Hey, Let's Defund Alberto Gonzales' Office!

As most of you know, there was recently some earnest talk about hastening the end of the Iraq War by Congress exercising its power of the purse and defunding ongoing operations over there.

Whle that hasn't happened, I've been grooving on the concept that the people's representatives do indeed have the ability to influence public policy by defunding certain operations or agencies.

Given the abuses of power by the firings of nine U.S. Attorneys by the office of Bush's lapdog Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, I'm wondering if it would be Constiutional for Congress to take a financial scalpel to some of Gonzales' ongoing operations.

Done with care not to defund existing enforcement and trial actions, I think that a funding slash would send a powerful message. This acton could be implemented with a benchmark- and only be reversible if:

Gonzales resigned, AND

His successor hired the nine fired U.S. Attorneys back.

Not all of them would come back, but I do believe some would if only to get the last laugh.