Bye Bye 'Berto

WANTED: Total toady. Not a cut-and-runner. Must love torture. Contempt for Constitution a plus. Amnesia essential. Benefits include media boredom the day your mission is accomplished, plus a tenured position at the George W. Bush Library and Institute.

No sooner did word of Alberto Gonzales's resignation leak than the talking heads on TV started spreading the new conventional wisdom: official Washington is happy to let him slither off to private life without further persecution or prosecution. All that politicization of the Justice Department, forgiven. All those perjury thingies, forgotten. All the stonewalling and can't-recalls, yesterday's news.

Yesterday, his name was "embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales." Tomorrow, he'll swap "embattled" for "former." Not "disgraced." Not "impeached." Not "indicted." Not even "controversial." He'll join Karl Rove in the great reputation laundry, a figure of Beltway sympathy.

"Ya gotta respect a guy with that kind of loyalty," pundits will say, placing his loyalty to a corrupt administration above his loyalty to the American people." Orrin Hatch will contend that he doesn't understand what the big fuss was all about. Arlen Specter will let bygones be bygones. Gonzales's departure, like every other symptom of Republican pathology, will be proclaimed a GOP victory. "Now Bush has a chance to accomplish some major items on his agenda before the end of his term," we will be told. You know, like warrantless wiretapping, swifter executions, phony terrorist busts, corrupt prosecutions, and interference with free elections.

If Americans didn't have the attention span of a newt, if the media cared as much about the health of democracy as the health of the bottom line, if Democrats had the courage of their convictions, the last chapter of the Alberto Gonzales story will not have been written the day he resigned. If, if, if... I know: If Gonzales had had integrity, he wouldn't have been an invertebrate.

UPDATE: Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tx) says it's a sad day for the country when the top Hispanic in the nation is hounded from office. Yeah, and Clarence Thomas is the top African-American in the nation.

UPDATE II: In his brief public appearance, Gonzales says only that he is "concluding" his public service. No "citing personal reasons." No questions from the press. Like Cornyn, he plays the Hispanic card: "My worst day on the job was better than my father's best day." I wonder if his fath-- WAIT! Look over here! It's Michael Vick!

Follow Marty Kaplan on Twitter: www.twitter.com/martykaplan

Comments

[AfzaalKhan]

Y US continues to break hearts of all thier admirers. Im not American but it hurts to see a great country on path of self destruction. A nation who don't hold thier leaders accountable looses thier greatness. Theives, liars, crook rule America. They care for thier power only, not for the masses.

[NotMyPrez]

Now you understand why 65% of us are so frustrated, and yet the 35% seems to still hold sway. Or maybe it's the fact we gave a power grabbing, sympathy squandering fool the keys to our kingdom This is slowly becoming more like a Corporatocracy. Our founding fathers fought against this 230 years ago. Sad how our great experiment got left on the table to over cook.

[mouselion]

Corporatocracy:

"I pledge allegiance to Kellogg, Brown & Root and the untold billions for which it stands..."

[fulano]

Afuera vendido! good riddance sinverguensa!

[wmbear]

I HOPE "SINVERGUENSA" MEANS...

"You obnoxious little turd."

[fulano]

not exactly "wmbear" but close, more like "shameless little turd", and may I add another, "pinchi vergonzoso y lambe culo"!

[Bobby]

Let's hope that the Dems finally grow some spine and make sure that the new AG is independent and will worry about JUSTICE and not the White House. That means no Michael Chertoff or Orrin Hatch. Besides, Hatch has enough blood on his hands after the Utah mine tragedy. Whe the new AG is named, then maybe there will be real justice in the United States. Two down, two to go. With the resignations of Rove and Gonzales, now we wait for the biggest RATS to leave, Bu$h and Cheney.

[Rosanneofpgh]

Good riddance to bad rubbish!!! I surely hope that his resignation isnt the end of it. he MUST be prosecuted for all the illegal activities that he has done.

JAILTIME FOR GONZO!! Bwaahaahaaa

[MmeFlutterbye]

Good article, Mr. kaplan. Alas, I'm afraid you're right. Gonzales, Rove, and the rest of this corrupt administration will go down in history as heroes, thanks to to our invertabrate Democrates and corrupt media.

[BluOx48]

Maybe we should blame the Democrats a little less and have the press shoulder some blame. As long as the public is fed the stuff of Fox News, etal, many folks just don't get it.

[TruthSlayer]

Once again, you are a fool BluOx48... The American public have had to put up with Democrat controlled Liberal news organizations and Network news for years, and you are worried about the Fox network. Brainless NEO-RATS are lucky they have held the media in their pockets all these years.
Thank goodness, for the Internet! Now the truth can be told and the Democrat Party controlled news reporting bias can be exposed. As far as Gonzales goes, I say good riddance. Now if you Dolts will vote out all incumbents in both parties that would be something.

[nevergiveup]

Dems did not make them heroes. Republicans and the Corporate owned media did that.

Get your facts straight. Democrats never celebrated this law-breaking, amnesiac, power-hungry, Bush-ass-kissing poor excuse for a lawyer.

When Americans make heroes of Bush and Rove, then American Democracy will have ended. No--fact is they slunk off into their holes. If only they would pull the hole in after them, I'd be much happier.

[gerrylong]

Chertoff? Isn't he the other Bush "yes-man" who was in charge of Homeland Security during the days of "Heck-of-a-job-Brownie"?

[ethearch]

Yep. Another Bush heck-of-a-jobber waiting in the wings.

[Deni]

And speaking of good old Brownie, one of the talking Bimbos on CNN this morning actually floated Brownie "of FEMA" as a possible replacement for Gonzo. Funny, but that actually doesn't seem too far fetched for this mis-administration.

[mouselion]

Mis-administration.

Brownie makes as much sense as Chertoff.
Bureaucrats with a capes on that say "Neo-Con".

[wmbear]

YEP, WOUlDN'T SURPRISE ME AT ALL...

I've been trying to think, OK, now who can Bush appoint that's WORSE than Gonzales, because that's who he'll probably pick.

And ya know, I've got it figured out. Bush picks incompetents for positions like this because, if they were competent, they'd make his own incompetence look WORSE.

[RoddyMcCorley]

First Rove, now Gonzales. Hmmmm...

Reminds me of that part in every caper movie -- y'know, when the gang has grabbed all the loot, and then has to slip away unobtrusively one or two at a time...

[ute]

LOL.

I was wondering why this scene looks so familiar!

[Matan]

So true - now the Dems can breathe a sigh of relief and continue to keep the table clean from that all-too-sticky impeachment business and get to the business of America and all of those important issues that are constantly being blocked by the act of filibuster. Whew...now we don't have to tell our children how we almost had to prosecute a perjuror and actually defent the Constitution. Better he just walk away - he and all the rest of them.

[horseface]

Will some journalist / talking head please ask the question, "What did the Dems TRADE for this too little, too late bone thrown by the Bush Administration?" A pass on immigration legislation, Iraq drawdowns, more delicious pork? There has to be something to make a deal.

[Qohelet]

It's unfortunate that the possibility that Gonzales' departure was arranged by a political trade is a real one. And that they would prefer that method to actually following his lies, misleadings and egregious wrong-doings to their ultimate conclusions via an actual investigation, an actual criminal proceeding. Why do the Democrats find it so difficult to muster the strength to actually stand up and ACT? They can talk about Congressional subpoenas, but won't enforce them. They can talk about Constitutional abuses by a corrupt administration, but won't bring impeachment articles. And the only one of the Democratic candidates for President with the strength on conviction to DO something, Dennis Kucinich, will never get the nomination, let alone win a general election. Would someone please tell me what the hell is going on?!?

[BigTuna]

Who didn't see this coming? Now Bush gets to make a recess AG appointment and bypass Senate confirmation... look for that before Friday.

I still maintain that investigations involving Gonzales should proceed very sloooooowly... at least until January 2009. Don't give Bush a chance to pardon him.

[PaulGaskin]

If Bush can do a recess appointment to replace Gonzales, I'm extra pissed off at the Democratic Congress who allowed the August recess to happen.

If Bush and Cheney are not impeached, I'm done with the Democratic party.

I won't even vote for Al Gore unless he runs as an independent.

I would vote for Kucinich if he became the Democratic nominee because he initiated an impeachment resolution.

If the Democrats won't stop aiding and abetting torture and war crimes, and quit giving succor to Bush and Cheney, I'll never return to the Democratic party and I'll work against the Democrats, Republicans and the two-party system.

If the Democratic party chooses, like the Republican party, to be a party which officially condones torture, they are un-American and unworthy of American liberty.

[mario409]

Folks, be aware Blogger Paul here is likely a G.O.P. plant hoping we all decide to not vote. I guarantee between the two party followers the Republicans are the ones who are least likely to abandon their party. Ergo, a non vote equals a vote for Giulianni and company. Again, please be aware.

[sqweels]

I've never understood this line of thinking. You don't like the fact the Democrats haven't punished the Republicans enough, so you're going to reward the Republicans?

[americanwhocares]

I understand your frustration, but not voting is only going to help repugs. I agree with you, but the only choice right now is to vote straight DEMOCRATIC, and if possible, vote for the democratic candidate running against an incumbent democrat who has shown themselves to be spineless, like Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, but Vote none the less, Please. I still hold out hope the democratic party will get their act together.

[indypete]

Paul, don't give up on the dems. True they're a bunch of clowns but, I've said it before (and been verbally beaten up aboout it) they're the lesser of two evils. We only have two choices. Independents, greens and whatever don't have a chance and all siphon votes from the dems. If you work against the dems you play right into the repubs' hands. Remember, the right-wingers love Nader! First thing we have to do is get the dems in with a few liberal moles in place then we may begin to roll back the horrible things that have led to the shape we're in. It'll take a long time but your children may live to see the benefits.

[provgrays]

American liberty? It doesn't exist. If we could recognize it, we would have taken to the streets to protest two stolen elections as well as the warrantless wiretapping that is a reality now.

American liberty? Don't insult the memory of a once tangible part of our identity. On the whole, we are not worthy of our founding ideals and most people couldn't pick them out of a line up.

[Ipanema]

Bush cannot make a recess appointment, as Gonzo's resignation date is 17 Sept 07, by which time the spineless Dems will be back in Washington and Congress will be in session. Nice however to see Beto go, he was a disgrace to the office.

[BigTuna]

Thanks, I totally overlooked the resignation date. Now I'm *really* interested in seeing how this plays out. It's long been speculated that Gonzales would resign this month so that Bush could appoint an interim AG without going through the pesky Senate confirmation process.

It's too much of a coincidence that it played out exactly as expected so far. I predict that the White House will read between the lines of the Constitution (imagine that!) and appoint Chertoff under the recess rule anyway. They'll say that the Constitution does not prevent recess appointments from being made proactively. Congressional Democrats will be outraged, and it will be added to the list of issues this administration intends to resolve by running out the clock.

[NoContest]

interesting news, i had not seen that about that corn fed Senatur frum Texas.

Slimey bunch, them bush crowd.

[Decipherer]

With all the other things we have to worry about, I do not think a recess appointment to replace "Fredo" is one of them.

First, he indicated that the resignation is effective September 17, 2007, after the Congress returns to session next week.

Second, reports have indicated that the Solictor General will be acting AG until a replacement is confirmed.

Third, and by far the most shaky of the reasons why a recess appointment will not occur, is that President Bush agreed with the Senate Democratic leadership not to make such appointments during the August recess. To believe this actually requires you to trust the Bush administration.

If you do, might I interest you in some real estate in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans?

[ArmandAllegro]

The Daily Show is on holiday. Coincidence?