News & Politics - US Attorney General Gonzales resigns

migamoo · 08-27-2007, 11:10 AM

Quote:

US Attorney General Gonzales resigns - Yahoo! News

WASHINGTON - Alberto Gonzales, the nation's first Hispanic attorney general, announced his resignation Monday, driven from office after a wrenching standoff with congressional critics over his honesty and competence.

Republicans and Democrats alike had demanded his departure over the botched handling of FBI terror investigations and the firings of U.S. attorneys, but President Bush had defiantly stood by his Texas friend for months until accepting his resignation last Friday.

"After months of unfair treatment that has created a harmful distraction at the Justice Department, Judge Gonzales decided to resign his position and I accept his decision," Bush said from Texas, where he is vacationing.

Solicitor General Paul Clement will be acting attorney general until a replacement is found and confirmed by the Senate, Bush said.

Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff was among those mentioned as possible successors, though a senior administration official said the matter had not been raised with Chertoff. Bush leaves Washington next Monday for Australia, and Gonzales' replacement might not be named by then, the official said.

"It has been one of my greatest privileges to lead the Department of Justice," Gonzales said, announcing his resignation effective Sept. 17 in a terse statement. He took no questions and gave no reason for stepping down.

Bush said the attorney general's "good name was dragged through the mud for political reasons." Though some Republicans echoed the president's veiled slap at Democrats, Gonzales had few defenders left in Washington.

Many Republicans actually welcomed his departure, some quietly and others publicly so.

Congressional aides and lawmakers agreed that any nomination of a new attorney general was almost certain to be acrimonious. The easiest prospects, some said, might be a current or former colleague of senators charged with the confirmation. Sen. Arlen Specter, the ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee, told reporters Monday that he would not accept the job, if offered.

But, he said, another current or former senator "might be just the ticket."

"If you have a former senator or a present senator or somebody who is well known to the Senate or the committee...that's always a big help if you know the person," Specter told reporters in a telephone call as he traveled from Warsaw to Paris.

Asked, too, about whether Chertoff might be a good candidate, Specter replied:

"I think he's a first-rate prospect."

Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards applauded Gonzales' resignation, saying it was "better late than never."

The announcement came as a surprise to many in the administration. Gonzales was tight-lipped about his thinking before going on vacation more than a week ago and aides were planning events for the next several months.

After spending time with his family in Texas, however, and facing the prospect of returning to Washington for months of continued fights with Congress, he called the president on Friday.

The White House has asked anyone staying past Labor Day to stay the remainder of the president's term.

Gonzales, formerly Bush's White House counsel, served more than two years at the Justice Department. In announcing his decision, Gonzales reflected on his up-from-the-bootstraps life story; he's the son of migrant farm workers from Mexico who didn't finish elementary school.

"Even my worst days as attorney general have been better than my father's best days," Gonzales said.

Bush steadfastly — and at times angrily — refused to give in to critics, even from his own GOP, who argued that Gonzales should go.

Earlier this month at a news conference, the president grew irritated when asked about accountability in his administration and turned the tables on the Democratic Congress.

"Implicit in your questions is that Al Gonzales did something wrong. I haven't seen Congress say he's done anything wrong," Bush said testily at the time. Actually, many in Congress had accused Gonzales of wrongdoing.

After the 52-year-old Gonzales called Bush Friday, the president had him come to lunch at his ranch on Sunday as a parting gesture, a senior administration official said.

Gonzales, whom Bush once considered for appointment to the Supreme Court, is the fourth top-ranking administration official to leave since November 2006, following Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, who had a high-ranking Pentagon job before going to the World Bank as its president, and top political and policy adviser Karl Rove.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., reacted to the announcement by saying the Justice Department under Gonzales had "suffered a severe crisis of leadership that allowed our justice system to be corrupted by political influence."

As attorney general and earlier as White House counsel, Gonzales pushed for expanded presidential powers, including the eavesdropping authority. He drafted controversial rules for military war tribunals and sought to limit the legal rights of detainees at Guantanamo Bay — prompting lawsuits by civil libertarians who said the government was violating the Constitution in its pursuit of terrorists.

"Alberto Gonzales was never the right man for this job. He lacked independence, he lacked judgment, and he lacked the spine to say no to Karl Rove," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

In a warning to the White House, Reid suggested that investigations into the Justice Department will not end until Congress gets "to the bottom of this mess."

One matter still under investigation is the 2006 dismissal of several federal prosecutors, who serve at the president's pleasure. Lawmakers said the action appeared to be politically motivated, and some of the fired U.S. attorneys said they felt pressured to investigate Democrats before elections.

Gonzales maintained that the dismissals were based the prosecutors' lackluster performance records.

In April, Gonzales answered "I don't know" and "I can't recall" scores of times while questioned by Congress about the firings. Even some Republicans said his testimony was evasive.

Not Bush. The president praised Gonzales' performance and said the attorney general was "honest" and "honorable."

In 2004, Gonzales pressed to reauthorize a secret domestic spying program over the Justice Department's protests. Gonzales was White House counsel at the time and during a dramatic hospital confrontation he and then-White House chief of staff Andrew Card sought approval from then-Attorney General John Ashcroft, who was in intensive care recovering from surgery. Ashcroft refused.

Similarly, Gonzales found himself on the defensive as recently as March because of the FBI's improper and, in some cases, illegal prying into Americans' personal information during terror and spy probes.

Can't say that I'm sad to see him go.

ceilirose · 08-27-2007, 11:15 AM

Yeah and tomorrow he'll tell the media that he has no recollection of ever turning in his resignation and Bush will tell people to stop hounding him. He's working hard and a hard worker.

Good riddance but he's already done his damage.

Indian Summer · 08-27-2007, 11:20 AM

I'm not a fan of Chertoff taking over, though. I don't see how this move will help at all. If I felt that he'd be replaced with someone better, sure, but it seems like it will just be more of the same.

migamoo · 08-27-2007, 11:21 AM

His actual speach:

Quote:

GONZALES: Good morning.

Thirteen years ago I entered public service to make a positive difference in the lives of others. And during this time I have traveled a remarkable journey, from my home state of Texas to Washington, D.C., supported by the unwavering love and encouragement of my wife Rebecca and our sons Jared, Graham and Gabriel.

Yesterday I met with President Bush and informed him of my decision to conclude my government service as attorney general of the United States effective as of September 17th, 2007.

Let me say that it's been one of my greatest privileges to lead the Department of Justice. I have great admiration and respect for the men and women who work here. I have made a point as attorney general to personally meet as many of them as possible, and today I want to again thank them for their service to our nation.

It is through their continued work that our country and our communities remain safe, that the rights and civil liberties of our citizens are protected, and the hopes and dreams of all of our children are secured.

I often remind our fellow citizens that we live in the greatest country in the world and that I have lived the American dream. Even my worst days as attorney general have been better than my father's best days.

Public service is honorable and noble. And I am profoundly grateful to President Bush for his friendship and for the many opportunities he has given me to serve the American people.

Thank you, and God bless America.

END

migamoo · 08-27-2007, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Indian Summer (View Post)

I'm not a fan of Chertoff taking over, though.

Oh, yeah, I know. Ashleigh came screaming into my room today saying, "Did you see who might take over for Gonzales?!" I was like, "No." She told me Chertoff and I just groaned. It's from going bad to worse. I really do not understand how Bush thinks these people are good for these positions other than they are his friends.

Not to keep posting, but I found this amusing.

Quote:

Bush: Gonzales' 'good name dragged through the mud' - CNN.com

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush on Monday said he reluctantly accepted the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, whose "good name was dragged through the mud for political reasons."

Um, yeah. What good name?

Jacob1983 · 08-27-2007, 11:27 AM

Dang, you guys are cold. What would you guys talk about if Bush wasn't president?

Indian Summer · 08-27-2007, 11:30 AM

I suspect that if Bush wasn't president, Gonzales never would've been elected, Chertoff wouldn't be potentially taking over, and we wouldn't be having this conversation.

**sunnykerr** · 08-27-2007, 11:45 AM

Yeah, I don't know if replacing Alberto "I don't recall" Gonzales with Michael "I don't think there was a sense of a lack of urgency before Katrina hit" Chertoff doesn't sound too thrilling to me, I have to say.

But kudos on the timely resignation, right? I mean, the Judiciary Committee totally ran his name through the mud for no reason. It had nothing to do with anything Gonzales ever did, right?

Man, this administration is starting to redefine the words "too little, too late."

Mind you, first Rove, now Gonzales. Looks like the ship is sinking and the rats are making a break for it.

Jacob1983 · 08-27-2007, 11:48 AM

Bush haters got their way yet again. Another person of Bush's cabinet quit. No need to gloat about it.

Summer, I meant if Bush wasn't president, what would Bush haters and bashers on this board discuss? They would have to get new material. That might be tough.

Indian Summer · 08-27-2007, 11:51 AM

I understood what you meant, Jacob, but I was highlighting how pointless the question is. There's always going to be some shortcomings in politics, something that doesn't sit right, and there will always be plenty to discuss. I think it's safer to call us America lovers than Bush haters, though. We just don't enjoy watching him run this country and the rest of the world into the ground.

Jacob1983 · 08-27-2007, 12:14 PM

You may not like how Bush is running things but you're just gonna have to deal with it. You got less than a year and a half left of Bush. If you can't survive that, then you have some serious problems.

Gonzales resigned. Case closed. You won't have to hear about him anymore. Let the man live his life and move on from his time as a member of Bush's cabinet.

Summer, are you saying that Bush is responsible for global warming?

Indian Summer · 08-27-2007, 12:22 PM

Jacob, where did I even mention global warming in this thread?

Jacob1983 · 08-27-2007, 12:41 PM

You didn't mention global warming at all. I just assumed that you did. It's not very nice when people assume false things about you, is it? Then again, with your attitude about Bush, it wouldn't surprise me if you blamed him for global warming.

**sunnykerr** · 08-27-2007, 12:59 PM

Just posting a friendly reminder to keep your personal disagreements to PMs.

Indian Summer · 08-27-2007, 12:59 PM

And I'm pretty sure you're breaking the rules, but apparently that doesn't matter to you.

Do I think Bush should've signed the Kyoto Protocol For Climate Change years ago? Yes, I most certainly do. But do I think that alone would've reversed global warming? Uh, no.


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