NYT: Speculation That Gonzales "Felt Pressure From Within The Administration To Step Down"

New York Times:

Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales announced his resignation on Monday, ending a stormy tenure at the Justice Department that was marked by repeated battles with Congress over whether he had allowed his intense personal loyalty to President Bush to overwhelm his responsibilities to the law.

Mr. Gonzales, the nation's first Hispanic attorney general, offered no clear explanation of the reasons for his departure or its timing. The announcement caught his top aides at the Justice Department by surprise, leading to speculation among lawmakers and department officials that Mr. Gonzales may have felt pressure from within the administration to step down.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[ornery]

03:29 PM on 08/29/2007

I think he was told to resign.

And probably because more bad stuff will be coming out about his doings at DOJ.

Recall that John Mitchell resigned as Nixon's AG well in advance of the tidal wave of disclosures that finally forced Nixon to resign.

Not that Alberto would have minded waiting it out--his career is over, this is as high as he'll ever get after that performance.

But Rover preceded him in the revolving door they've installed in this administration.

So probably more linkage between Rover and the prostitution of the Justice Dept. was about to be revealed--through e mails or some other direct evidence of WH meddling.

Also, don't forget: Alberto's problem with nixing a prosecution in the Texas pedophile ring.

I think Bush may have known the Larry Craig scandal was about to break and Alberto had to be made to leave the building--too many sex scandals whirling around the White House/GOP otherwise.

I don't know why they think it is going to help them to say "Gonzales? Rove? they no longer work here."

But, to continue the Watergate parallel, Haldeman and Erlichman "resigned" somewhat in advance of the really bad stuff coming out.

[longnow]

02:02 AM on 08/29/2007

It was President Cheney who did the dastardly
deed and Rice will be next or just ignored and Bush will be spending more time in Crawford and Cheney won't have anyone left in his administration to spy on.

[paige]

10:24 PM on 08/28/2007

Where did this man get the American dream all mixed up and decide not to work for American's like his family? My goodness!!!
__________
Even my worst days as attorney general have been better than my father’s best days,” Mr. Gonzales said. “I have lived the American dream.” Mr. Gonzales’s father was a Mexican-American construction worker who raised eight children in a two-room home near Houston.
_______________
My parent raised 6 children in a small home & paid for 50 or so acres of land. They worked hard for it too. Even though my dad quit teaching to make more in the auto business. Well anyway, where did this man go so wronggggg?

After living that kind of life didn't he realize what he was doing to people that are not as affluent as Bush & Co. or did it mean more to him to fit in with them and become one of them? Sad.

[realitytrumpsbull]

01:10 PM on 08/28/2007

They should pay The Donald 150 trillion Bushbucks to come and do the honors whenever they can the rest of these people, have him stand up in front of Congress and in a loud voice proclaim, "You're FIRED!"

[MissFortunate]

12:24 PM on 08/28/2007

Just heard from Thom Hartman that Job L. is the new candidate for Attorney General. I guess ass kissing does really pay off.

[Grunty1]

12:14 PM on 08/28/2007

If the adminstration is downplaying Chertoff as the replacement, it is a done deal that Chertoff will be the nominee.

[imusintheevening]

02:55 PM on 08/28/2007

It could have been a trial balloon that went down in flames, no disprespect to the unfortunate people in Canada last week.

[ghostsofamerica]

11:23 AM on 08/28/2007

I suspect the false flag is near, if Gonzo and Rove are out working out the details,and Chertoff, Dr. Death Knell, the True Devil, is getting ready to do to the USA what he did to Katrina victims.

[katlade]

10:02 AM on 08/28/2007

Did you hear Bush's little speech for the press that poor "Fredo's" name was drug through the mud for political reasons. Is this guy for real or what. Did he even watch his testimony at the hearings ( about 6 times)? I almost felt sorry for Gonzo it was so obvious he was a lying incompetent fool. Bush's decision making ability is severely distorted. As far as it being political can this man actually state that he does not involve himself in any political activity like fundraising for his stooges. They are all politicians so everything they all do is political. What a moron.

[Trollstakeyourmeds]

12:04 PM on 08/28/2007

I just couldn't find it in my heart (or ass) to feel sorry for him. What with his little Chimpy smirk, and mumbling and stumbling about. He was pitifully inept.

[Nyla785]

10:02 AM on 08/28/2007

It was kind of startling the way Bush saw NOTHING wrong with the Gonzales term as Att. General, it was just political attacks that got him into trouble. The incompetence made no impression on Bush..that Gonzales's seeming to lie and dissemble before congress didn't seem to register...that the chronic demoralization of the Justice Department and the leaving of people didn't even get through on Bush's radar. That the end-runs around the Constitution didn't have ANY significance for Bush.

Curious how Bush only sees what he wants to see. And VERY dangerous for America.

It explains a LOT , doesn't it?

It can only be that the Republican National Committee is 'positioning' things for 2008 with all these resignations. Get the bad guys out of the public picture--see?--it's a new Republican Party now, no reason to be afraid to vote GOP. We are being scammed again, as they always do to us.

[Ginzaman]

10:00 AM on 08/28/2007

We all know that Gonzales has been Bush's monkey boy since day 1. In an ideal world we'd like to think that people get a job based on actual skill and not "race." Unfortunately that's not the case here. So in the big picture it was use him and then throw him away.

Chertoff on the other hand would in some ways be worse. And how much do you want to bet that the Democrats in Congress will cave in yet again because we all know that winning in 2008 is number one. So all these other petty things don't matter.

[getoffmedz]

09:33 AM on 08/28/2007

Gonzalez was squeezed out like an ugly pimple by the Bush/Cheney handlers who are really pissed-off over the bullshit this vile administration has caused.

Look for a surprise resignation real soon? These wars for natural resources are not going well under Bush/Cheney and some serious adjustments must be made?

Party time?

[DefendOurConstitution]

09:32 AM on 08/28/2007

Of course he was pushed out and it was dirty politics that finally forced his hand. Most Republican Senators, along with the few people left at the White House that care about the Republican Party, must have begged Bush to finally can Gonzo. Gonzo was the Democrats best weapon for 2008 and now he's gone. With the short memories most of us have (mixed in with a celebrity scandal here and there) Gonzo will be ancient history before the 2008 elections.

[LeftLeaner]

09:21 AM on 08/28/2007

How long did it take him to process this BLATANTLY OBVIOUS information?

Oops, I forgot..........He's a Bushie.

Everything takes a long time for them to process if at all.

[gappytoofcondi]

08:56 AM on 08/28/2007

Gee. As if Bush is not going to attempt a recess apointment of one of his cronies. He can't afford not to now. He is in up to his neck in cover-ups.

The onion is peeling off layer by layer. Starting to get real interesting. Snow next, then Condi. After that, Cheney. THEN, THE CHIMP!

[Grunty1]

09:58 AM on 08/28/2007

Snow is the spokesmen. Go after the head of the snake, why waste time with the mouthpiece?

[castlerider]

01:13 PM on 08/29/2007

I'm sure he has his recess appointment all picked out.. Rove is still hanging out with Chimpy, so the plans "m sure are all laid out. Boo hoo poor chimpy. The Dems are so mean.. What an idiot.
What I'm finding unnerving but at the same time humorous is watching the right try to spin this whole thing.. Check out what the goofball Senior Editor Kessler at Washington Insider wrote, trying to put a major spin, deliberately contradicting the facts:
"To be sure, Democrats manufactured a scandal by pouncing on the firing of eight U.S. attorneys to create the impression that the Justice Department and the White House did something improper. In fact, the firings were no more improper than the Clinton administration’s dismissal of 93 U.S. attorneys in 1993."
Manufactured a scandal?? Somebody take the kool aid from this turd swill... Most of all Americans could see how frustrated the entire Committee, with rethuglicans including Arlen Specter, was over this joker's refusal to come clean over what could clearly be seen as MAJOR infractions and violations of the Hatch Act, improperly using an office's influence for political gain, and this idiot wants us to believe there was nothing improper, drawing on a completely different point when Clinton first took office, hiring new attorneys, which is perfectly accepted, and common. .. Talk about herding the SHEEP.
Like I said- Humorous. That anyone could be so stupid to believe this guy, at the same time, unnerved- that some actually still do.

[gvincent]

01:24 AM on 08/28/2007

I don't see how this helps the administration. Whenever Gonzales was in the news, he was able to take all of the hits while the White House went about it's business. It actually turned out to be a pretty good strategy for the White House, have just one guy who takes all of the criticism while the dozens of other morons run wild with no one noticing.

http://www.crookedinc.com

[BLOGGINGBITCH]

05:32 AM on 08/28/2007

When do we ask "The Uniter" when he intends to nominate a Dem for ANYTHING??

After all, they asked Obama who he would work with.....GOP never gets asked because we already know the answer.

Obama, that was stupid for you to answer. When's the last time Warner and Lugar reached out to a Dem???

And you're going to grovel as President???


NEXT!

.

[Captain EdwardGraham]

09:01 AM on 08/28/2007

While Bu$h was having lunch with Gonzo these US troops died for him;

08/27/07 DoD Identifies Army Casualties (part 2)
Spc. Tracy C. Willis, 21, of Marshall, Texas...died Aug. 26 in Samarra, Iraq, of wounds suffered when the enemy attacked their unit during combat operations. They were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment...

08/27/07 DoD Identifies Army Casualties (part 1)
Sgt. Joshua L. Morley, 22, of Boise, Idaho...died Aug. 26 in Samarra, Iraq, of wounds suffered when the enemy attacked their unit during combat operations. They were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbOo6sN48ZE&mode=related&search= Zombie Stomp why would you leave your family all alone to go look death in the face?;