The Gonzales Testimony: "A Performance Among The Worst I've Seen By A Public Official"
(CBS)
It is hard to know which is more disappointing. Alberto R. Gonzales’ miserable performance yesterday before the Senate Judiciary Committee or President Bush’s announcement yesterday afternoon that he was “pleased” with the testimony of his Attorney General.
I watched the contentious hearing for hours Thursday and cannot for the life of me think of a single moment that could have “pleased” the President. In fact, given Mr. Bush’s travel plans Thursday—he flew to Ohio and was gone from Washington from 11:10 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.—it’s unclear to me whether or how the President even could have watched the testimony that he later endorsed so heartily. And, indeed, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told CBS News this morning that the President was “updated” on the Gonzales hearing but that she does not know whether Mr. Bush actually saw any part of the proceedings.
Certainly, the President could not have been “pleased” when Republican Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma called upon Gonzales to resign as Attorney General. Mr. Bush could not have been pleased when Republican Senator Lindsay Graham of South Carolina called the Attorney General’s explanations for firing eight U.S. Attorneys last year “a stretch.” The President surely was not pleased when Republican Senator Arlen Specter, the ranking member of the Committee, told Gonzales that “the reality is that your characterization of your participation is just significantly, if not totally, at variance with the facts." And those were just the Republicans. You can only imagine what the Democrats had to say...
