McCain: Gonzales Should Step Down

(CBS/AP)  Presidential contender John McCain reiterated Thursday that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales should leave office amid the growing furor over the firings of eight federal prosecutors.

"His best loyalty to the president would be served by stepping down," McCain said during a morning campaign stop in this early primary state.

The Arizona Republican senator told CNN in a report aired late Wednesday that he was disappointed with Gonzales and that the attorney general should step down. "I think loyalty to the president should enter into his calculations," McCain said in the interview with Larry King.

On Thursday, McCain was joined at his campaign stop by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and bantered with reporters about Graham being the perfect replacement as attorney general.

"It would be a very popular move in Congress," McCain said. Graham laughed, but did not address the remark and the two quickly joked when asked about sharing a presidential ticket.

"I think he'd make a lousy vice president," Graham said.

McCain's sense of humor has been criticized twice in the past week. On Tuesday night, he joked on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," that he brought an explosive device back from Iraq as a gift for the show's host. Last week, while in South Carolina, McCain gave a rendition of the opening lyrics of the Beach Boys rock classic "Barbara Ann," calling the tune "Bomb Iran" and changing the words to "bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, anyway, ah ..."

On Thursday, he said that people with military experience know that a sense of humor is vital.

"We veterans know how important a sense of humor is," he said, adding that critics have to "lighten up and get a life."

McCain is the first Republican presidential contender to urge Gonzales to resign, and the fourth Republican senator to do so, joining Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, Gordon Smith of Oregon and John Sununu of New Hampshire. Several others have stopped short of demanding Gonzales' resignation but have harshly criticized his leadership.

Mr. Bush has given Gonzales a strong vote of confidence, and the attorney general himself has vowed to remain in his post despite bipartisan criticism of his leadership. At a contentious Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last week, Gonzales claimed dozens of times that he couldn't recall key details about the firings or about a meeting that records show he attended.

During his morning speech to about 150 people in South Carolina, McCain also touted his experience and warned that a congressional timeline for pulling troops from Iraq will cause terrorism to "follow us home."

The Arizona senator lauded South Carolinians for their support of U.S. troops overseas and said he is a candidate who can wage war if necessary. "I know how to fight, and I know how to make peace," McCain said, a day after formally declaring his second White House bid.

On Wednesday, the House brushed aside a veto threat and passed legislation that would order President Bush to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq by Oct. 1. McCain predicted dire consequences.

"A date of troop withdrawal is a date for certain surrender," McCain told The Early Show's Harry Smith. "We'd have to leave. Chaos would ensue in the region and they'd follow us home."

McCain, who planned a full day of campaigning in the state, made his remarks hours before Democratic candidates were to meet in South Carolina for their first debate of the 2008 election season.

He also evoked President Ronald Reagan as he took aim at congressional spending, reminding the crowd that Reagan said Congress tended to approve spending "like a drunken sailor." McCain pledged that his presidency would quash excessive spending.

"It will be brought to halt," he said. "We've got to get spending under control."

[Joelran]

I am slowly realizing that people like didntinale truly hate america. They seem to enjoy seeing our country dragged through the mud and lose all respect in the world.
From now on, if I hear someone arguing for the war in Iraq, I will simply ask them what did the USA do to them that they hate it so much that they want our children, parents and spouses to die there. Hate it so much that they spit on our troops.
I pity them, really.

[azman80]

I tell you what. This piece of hard-*** McCain needs to step down himeself. He is a huge @sshole and liar, and not to mention he hasn't done a D@mn thing for AZ in a long time. He is a waste of flesh.

[flreason]

"didntinhale" Omigod-I can't believe that you're labelling someone based on their middle name! And how did you get so full of hate?!!! Do you think that having the middle name Herbert made Bush1 a follower of Hoover's policies or a Quaker? You need to get over your neocon-induced paranoia. If you really want to convince anyone that you're anything but a crackpot, you need to argue based on reality and logic, rather than emphasizing your ignorance by using smear tactics. Do your homework--you might learn something and get a grip on reality.

As an Independent, I look at all the candidates. Obama regular attends a Christian church and just indicated his support for Israel in the debate last night. His statement about Palestinians was taken out of context. Heard in context, it is a statement of sympathy for the suffering of others. Isn't that a Christian virtue? Hate and false witness aren't.

[mizpah63]

John McCain's opinion concerning any topic has no credibility. He has changed positions on virtually everything at least once. Sympathy votes based on age, diminishing hero status and declining mentation are not going to win him the nomination. Which prudent corporate CEO is going to obligate funds to support McCain's campaign? Of course, the big money players hedge their bets, but they are not fools who lavish dollars on has-been, hack politicians. They have expectations for a return on their investment. This begs the question, "What are McCain's sources of campaign financing?" Tell us about the soft money you were at one time so opposed to, Senator. You changed your position on that too, didn't you? Mr. McCain is an appalling example of what happens to a person's integrity when he or she is driven by power and avarice.

[randalds]

"Remember, it took a Republican controlled Congress to pass the FIRST prescription benefit EVER). Please, wake up and grow a brain....."
Posted by BIGDADPATRIO at 07:28 PM : Apr 26, 2007

You must not be a senior citizen. I know from my mother-in-law that your "FIRST prescription benefit EVER)" is not that great. You make it sound like they are giving away prescriptions. Not so, and they (those Republicans, again) refused to allow any sort of competitive bidding for prescription prices.
Posted by barbaraf4 at 11:57 PM : Apr 26, 2007

And the lack of competitive bidding means that the big drug companies can charge the taxpayers pretty much anything they want to for the drugs...and they do. The prescription drug program would be great IF if had competitive pricing, but Bush said he would veto any version that did. It is now a huge windfall for the drug companies hidden under a good sounding idea.

tdweb wrote:

"Attorney General Alberto Gonzales claims he did nothing wrong, I agree with the 1st part of that statement, he did nothing! He did nothing while the U.S. inherited a new illegal minority population from Mexico some 18 million plus strong! Did Attorney General Alberto Gonzales look the other way and not go after the 18 million illegals because of cultural sympathy? Its a fair question! You are right sir, you did nothing and that's the problem! Very few people would stay in office and would have resigned under similar circumstances especially with so many U.S. Senators showing a lack of confidence. The U.S. Attorney General should not be a close friend of the U.S. President anyway, this is business, nothing personal!"

You know, for once I am inclined to agree with you on this one - at least in part.

[barbaraf4]

"Remember, it took a Republican controlled Congress to pass the FIRST prescription benefit EVER). Please, wake up and grow a brain....."
Posted by BIGDADPATRIO at 07:28 PM : Apr 26, 2007

You must not be a senior citizen. I know from my mother-in-law that your "FIRST prescription benefit EVER)" is not that great. You make it sound like they are giving away prescriptions. Not so, and they (those Republicans, again) refused to allow any sort of competitive bidding for prescription prices.

[tbweb]

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales claims he did nothing wrong, I agree with the 1st part of that statement, he did nothing! He did nothing while the U.S. inherited a new illegal minority population from Mexico some 18 million plus strong! Did Attorney General Alberto Gonzales look the other way and not go after the 18 million illegals because of cultural sympathy? Its a fair question! You are right sir, you did nothing and that's the problem! Very few people would stay in office and would have resigned under similar circumstances especially with so many U.S. Senators showing a lack of confidence. The U.S. Attorney General should not be a close friend of the U.S. President anyway, this is business, nothing personal!

[tucano2]

Why allow Gonzales to resign? Any boss with a backbone would have fired the s.o.b. months ago.
Get 'er done.

[djermano1]

The whole lot of knuckleheads heads should resign. From GW Bushy with his wag attack dog Cheney. They should be impeached and locked up in Gitmo.