That's Al Folks - Alberto Gonzales receives a full scale send-off from...

DEMS TO BUSH: A.G. MUKASEY? NOT SO FAST | Air America Radio

DEMS TO BUSH: A.G. MUKASEY? NOT SO FAST Air America Radio:

"Patrick Leahy warned yesterday that Mukasey will not get confirmed until the
Judiciary committee gets the information it wants on the US attorney firings and
the warrantless wiretapping program: “All I want is the material we need to ask
some questions about the former attorney general’s conduct, on torture and
warrantless wiretapping, so we can legitimately ask, ‘Here’s what was done in
the past, what will you do?"

This is a sly trick, and I don't think that the White House is going to go for it. It is open blackmail if you ask me. Holding up the confirmation as a means to the political ends of the democrats. The justice department will suffer, and the country will suffer. If this man is able and trusted for the job, put him in office, he may be an ally. Starting off the relationship of congress with the new AG in this manner will not enable a trust worthy relationship in the future.

Bush nominates ex-judge to replace Gonzales - CNN.com

Bush nominates ex-judge to replace Gonzales - CNN.com:

"WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush announced Monday that he is nominating a
former federal judge, Michael Mukasey, as attorney general. If confirmed
by the Senate, Mukasey will replace Alberto Gonzales"

He sounds like a strong, ethical and balanced position for the job. The office really needs someone who can bring the sides together, to work out our real national problems.

Bush Expected to Name Judge as Gonzales’s Successor - New York Times

Bush Expected to Name Judge as Gonzales’s Successor - New York Times:

"Unlike Mr. Gonzales, Mr. Mukasey is not a close confidante of the president.
Nor is he a Washington insider. But people in both political parties say he
possesses the two qualities that Mr. Bush has been looking for in a nominee: a
law-and-order sensibility that dovetails with the president’s agenda for the war
on terror, and the potential to avoid a bruising confirmation battle with the
Democrats who now run the Senate."

Imagine where we would be now if he had made choices like this from the beginning. I think that Bush, when he got to be president, thought that he could do what he wanted, when he wanted. He didn't understand that even the most powerful office in the land has to work with congress and world leaders to get things done. I hope that he is a good AG, and that he can put some of this pain behind us.

New leading choice for Attorney General says CNN - AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth

New leading choice for Attorney General says CNN - AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth:

"CNN's John King's reported the 'Breaking News' that there's a new leading
candidate for Attorney General: Former Federal Judge Michael Mukasey. According
to King, Mukasey is acceptable to some Democrats. That, of course, means the
wing-nuts are freaking out. They want a fight for Ted Olson. "

If we could dig up President Ford and bring him back to life, I think he should be the new AG. What the country needs right now is someone who can work to heal the battle scars that are open in Washington right now. I think this goes back to Clinton as much as it goes back to Bush. Our government has stopped governing. We need someone who can walk into this battle, set right what needs to be set right let go what should be let go, and most important get the government moving again.

Gonzales leaves Justice Department - USATODAY.com

Gonzales leaves Justice Department - USATODAY.com:

"WASHINGTON — Resigning Attorney General Alberto Gonzales left the
scandal-scarred Justice Department on Friday, declaring himself hopeful about
its mission of ferreting out crime and defending the truth."

This is not the last we have heard of Alberto though. There are questions that remain to be answered in many peoples minds.

"Ted Olson will not be confirmed"

"Ted Olson will not be confirmed"

Senate Democrats will block Ted Olson from succeeding Alberto Gonzales as
attorney general if President Bush nominates him, Majority Leader Harry Reid
said Wednesday."Ted Olson will not be confirmed," Reid, D-Nev., said in a
written statement. "I intend to do everything I can to prevent him from being
confirmed as the next attorney general."The comment gave weight to Republican
warnings that Olson, a former solicitor general, would face brutal confirmation
hearings and that the White House can't afford a fight now over who will head
the troubled federal law enforcement agency."It would be unfortunate to nominate
someone who can't be confirmed," Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala. and a member of the
Judiciary Committee, said earlier in the day.

It could be the case, that Bush doesn't care about if Olson can win or not. If his nomination gets blocked in congress, Bush can go to the people and blame the Democrats for the road block.

SON OF GONZO: BUSH NEARS CHOICE TO LEAD JUSTICE

SON OF GONZO: BUSH NEARS CHOICE TO LEAD JUSTICE

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11 — The White House is closing in on a nominee to replace
Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, with former Solicitor General Theodore B.
Olson considered one of the leading candidates, administration and Congressional
officials said Tuesday.

Reports of Mr. Olson’s candidacy suggested that President Bush, in choosing the third attorney general of his presidency, might defy calls from Democrats and choose another Republican who is considered a staunch partisan to lead the Justice Department. Mr. Gonzales is departing after being repeatedly accused of allowing political loyalties to blind him to independently enforcing the law.

Does this mean we are going to have to go through a very long and hard confirmation process?

Election Central | Talking Points Memo:

Election Central Talking Points Memo:

"Former Solicitor General Ted Olson
Former Attorney General Bill Barr
Former Deputy Attorney General George Terwilliger
D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals JudgeLaurence Silberman
Former Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson
MichaelMukasey, a former judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York."

This is the rumored short list for replacement of Gonzales. I don't know much about any of these people, but I will dig up some information to share.

Watching Those We Chose: Gonzo is still under the gun

Watching Those We Chose: Gonzo is still under the gun:

"In a letter today to Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), Fine said his office
'has ongoing investigations' related to Gonzales's testimony on several key
issues, including the prosecutor firings and allegations of improper hiring; the
National Security Agency's Terrorist Surveillance Program; the FBI's use of
national security letters; and allegations that Gonzales sought to improperly
influence a witness who was under investigation by Congress and the Justice
Department. Gonzales's often contradictory remarks and his repeated assertions
that he could not recall key events drew fire from lawmakers of both parties and
contributed to his dwindling support on Capitol Hill."

Sounds like Gonzales might be out of his job, but he isn't out of trouble yet. There are some who have assumed that he took the step to resign knowing that an investigation being launched inside the justice department was getting close to putting him in a corner.

NBC’s Matt Lauer: Good Thing 'Piñata' Alberto Gonzales Forced Out | NewsBusters.org

NBC’s Matt Lauer: Good Thing 'Piñata' Alberto Gonzales Forced Out NewsBusters.org:

"'James, you know, Ari's talking about the venom in Washington right now
and when it comes right down to it, strange dynamic, an only-in-Washington
story. There are a lot of Democrats who just victimized and villainized Alberto
Gonzales over these last eight months, but when it comes right down to it this
morning, are not all that happy he's gone, because in some ways they've lost a
piñata, haven't they?'"

It is going to be hard to find outrage about this because Gonzales himself has been so unpopular. That aside, as I pointed out with Andy Rooney's comments. Hispanics do not have the muscle in the current political environment to create a stir about this.

Embattled Gonzales Resigns - washingtonpost.com

Embattled Gonzales Resigns - washingtonpost.com:

"Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, one of President Bush's closest
confidants and a key architect of his controversial counterterrorism policies,
announced yesterday that he is quitting after seven months of bitter
confrontation with Congress over his honesty and his competence to run the
Justice Department. His resignation, submitted Sunday to President Bush and
disclosed yesterday, removes one of the nation's most controversial attorneys
general since the Watergate era. He will leave behind a Justice Department
battered by allegations that partisan politics has infected its law enforcement
mission."

I hope that they don't put Bat Boy Chertoff in his place.

Washington Whispers: Chertoff to replace Gonzales?

Washington Whispers: Chertoff to replace Gonzales?

Why Chertoff? Officials say he's got fans on Capitol Hill, is untouched by the
Justice prosecutor scandal, and has more experience than Gonzales did, having
served as a federal judge and assistant attorney general.

An interesting rumor going around Washington, it sounds like a lateral move to me though. This is the same person that said that we couldn't protect America from illegal immigrants, and was connected closely to the disaster in New Orleans.

Watching Those We Chose: Mike McConnell to Arlen Specter, Gonzales Was Talking About Something Far Worse Than TSP

Watching Those We Chose: Mike McConnell to Arlen Specter, Gonzales Was Talking About Something Far Worse Than TSP:

"I am going to ask a question I haven't seen in the news media. Assume McConnell
is telling the truth, how odious are those other secret programs if at least one
of them was considered more controversial by loyal Bushies than the Terrorist
Surveillance Program? Here is a follow up question you won't see asked by the
MSM. Can either a free society or the Constitution survive as long as such
programs exist unsupervised? After all the U.S. Patriot act has already repealed
Habeas Corpus. What's next? Argentina style disappearances? Star Chamber Courts?
The disbanding of Congress?"

Why is that no debate can take place without the extremes and their slippery slope arguments taking over with their shouting. No one is talking about disbanding congress, no one is talking about ending the freedoms of Americans. What is being talked about is the best way to protect American interests at home and abroad. We face new threats, and we face new enemies and if we are going to take on those new threats and new enemies we have to think in new ways. While I understand the need and the concern about oversight, it needs to be limited in scope to prevent leaks of information to the press. The administration has found one program after another leaked to the media and broadcast to the world. If we are going to protect ourselves from those who would harm us, we cannot broadcast the details of how we plan to do that to the world.

The Word

Did Gonzales Tell The Truth?

NYT Editorial: Impeach Gonzales - AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth

NYT Editorial: Impeach Gonzales - AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth:

" I don't support impeachment to 'get even.' In this case, the man in charge of
the 'Justice' in the middle of a war is a known repeat criminal. That is
unacceptable any time, let alone now. He won't go, he won't repent for his
crimes. Impeach him."

This really puts Bush in a tight place. He will not abandon Gonzales inspite of increased calls for him to go from both sides of the isle. Bush first of all won't do it because it is against his nature to not be loyal, or as he understands it, to his friends. Secondly if Gonzales were to go, that would just open the door for an even bigger battle in terms of appointing a new head for Justice.

Gingrich: Gonzales Is a Liability for America

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Captain's Quarters

Captain's Quarters: Able Danger, Alberto Gonzales, And The Senate (Update: Who Leaked It?)

"Two years ago, the tantalizing story of Able Danger came to light as three of
its team went public with information on the cutting-edge data-mining program.
Coincidentally, as the AD story got fitfully reported over the succeeding
months, the New York Times revealed an NSA surveillance plan that monitored
communications on suspected terrorist lines and cell phones from points abroad
into the US without a wiretap. Now it looks like the two may have more in common
than first thought, at least conceptually, and that may prove that Alberto
Gonzales told the truth in testimony this week in the Senate"

New information that is coming out appears to back up testimony that Gonzales has made before the Senate. It had been assumed that he was lying about the nature of the visit to the hospital room to visit John Ashcroft, because he had said that it did not involve the wire tapping. The new information brings to light a separate program that was being discussed in the White House around the same time, a program centered around data mining. It is this program that Gonzales may have been at the hospital to discuss with Ashcroft. If this is the case, while it is still dubious to be visiting a sick man in the hospital to get something approved, it does clear him of perjury.

Hearing Problems