Gonzales' Support Among GOP Dwindling

Despite White House Praise, Attorney General Lacks Backing Of Republican Senators, One Demands He Quit

(CBS/AP)  A day after senators from his own party pummelled him, the pressure on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to resign kept coming, reports CBS News correspondent Jim Axelrod.

Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, a strong ally of President Bush and a former U.S. Attorney, today put out a statement saying Gonzales "should have a frank discussion with the White House. If he and the president decide that he cannot be an effective leader ... then he should resign."

The Judiciary Committee's top Republican, Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, stopped short of making that recommendation during yesterday's hearing; that decision, he said, belongs to Gonzales and the President.

Gonzales and other administration officials had hoped his appearance Thursday would produce a groundswell of support among Republicans, but there was little if any evidence of that.

"The attorney general sets the standard of leadership for the Department of Justice and the standard set by Mr. Gonzales in this situation has been unacceptably low," said Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK). "Leadership requires accountability and mistakes should have consequences. In this instance, the consequence should be the resignation of the attorney general."

Axelrod says that Republicans now feel the attorney general's hurt himself so badly with his testimony — including 71 instances of not being able to recall key events in the U.S. Attorney firings — that he may have no choice but to leave.

Gonzales gave no indication Friday that he was prepared to go anywhere.

"Please know that as you continue your work, I am by your side," he told an audience of crime victims' rights supporters. He spoke in a gravely voice the day after his long day of testimony.

Gonzales also called several GOP senators, including John Cornyn (R-Tex.) and Specter.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said President Bush had spoken with Gonzales after Thursday's hearing, and she added, "The attorney general continues to have the president's full confidence."

There was little other evidence of support for Gonzales, who has been struggling to explain last winter's firings of eight federal prosecutors.

Sen. Sam Brownback, a Kansas Republican who sits on the committee, issued a statement that notably did not urge Gonzales to remain in his post.

"Although his answers suggested that there were serious managerial issues at the Department of Justice, I did not see a factual basis to call for his resignation. As for whether the attorney general should resign, that is a question I leave to him and to the president," he said.

There were also fresh calls from Democrats for Gonzales to step down. "The president should restore credibility to the office of the attorney general. Alberto Gonzales must resign," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California.

Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), another member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said, "I have very little confidence in Attorney General Gonzales’ ability to manage the Justice Department an in independent, non-political manner."

Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida, who doubles as the general chairman of the Republican Party, had no immediate reaction to Gonzales' appearance.

In several hours before the Judiciary Committee on Thursday, Gonzales said he had done nothing improper in firing the eight prosecutors, but conceded the case had been badly handled.

Several Republicans made plain their unhappiness.

Specter told Gonzales his description of events was "significantly if not totally at variance with the facts."

"Why is your story changing?" Charles Grassley of Iowa asked at one point, citing differences between an earlier explanation and the hearing testimony.

Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, after hearing the attorney general's account of the case, said, "Most of this is a stretch," and added it seemed to him that some of those dismissed "just had personality conflicts with people in your office or the White House and (officials) just made up reasons to fire them."

At the White House on Friday, Perino lavished praise on Gonzales. "He has done a fantastic job at the Department of Justice. He is our No. 1 crime fighter. He has done so much to help keep this country safe from terrorists. He has worked determinately to prevent predators from attacking our children," she said.

"He has worked — they have a fantastic record of fighting corruption in government and in keeping gang violence off our streets."

[wmb57]

I wonder why they have a DOJ at all. There is no voter fraud, immigration doesn't work. They don't bother stopping drugs coming over the border, so why bother prosecuting it here?

I guess its just so some washington types can buy off their buddies and feel powerful.

Read this case:
http://www.freeborderagents.com/?p=15

[forthepeopl1]

1.) CAN ANY OF YOU TELL ME AND THE ENTIRE WORLD THIS, WHAT IS THE DATE THAT CONGRESS SIGN AND DECLARED WAR!!! ON THIS NATION OF IRAQ????.

2.) CONGRESS, NOT THE PRESIDENT OR ANY OTHER WHITEHOUSE MOUSE CAN DECLARE WAR ON ANYOTHER COUNTRY OR NATION.THIS IS IN OUR CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. AND YES WHITEHOUSE THE CONSTITUTION IS OUR COUNTRY%u2019S LAWS, IT ISN%u2019T JUST A PIECE OF PAPER AS THE PRESIDENT STATED%u2026..

3.) WHAT GIVE ANY OF YOU IN WASHINGTON THE RIGHT TO HAVE ANY OF OUR TROOPS IN ARMS WAY OF ANOTHER COUNTRY%u2019S CIVIL WAR???????? PLEASE EXPLAIN THIS TO ALL THE FAMILYS OF OUR TROOPS.

4.) WHAT GIVES THE WHITEHOUSE AND ALL ITS STAFF THE RIGHT TO LIE TO AMERICA????. THIS IS AMERICA ISN%u2019T IT?? THERE IS LAWS THEY STILL HAVE TO FOLLOW

6.) WHO AND WHAT GIVES CONGRESS AND ANYONE IN THE WHITEHOUSE STAFF INCLUDING the president,v.p.***,rumsfeld,AND rove the right to not be prosecuted for not obeying our CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

7.) I BELIEVE IT WILL TAKE A UNITED REVOLUTION IN THIS COUNTRY TO SET OUR COUNTRY BACK ON COURSE. WITH THE WILL OF THIS COUNTRY ON MY SIDE WE THE PEOPLE WILL WIN OUR COUNTRY BACK.

8.) THANK YOU AND GOD BLASS YOU ALL DAVID A BELANGER,VET,U.S.ARMY.

9.) [e-mail]

SO CONGRESS PLEASE EXPLAIN THIS.

[lastdance2]

"Treason"

Has no dignity !!!

Research :

Sen. Prescott Bush (Guardian Unlimited)

[lastdance2]

"Treason"

Has no dignity !!!

Loyal party members.

Theres a lot more to this.
Than the news media, wants the world to know.

1934

Hitler replaced attorneys and judges.
With his own loyal party members.

Then totally ignorded, the Fundamental Laws of Germany.

Loyal Party members


Lastdance

[randalds]

I say,let him stay!he's the poster boy of Republican corruption. You go didn't inhale!

Posted by realpatriot1 at 09:13 PM : Apr 22, 2007

I agree! The longer he stays the more he fu*cks up. The more he fu*cks up the better it is for real people in this country! Let's keep this bubbling boob, this embarrassment to the most embarrassing administration in the public eye for as long as we can because he is the perfect illustration of the idiots running the executive branch!

Come on Gonzo! Hang on for dear life for as long as you can! It's fun to watch you and your Master twisting in the wind!

[rfield9]

- Gonzales and other administration officials had hoped his appearance Thursday would produce a groundswell of support among Republicans, but there was little if any evidence of that. -

That's funny. They'd hoped the Rovian model of
be wrong / be loud / never waiver / never acknowledge facts, would once again dupe the sheep.

Sorry Karl - it's over...


- Despite White House Praise, Attorney General Lacks Backing -

"Gonzali, you're doin a heck of a job!"


Only the morons remain on the RNC Titanic my
friends. Only the morons -

[tucano2]

Gonzales states he is interested in doing something good for the USA. Well Gonzales, the best thing you can do is leave your public employment. It will also be good for you to return to your roots in mexico.

[realpatriot1]

firststate,

It's pretty funny the way that didn't inhale thinks were crying while Gonzo stays.

Actually, I'm laughing at the conservative Senators begging for him to go in the hope that will make this go away before the e-mails are produced.

I say,let him stay!he's the poster boy of Republican corruption. You go didn't inhale!

[stevex47]

And to add firststate,
"Don't you just hate it when reality doesn't fit into your bushshit view of the way the world should be? "

The hypocrisy from the right is truly amazing. If Clinton had lost 5 million e mails, the nut jobs would have a minor issue with them then.

If Clinton had tried to sell our ports like Boosh did, they would have made a minor issue with that too.

Reich wing, the party of hypocritical criminals.

[goldesprit]

"Leadership requires accountability and mistakes should have consequences. In this instance, the consequence should be the resignation of the attorney general." --Sen. Tom Coburn (Republican-OKlahoma)
The Republicans like to see the buck stop with a resignation, of course!!!

NO. Try Gonzalez. See Bushes involvement and others.

Impeach Bush.

Soon they'll be saying it doesn't matter "beause we will get a new president in a year or so".

[firststate]

You know, its only liberals who call emails "documents".
Posted by booyaw_77

It's not the liberals, it the law. The presidential records act of 1978 provides the definition of presidential records subject to the act as follows:

"The term 'documentary material' means all books, correspondence, memorandums, documents, papers, pamphlets, works of art, models, pictures, photographs, plats, maps, films, and motion pictures, including, but not limited to, audio, audiovisual, or other electronic or mechanical recordations."

Don't you just hate it when reality doesn't fit into your bushshit view of the way the world should be?

[david1737]

hu7bris

excessive pride or self-confidence; arrogance.

[firststate]

Actually its only Arrogence bordering on Hubris your confused. Now give me 500 words on how the V Tech massacre is also the presidents fault ok?
Posted by didntinhale

First, if you're going to correct another's use of the English language, you might want to do a better job, yourself. I assume you meant "arrogance," not "arrogence." Your use "your" when you clearly intended to use the contraction for you are, "you're" is another little, oops. Your kind love to find fault with anyone with whom you disagree, but are blinded by the Bushshit of your leader. Maybe it's hard to see from the A$$kissing position.

You say it's arrogance bordering on hubris, I say it's well-across that border. It's excessive arrogance or pride, and therefore conforms to the definition of hubris. Any pride with respect to the competence of the DickNBush gang is excessive. Shrub has, however shown consistency if not competence, and he's run the country precisely as well as he ran his businesses; he ran them into the ground, too.

The meticulously planned and completed murders at Virginia Tech can't be blamed on shrub. That killer was mentally ill, too, but he had the decency to commit suicide after his murders. Shrub's "daddy" issues or even worse excuses resulted in his war in Iraq. His war has killed one hundred times as many of our military and thousands of times as many Iraqis, yet Shrub is alive and as well as a delusional sociopath can be.

[antoniof123]

Another day another lie. Just keep it up we will remeber you.

[liberalvet]

You know, its only liberals who call emails "documents".
Posted by booyaw_77 at 01:08 PM : Apr 22, 2007

Actually they are consider RECORDS and therefore fall under control of records management directives and can not be destroyed until the retention period has been met for the document that the email pertains to. Since these emails primary subjects were the attornies performance and dismissals they would be consider records of personnel documents. In most government agencies the retention period for personnel records is 5 years. Either way you slice it this administration is obstructing justice by not turning those RECORDS over. And I do not beleive for one minute those RECORDS were completely deleted, this group of thugs and cowards just do not want the truth to come out.

[iceman_1960]

"Now give me 500 words on how the V Tech massacre is also the presidents fault ok? =) "
- Posted by didntinhale at 05:21 PM : Apr 22, 2007

On the last McLaughlin Group broadcast, Eleanor Clift and Lawrence O'Donnell did just that.

I didn't count the number of words between them. It may have been 500.

They pointed out that Bush had let the strong gun laws of the Clinton administration slide, with tragic results.

[iceman_1960]

"sheer hubris of the administration"

No, it's just chutzpah.

Only tragic heroes like Prometheus or Heracles can achieve hubris.

Nobody in this administration is either tragic or heroic.

[iceman_1960]

"Iceman,

Don't believe everything you read abut Republicans especially. GW was in National Guard or was he?..."
- Posted by billysmith6 at 03:40 PM : Apr 22, 2007

I'm always such a s*ucker for Republican propaganda. I just seem to accept everything the White House says.

I don't know what my problem is. I should seek help.

[firststate]

didntinhale
From a purely partisan point of view, one that Bushies thrive upon, it's better for the Democratic Party for Freddo to stay on as AG. Each day he's in office provides additional reminders of the incompetence and the sheer hubris of the administration. It's a reminder that these people think that whatever is advantageous for them is inherently good and that no action toward that end can be deemed excessive. It's the Napoleonic "L'Etat c'est moi" school of thought. Unfortunately, no individual is the nation in the United States, nor is any individual above the law, although that seems an area of some confusion for DickNBush. The last attempt to create an quasi-official cult around the national leader of a major power was in Germany in the 1930's.

Even though Freddo's continued tenure at DOJ is good for the Democratic party, most Democrats still care about the nation enough to want to see this bushshit lightning rod gone, no matter how much good he does for them while he's in office.

Of course shrub stands behind freddo. Freddo knows where all the bush skeletons are buried, having shovelled dirt on many of them, himself. It's not reasonable to assume that hiding shrub's criminal record was freddo's only acquaintance with shrub's darker activities. The two are in a symbiotic relationship in order to advance the dark side in America.

[jon_mccain]

ROFLMAO!! Gonzales is another black eye for the GOP, the longer he stays, the longer Bush's and the GOPs corruption stays front and center. The 2008 elections will further marginalize the Republicans and dunderheads like didntinhale.