason the Democrats want to issue subpoenas is to set up perjury traps.
They could probably convict anyone of perjury by just a mispeak even though it is based in fact. Example: I didn’t talk to so and so. Democrats come up with a letter with he talks with so and so even though the topic was unrelated to the case.
The Democratic Congress wants a witch hunt, a Salem Witch Trial and an want someone beheaded whether they are guilty of anything or not.
Now that is sad. Schumer and crew need to be kicked in the balls to notify them that the American people are tired of this kind of rancor.
A short history of Presidential loyalty to those who become liabilities, e.g., Sherman Adams, Bert Lance, et al.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=2970302&page=1
VT!!
A comment! and if I remember correctly, the best strategy when a person becomes a liability is to ditch them, sooner rather than later.
But Bush has shown remarkable stubbornness (or demonstrated that he values personal loyalty, depending on your point of view) in that regard. Rumsfeld should have been gone at least a year before he was cut loose, for example.
We’ll see . . .
and glad to see you’re keeping a foot in both sides. The neutral honest broker to the end!
VaughnWhat is more insidious to me than the history lesson is the fact that the Democratic Congress what all the bells and whistles that go with a subpoena.
In other words, they are saying, White House Staff we think you are liars and we are going to get you.
To me, this is a direct confrontation of a Constitutional fight of the Legislative Branch versus the Executive Branch.
The American people are tired of rancor. This fight, egged on by the Democrats will be their downfall and they don’t even realize it.
If they subpoena and go on with a show trial will cost them dearly in 2008.
“If they subpoena and go on with a show trial will cost them dearly in 2008.”
I hope so, but I doubt it. The American people, those who “only pay attention after Labor Day”, aren’t so bright.
We’ll remind them. :)
When my political enemies warn me against doing something, I gotta figure it is the RUGHT thing to do just exactly what they are advising against.
But thanks anyway republicanKhanJM.
Ya know? I bet secretly bush is really glad to share the spotlight with Al Gore just now.
Alberto is yesterday’s kids. He’ll be gone inside a week.
“The American people, those who “only pay attention after Labor Day”, aren’t so bright.”Keep it up- just the attitude that cost you guys the last election!