Gonzales No Confidence Vote Dies In Senate

(CBS/AP)  Republicans handily blocked a symbolic vote of no confidence against Attorney General Albert Gonzales in the Senate on Monday, turning back a Democratic effort to prod him from office after lawmakers in both parties questioned his competence and his evasive answers to questions about the dismissals of U.S. attorneys.

The 53-38 vote fell seven short of the 60 votes required under U.S. Senate rules to move the nonbinding resolution to a formal debate. In bringing it up, Democrats dared Republicans to vote their true feelings about the attorney general, who had alienated even the White House's strongest defenders by bungling the firings of eight federal prosecutors and claiming dozens of times that he did not recall details of their departures.

Republicans did not defend him, but most voted on constitutional grounds against moving the resolution to formal consideration and accused Democrats of trying to prod Gonzales from office. That development seemed unlikely in the short term. Gonzales dismissed the rhetorical ruckus on Capitol Hill, and President George W. Bush continued to stand by his longtime friend and legal adviser.

"They can have their votes of no confidence, but it's not going to make the determination about who serves in my government," Bush said in Sofia, Bulgaria, the last stop on a weeklong visit to Europe.

"This process has been drug out a long time," Bush added. "It's political."

The attorney general said he was paying no attention to the rhetoric in Congress.

"I am not focusing on what the Senate is doing," Gonzales said at a nuclear terrorism conference in Miami. "I am going to be focusing on what the American people expect of the attorney general of the United States and this great Department of Justice."

Democrats and Republicans have widely criticized Gonzales for botching the firings of the prosecutors, claiming not to know who ordered the dismissals and causing the Justice Department to fall into disarray as a result. Lawmakers of both parties also have long complained that Gonzales allowed Justice to violate civil liberties on a host of other issues — such as by carrying out Bush's warrantless wiretapping program.

It's all about political symbolism, since only the president can decide if Gonzales stays or goes, CBS News correspondent Bob Fuss reports. A lot of Republicans are unhappy with Gonzales, but say this "no-confidence" vote was a stunt.

One veteran Republican said Gonzales had spent his political capital in the Senate.

"There is no confidence in the attorney general on this side of the aisle," said Sen. Arlen Specter, the senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Specter voted to move the resolution forward, but he said many of his GOP colleagues would not because they feared political retribution.

Democrats said it was only fair to put senators on record for or against Gonzales, particularly since five Republican senators have demanded the attorney general's resignation and many more have said in public comments that they had lost confidence in him.

"If senators cast their vote with their conscience, they would speak with near unanimity that there is no confidence in the attorney general," said the resolution's author, Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer. "Their united voice would undoubtedly dislodge the attorney general from the post that he should no longer hold."

Sen. Trent Lott, the Senate's second-ranking Republican, said it is inappropriate for the Senate to hold forth on a member of the president's cabinet, and that doing so would boomerang.

"This is a nonbinding, irrelevant resolution proving what? Nothing," Lott said. "Maybe we should be considering a vote of no confidence on the Senate or on the Congress for malfunction and an inability to produce anything."

[mayihavemore]

Congressman Jefferson faces indictment. Gonzales upholds laws that takes away legal cititzens birth-rights. Republicans outraged about Jefferson (as we all should be). No confidence vote on Gonzales rejected. Stop the insanity.

[firststate]

How many Senators expressed confidence in Gonzales or even said that he should stay on as AG? When combined with their "stunt" to keep the substantive vote off the floor, their lack of confidence in Gonzales proves that they still value loyalty to bush over their duty to Americans.

[r9119111]

There is a new book on the market. It is a must read.

"The Assault On Reason"

It might be good idea to check it out at the book store.

[vet_sk]

There's a difference between reading faulty intelligence and actually believing it. How can you even begin to blame Clinton for having faulty intelligence and not acting on? That makes no sense.

Yeah, Bush had his staff read the intelligence after he already decided that Afghanistan was not fun enough for him and made a decision to invade Iraq.

Remember a lot of us real war veterans were marching before the war started in 2003 saying how rediculous this whole thing was. Scott Ritter the marine weapons inspector with Hans Blix were on every channel screaming that there were no WMDs. But Bush pressed ahead and invaded - making him and his administration and bunch of war criminals (Geneva Conventions 1947, 1949).

They still did not have enough and have authorized torture.

Make sure you get this because those who agree with this war and think we got there under nobel purposes: Do not torture people to save me or my life. My life and those I care about mean a lot more to me then to ever torture anyone in their good names.

Can anyone else believe what has happened to our country. It is so sad.

[vet_sk]

My God man! How can you continue to blame this on Clinton. Don't you remember when Bush's transition team were coming into the Whitehouse and the Clinton people were telling them the greatest threat to the US were from terrorists. Instead of acting on that, Bush passed tax cuts for his rich friends.

And then how can you not attest to the Presidential Daily Brief where Bush and Admin were warned about upcoming attacks from airplanes and did nothing. Makes one think about how and why Bush got his real power after this, doesn't it.

And Gonzales is just another example of the incompetence of this administration. "I don't recall that meeting;" "I don't recall signing that." That's okay from a perp but what about from an attorney general? What about from a President. There all way over their head.

[tejasdemo]

Is anyone else here totally sick and tired of hearing all the whining, pisssing and moaning about Clinton and the MSM?????
Is anyoe else here completely sick and tired of these "no acountability" asssholes for the last 6 years?
How utterly absurd are these third graders????
How many redundant brainless zombies have the right wing talk show hosts created? You would think they were right out of a north korean brainwashing program.
Posted by ainttaken at 05:47 PM : Jun 12, 2007

i'm sick of it

[tejasdemo]

9/11 HAPPENED BECAUSE CLINTON WAS TOO BUSY USING HIS HEAD FOR SOMETHING ELSE. I WILL BLAME THAT BASTARDO TIL THE DAY HE DIES. AND SINCE YOU ALL B/ITCH ABOUT FAULTY INTELLIGENCE, WELL WE CERTAINLY HAD FAULTY INTELLIGENCE BEFORE GB. AND AS FAR AS THE KENNEDY ASSASINATION, THAT WAS THE CLINTOID'S HERO. GOOD ROLE MODEL WOULDN'T YA SAY. AND CHENEY'S RATING IS AT 18%. CHECK REID'S TOMORROW.
Posted by mudrose at 04:55 PM : Jun 12, 2007

Faulty intelligence ? No. Faulty and outright fraudulent use of good intelligence ? Yes.

9/11 HAPPENED BECAUSE CLINTON WAS TOO BUSY USING HIS HEAD FOR SOMETHING ELSE ?

A: Simpleton response. Bill was long gone when it happened.

Kennedy was a great Pres.

Cheney ? 18% ? Where, Fox ? In my opinion,Cheney doesnt even register a rating anymore, but I'm sure he'll at least garner 10%. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while.

[tejasdemo]

9/11 HAPPENED BECAUSE CLINTON WAS TOO BUSY USING HIS HEAD FOR SOMETHING ELSE. I WILL BLAME THAT BASTARDO TIL THE DAY HE DIES. AND SINCE YOU ALL B/ITCH ABOUT FAULTY INTELLIGENCE, WELL WE CERTAINLY HAD FAULTY INTELLIGENCE BEFORE GB. AND AS FAR AS THE KENNEDY ASSASINATION, THAT WAS THE CLINTOID'S HERO. GOOD ROLE MODEL WOULDN'T YA SAY. AND CHENEY'S RATING IS AT 18%. CHECK REID'S TOMORROW.
Posted by mudrose at 04:55 PM : Jun 12, 2007

Faulty intelligence ? No. Faulty and outright fraudulent use of good intelligence ? Yes.

9/11 HAPPENED BECAUSE CLINTON WAS TOO BUSY USING HIS HEAD FOR SOMETHING ELSE ?

A: Simpleton response. Bill was long gone when it happened.

Kennedy was a great Pres.

Cheney ? 18% ? Where, Fox ? In my opinion,Cheney doesnt even register a rating anymore, but I'm sure he'll at least garner 10%. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while.

[mudrose-2009]

Yea, like right wing nazi republicans who think Clinton is to blame for everything. 9/11 happened while the Republicans were in complete charge of the government. Iraq and all the death associated with it is a direct result of the republicans. That is the truth. Why dont you guys figure out how to blame Clinton for the Kennedy assasination.
Posted by tejasdemo

9/11 HAPPENED BECAUSE CLINTON WAS TOO BUSY USING HIS HEAD FOR SOMETHING ELSE. I WILL BLAME THAT BASTARDO TIL THE DAY HE DIES. AND SINCE YOU ALL B/ITCH ABOUT FAULTY INTELLIGENCE, WELL WE CERTAINLY HAD FAULTY INTELLIGENCE BEFORE GB. AND AS FAR AS THE KENNEDY ASSASINATION, THAT WAS THE CLINTOID'S HERO. GOOD ROLE MODEL WOULDN'T YA SAY. AND CHENEY'S RATING IS AT 18%. CHECK REID'S TOMORROW.

[aaabee-2009]

No, I don't see how it works, Cupcake.

I listen to them and it is hate speech. I turn the dial and there is no dialogue counter-acting their hate speech.

I wasn't indicating these individuals should be shut down like Imus. I advocate free speech. I am concerned that America is in a bath of anti-liberal sentiment that is detrimental to the unity of our country. Yourself as a prime example of finding a scapegoat to blame for all the troubles of this country and globe, instead of working together to solve them, cupcake.