Posted by Stephanie Taylor on April 20, 2007 at 05:22 PM
Watch our video of the testimony yesterday by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and count all the times he "just couldn't recall"--his version of "the dog ate my homework."
In the aftermath of his testimony, newspapers across the country panned his appearance.
From the Seattle Times:
“Attorney General Alberto Gonzales looked like an ineffective, and at times clueless, leader in his testimony before Congress Thursday. This page already has called for the U.S. attorney general to resign. Many others, including Republican and Democratic elected officials, have as well, although President Bush remains supportive...Gonzales should go back and watch his testimony. If he applies the same criteria to what he admitted was mishandling of the firings--as Republican Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma suggested--Gonzales would come to a different conclusion about whether he should stay.”
From Newsday:
“U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales failed to untangle himself yesterday from the knot of lies, contradictions and misrepresentations surrounding his firing of federal prosecutors who were involved in sensitive public corruption cases...The Justice Department and the professionals who work for it deserve better leadership. Many senators on the committee were in bipartisan disbelief that they were getting the truth from Gonzales about the reasons eight U.S. attorneys were dismissed…But at the end of the day, even the motivation no longer seemed to matter. With his equivocations, his inability to recall making critical decisions, and his testimony illustrating an abdication of many responsibilities to inexperienced and ideological aides, Gonzales only wound up making the case that he is too incompetent to continue running the Justice Department...Gonzales insisted he could repair the damage to the Justice Department. He can't. Gonzales is the one who should be fired for poor performance.”
From the San Francisco Chronicle:
“If the senate hearing Thursday is any indicator, U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales should clean out his desk and depart. Dishonesty, incompetence, evasiveness--every sin in public life--were all pinned on the nation's top lawman. Quitting, not continuing, is the only option. He found few defenders on the skeptical panel with several senators putting it straight out: The hedged answers and partial responses over the firings of U.S. attorneys make it clear that Gonzales must go. The Capitol Hill session did him no good.…In its politics, the White House famously values loyalty above all else. It's a factor that Gonzales, a Texas long timer, who goes back decades with President Bush, has counted on to weather the scandal. But the Senate committee grilling should show the most diehard Bush loyalist that Gonzales' service is at an end. It's time for him to resign.”
From the Baltimore Sun:
“Paraphrasing Oscar Hammerstein II, who wrote the words to the musical Oklahoma!, Republican Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania observed at the end of the hearing, 'I think we've gone about as far as we can go.' It was obvious by that point that the attorney general wasn't about to provide the senators with anything that approximated substance--or precision. Senator Specter didn't urge Mr. Gonzales to resign; he counseled him instead to examine his own conscience. It will be interesting to see what the attorney general finds there.”From the Chicago Tribune:
“Atty. Gen. Alberto Gonzales faced two unappealing possibilities in his testimony to Congress on Thursday. He could admit that he was largely out of the loop on some of the most important decisions that the Justice Department can make: Who should serve as U.S. attorney? Or he could acknowledge he was at the center of the hugely bungled dismissals of several federal prosecutors. In other words: Was he clueless? Or incompetent? Unfortunately for Gonzales, his hours of testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee created the impression that he was some of both...Over the past several months, Gonzales has generated suspicion and confusion with his shifting explanations and subsequent clarifications about this mess. The multiple accounts have infuriated senators. Add to that the earlier congressional testimony of former Gonzales chief of staff Kyle Sampson, which contradicted some of Gonzales' claims. Taken together, this episode doesn't inspire confidence that the attorney general acted in the best interests of law enforcement--and nothing else.”
Mr. Link
this is a work of art. you are the best op/researcher on the planet. please, please consider burning your work onto dvd and send it to your activists. this could be the best house party material ever!
i'm a reader. most people don't have time. this is better than anything in print could ever be.
p.s. i'm glad you're on our team. by our team, i mean the American team. this goes beyond partisan politics. these criminals stole two presidential elections. they won't get a shot at the next one if we can remind the voters of just exactly how devious they are. they are not incompetent. they are criminals. this is the best way to expose their lies.
thank you, thank you. by the way, they're scrubbing videos all over the left-wing blogosphere.
Posted by fade2bluz on April 20, 2007 at 06:59 PM
Stephanie,
my mistake. congratulations to the whole team!
Posted by fade2bluz on April 20, 2007 at 07:00 PM
There has been a marked difference around here lately. Thank you all for your hard work. The calibre of discussion will get notably better as old posters come back to join in...just in time for the 50 state canvass.
* * * *
Gonzales doesn't have a clue and neither does the man who has so much confidence in him. Bird brains of a feather flock together in this White House. Get Meirs under oath.
Posted by SandyH on April 20, 2007 at 08:36 PM
Wow!!! It is amazing that our U.S. Attorney General which should be one of the best lawyers (liars) anywhere can't come up with an excuse. I can only imagine if Bush was in front of the committee. I hope when Gonzales is relieved of duty someone finds a way to put in a jab that in effect says, "I don't recall". :-)
Posted by Xeno on April 20, 2007 at 08:37 PM
Every thing about the Bush Mis-Administration is criminal to the core. .....John Boy.....
Posted by goodfoe on April 21, 2007 at 05:52 AM
Just like Fibby-Libby, these Republicans suddenly all have Alzheimers and can't remember a thing! I want some more witnesses like Samson brought in to make more of a liar out of Gonzales, and make him perjure himself.
Posted by PamB on April 21, 2007 at 09:17 AM
Bold,
Well? ;)
Posted by Esmeralda on April 21, 2007 at 09:34 AM
new thread
Posted by Esmeralda on April 21, 2007 at 09:40 AM
Morning again,
First of all PLEASE vote in this:
Secondly, had a very nice time at the Pelosi affair last night. Only bad part was, there were SO many people there, she did not wait to shake hands and meet people. It was held in our new Hartford Convention Center and must have been 1500 or more there. Nice band, good dinner (when they Finally did serve it at 8:30), and good company at the table.
Nancy was great when she came out. She is a terrific, energetic speaker. She thanked CT Dems for their work on replacing 2 of the 3 Republican House Reps and said this was the spring board for the rest of the nation to get motivated and rolling. She was here in CT the weekend before the election, going around the state for Dems, and said it was a spring board for the rest of the nation. Ned lamont was there and they had a slide show going before the event began and nary a picture of Lieberman ! I wanted to go and see Ned, but he was quite a ways away from me, and there was always a group around him. All the other top Dem leaders and politicians were there. Chris Dodd of course got in a plug.
Most memorable about Nancy's speech, was she said as she traveled to israel, Palestine, Libya, Syria, that All the people in these countries feel exactly the same as we do in the US. They are weary of war and they just want peace and a better life for their children.
She had applause after applause.
I was glad I went.
Posted by PamB on April 21, 2007 at 09:41 AM
Morning {{Jacque}}
If they had let everybody go and greet Nancy, she would still be there this morning. I really wanted to shake her hand and tell her how much I admired her. Oh well, another time.
You know the excitement when you are at one of these functions. My voice was horse when I got home.
Posted by PamB on April 21, 2007 at 09:45 AM
and to John Boy and others who stick up for me because the trolls attack me=====don't worry or bother.
It is when they are NOT attacking me, I know I must not be getting to them, so I try and find more and more articles with FACTS in them, to make them look like the foolish, naive sickos they are. I love knowing I bother them, because their hatred proves I am right. I smile ear to ear.
Thanks, though.
Posted by PamB on April 21, 2007 at 09:51 AM
shower, breakfast, etc. bbl.
Posted by PamB on April 21, 2007 at 09:59 AM
Tadpole: You haven't a leg to stand on.
The firings were done for political reasons. They were done to obstruct justice, and because ethical attorneys refused to start bogus indictments for the mere purposes of making headlines which would have thrown elections.
Nobody has to embarrass the Bush administration. They are doing a wonderful job of that without any help.
Posted by Butte on April 21, 2007 at 11:21 AM
Tadpole, It is guys like you, giving approval to Corruption, criminal acts, Political partisan and cronyism, that has MADE this Republican party into what it is today.
Now that the Democrats want to come in and clean up and expose the mess, you think they should leave it all hidden and under the carpet.
If the last couple of years exposure of Abramoff, Cunningham, Foley, and all the other Republican scum wasn't enough for you, then you are a lost cause.
These firings were done for Partisan reasons. Not like Clinton and Reagan and every other President who came into office and fired them all and started over. This was 6 years after the fact and the WH did not like the way these guys would not cover up Voting Fraud. Maybe you think that is ok? well we don't!
Posted by PamB on April 21, 2007 at 11:30 AM
Tadpole;
How do you know the firings were legal?
Do you have some evidence that we don't know about?
So far, because of the circumstances of the firings, it looks very much like the firings WERE illegal.
The Actions of the Department of Justice in the Bush administration has been very much one of the ROOT CAUSES of the corruption and criminal acts in the Bush administration.
They ARE trying to clean it up.
Posted by Butte on April 21, 2007 at 12:25 PM
Tadpole, this Attorneygate was just another dirty trick of this administration to give this Pres more power.
read this on how this administration used their then-majority to CHANGE what had been precedent for Congress to appoint new Attorney, to now the President, all done behind closed doors and no one will confess as to who did the changing.
What Does It Mean?
The language that was replaced by PL 109-177 specified that if a US Attorney resigned before the end of his term, that the Court nominated an interim US attorney until the Senate acted on a Presidential nomination.
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The term for the interim US Attorney was limited by law to 120 days.
Now, the President makes the appointment, there is no limit to the interim appointment, and there is required no Senate oversight.
How Did It Happen?
On 11 July, Rep James Sensenbrenner, Jr (R-WI), introduced the seven-page bill. There were no co-sponsors. The Judiciary and Intelligence Committees had their way with the bill, and when the House passed the bill on 21 July, it totalled 117 pages.
The Senate didn't like any of it; they sent the House a complete substitution on 29 July 2005.
On 9 November, the House agreed that the solution was a conference committee, where legislators from both chambers hammer out differences. It was in the conference process that this clause -- as well as several other "miscellaneous" items -- was added to the bill.
The conference committee revision was filed on Thursday 8 December 2005. The House passed the conference report on Wednesday 14 December, 251-174 (roll call vote - 207 Rs, 44 Ds). A full week = plenty of time to read the bill (or have a staffer read the bill.) Don't say you didn't know what you were voting for!
A storm of controversy ensued; the Senate did not vote on the measure until 2 March 2006; it passed 89-10 (roll call vote).
NAYs ---10
Akaka (D-HI)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Byrd (D-WV)
Feingold (D-WI)
Harkin (D-IA)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Murray (D-WA)
Wyden (D-OR)
Not Voting - 1
Inouye (D-HI)
The President signed the bill on 9 March 2006.
So there you have it -- a handful of (mostly) men (I can find three women appointed to the conference committee) rewrote the bill behind closed doors. The conference process is not "open" -- there is no record in the Congressional Record of who made what changes to the text. So we'll never know who inserted this clause, unless they 'fess up (or someone rats them out).
http://uspolitics.about.com/od/legislatio1/a/HR3199_how.htm
so was this firing legal? Yeah, but only because of a dirty little secret change in how it had all been handled in the past.
I am not ok with this kind of BS. It is time to turn the light on these cockroaches and their dirty tricks and let the entire country know what Republicans are made of. If we do, the republican party will soon be a thing of the past!
Posted by PamB on April 21, 2007 at 01:31 PM
THERE IS A SATURDAY OPEN THREAD!
Posted by DPD on April 21, 2007 at 01:48 PM
Listening to this, I can't help but think of that Peter Gabriel song with the lyrics "I don't remember, I don't recall..." Then again, with this administration's constant stream of corruption, nothing they do now will surprise me. It seems like they're trying to control the past, whether it be "forgetting" key information or denying clearly recorded facts (such as WMDs being the reason for invading Iraq).
Posted by twocows on April 21, 2007 at 09:14 PM
This is the failure of the system. Individual blaming is foolish. Secrecy is the Mother of Conspiracy and the Father of Democracy.Truth always stands firm. Over three hundred years of democratic culture, it is now crystal clear that, the system of present government is nothing but the police precinct of the corporate world. We are tools. The whole country is Under the Stages of Anesthesia [USA]. Democratic Party needs overhauling thoroughly. Let In House Vets [Reps, Senator and Gov's stop tailgating for funds. Better let them choose one from the intelligentsia, and rally around him, clean up our own mess. Protect American People. Protect America Economy and protect the Country. [Tax Payers Money Swallowing is the easiest job so far. It makes the beneficiaries shameless.]
Nothing is good unless it is known.
We find it easy to criticize and blame others though we ignore our own.
Remember you can befool some people for some time. You can not do that forever.
“King can do no wrong” is not a phrase that represents Democracy.
Establishment of Justice based on equity & equality can only ensure peace and progress comprehensive in nature. That last long.
Don’t blame others take his words action as warning.
Establishment of Justice based on equity & equality can only ensure peace and progress comprehensive in nature. That last long.
May Allah Swt Bless me Bless You and Bless Us all, Ameen.
Help is waiting for the righteous
Mohammed Kader.
Posted by Kader on April 21, 2007 at 11:07 PM
For a man who says,"Senator I always do my homework or am prepared",that was a complete sham!You can`t be prepared and come off like that!Not unless you are purposely forgetting or a real incompetent.Either way he desparately needs to go.I would say that he would have been better off to plead the fifth like his secretary. What a bunch of losers!
Posted by virgo on April 23, 2007 at 07:47 AM
Posted by Tadpole on April 21, 2007 at 11:10 AMDemocrats have no shame whatsoever - they are willing to invest weeks on something they know has no legal basis in order to go fishing and embarrass [sic] the Bush Administration.Typically, Democrats only have to invest a few SECONDS reposting text or video VERBATIM from Republicans because, well, they're doing a damn fine job of embarrassing themselves. They make it too easy!!
Posted by Terra on April 23, 2007 at 08:44 AM
Source URL:
http://www.democrats.org/a/2007/04/alberto_gonzale_1.php