Gonzales Resigns

Adios, Amigos!!

Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez became the latest Bush administration member to jump off the ship as he announced his resignation this morning.

It wasn't exactly unexpected, as he's been under fire by Congressional Democrats for months, mostly for inquiries related to the firing of a few federal prosecutors and issues related to the Bush Administration's warrantless surveillance program.

Gonzales appeared calm and composed when he announced to the press that that he was leaving effective September 17. He said his very worst days on the job were “better than my father’s best days,” he said, alluding to his family’s poverty stricken past, and said he had been able to live the American dream.

“Thank you, and God bless America,” AG Gonzales said as a closer, exiting without responding to questions.

Needless to say, the Democrats are ecstatic that he's leaving.

"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."

Now there's a balanced, non-partisan view for you.

Even more ominous for President Bush were the remarks of two Democrats who sit on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Senator Chuck Schumer(d-NY) who 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....Democrats will not obstruct or impede a nominee who we are confident will put the rule of law above political considerations."

And then we have another Democrat on the Judiciary Committee who has been highly critical of Mr. Gonzales, Senator Russell D. Feingold of Wisconsin, who was even blunter and said the next attorney general must be a person whose first loyalty is "to the law, not the president."

And House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Gonzales replacement must commit "to cooperate with ongoing congressional oversight into the conduct of the White House in the politicization of federal law enforcement."

I don't even have to bother quoting Senator Patrick Leahy, head of the Senate Judiciary Committee or John Conyers, head of the House Judiciary. They want Bush's scalp big time. Regardless of what it takes, whether it's justice or even whether it's in the country's best interests.

The way I read it, they will only allow an attorney general who will cooperate with them in bringing impeachment articles against the president. Gonzales was just one more obstruction.

Will the Democrats be able to pull off an impeachment? Doubtful, but I think the name of the game is simply to bring the articles, tie up the Bush administration to prevent them from doing much of anything and emphasize the `GOP culture of corruption' slogan to the American people in an election year.