by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright August 27, 2007
All Rights Reserved.

leaning house before Labor Day, President George W. Bush accepted the resignation of his embattled good friend Atty. Gen. Alberto Gonzales. Gonzales couldn't talk his way out of the 2006 U.S. attorneys' scandal, where eight deputy attorney generals were fired for apparently political reasons. Gonzales' testimony before Congress that he had nothing to do with the firings was contradicted by several of his personal aides, leaving a bipartisan group of senators on the Judiciary Committee, including Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Penn.) and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), calling for his resignation. “After months of unfair treatment that has created a harmful distraction at the Justice Department, Judge Gonzales decided to resign his position and I accepted his decision,” Bush said in a brief statement, sidestepping the real issue that Gonzales hurts the GOP heading into the '08 elections.

      When Bush's closest advisor and chief strategist Karl Rove stepped down unexpectedly Aug. 13, it was only a matter of time before Gonzales threw in the towel. Rove became caught in the Valerie Plame CIA leak scandal, admitting he was one of syndicated columnist Robert Novak's two sources, outing Plame in his now infamous July 14, 2003 column. Novak's revelation about Plame's identity came only eight days after Plame's husband former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV criticized Bush for twisting intelligence about Saddam's alleged stockpile of weapons of mass destruction in the run-up to the Iraq War. Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby was convicted in the Plame mess of perjury and obstruction of justice, related to revealing Plame's identity. While commuted by Bush to avoid jail-time, Libby followed Cheney's orders.

      Like the Plame affair, the White House blamed Gonzales' problems on partisan politics. “It is sad that we live in a time when a talented and honorable person like Alberto Gonzales is impeded from doing important work because his good name was dragged through the mud for political reasons,” said Bush, dismissing completely how the Justice Department under Gonzales became politicized. Whether going after Gonzales helps Democrats or not can't ignore the fact that the Justice Department under Rove's influence and Gonzales' direction fell under White House control. It's not enough blaming everything on politics. Gonzales might have survived Congressional oversight had he not cited an impaired memory to account for discrepancies between his testimony and his former employees. Gonzales performed poorly under Senate questioning because he refused to come clean.

      Blaming Gonzales' fate on politics offers the best excuse but doesn't explain how or why the Justice Department fell under White House control. That's the same problem with Defense Intelligence that bypassed the CIA and created its own intelligence before and during the Iraq War. Wilson's op-ed in the New York Times infuriated Cheney because it fingered the White House for manipulating intelligence. With over 3,700 U.S. soldiers dead and over $600 billion spent on the War, Wilson's commentary raised disturbing questions about how the war was sold to the American people. Getting rid of Rove and Gonzales helps the GOP heading into an uphill battle to save the House, Senate and White House in '08. Retaining Gonzales and Rove wouldn't help rehabilitate Republican fortunes as the primaries heat up in run-up to the Iowa Caucuses in December or next January.

      For months leading up to Gonzales' resignation, Bush showed unequivocal support for his beleaguered attorney general. Despite battered approval ratings bottoming out at under 30%, Bush continued to show support for Rove and Gonzales. Unlike Libby who was thrown under the bus, Rove cleverly evaded indictment. Had it not been for Libby's wild story that he was told Plame's identity by NBC's Washington Bureau Chief Tim Russert, he too would have avoided indictment by special counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald. Bush was advised for months to send Gonzales packing but refused to let Democrats get the last word. Bush announced that Solicitor General Paul Clement would replace Gonzales' at the Justice Department while he considered a replacement. Short of a Democrat, whomever Bush picks will be met with intense scrutiny in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

      Whatever his regrets, Bush made a shrewd political move accepting Gonzales' resignation before Labor Day. Faced with a difficult road in 2008, the GOP needs to clear the slate of controversy before the primaries. Gonzales became a liability when he couldn't talk his way out of difficulty questions about his role in firings eight U.S. attorneys last December. Like Rove, Gonzales' became a lightening rod for White House cronyism, placing loyalty to the President above the Constitution. “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 that my father's best days,” Gonzales waxed philosophical announcing his resignation. What made Gonzales' days a nightmare as attorney general was that he forgot his oath to the Constitution, not the White House.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

©1999-2005 Discobolos Consulting Services, Inc.
(310) 204-8300
All Rights Reserved.