Alberto Gonzales Steps Down

Attorney General's Tumultuous Tenure Ends With Emotional Ceremony

(AP)  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.

Gonzales quit after 2½ years at the department amid investigations into whether he broke the law and lied to Congress. He has denied any wrongdoing.

President Bush is expected to announce a nominee next week to replace his longtime friend and fellow Texan.

In a Friday morning speech, Gonzales said his time at the Justice Department made him determined to fight terrorists and sexual predators and crack down on guns, drugs and gang violence plaguing the nation's neighborhoods.

"Over the past two and a half years, I have seen tyranny, dishonesty, corruption and depravity of types I never thought possible," Gonzales said at a Hispanic Heritage Month ceremony at Bolling Air Force Base. "I've seen things I didn't know man was incapable of."

"But I will tell you here and now that these things still leave me hopeful," he said. "Because every time I see a glimmer of the evil man can do, I see the defenders of liberty, truth and justice who stand ready to fight it."

Later, Gonzales was feted at a standing-room-only Justice Department farewell ceremony attended by, among others, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and former White House chief of staff Andy Card. Card's wife, The Rev. Kathleen Card, said a short prayer at the beginning of the ceremony, and former Solicitor General Theodore Olson, considered a top contender to replace Gonzales, also was in the audience.

Protesters who for months had dogged Gonzales at congressional hearings and other public appearances blew party horns and shook tambourines outside the Justice Department during the ceremony.

Michael Sullivan, the U.S. attorney in Boston and acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, praised Gonzales as a thoughtful man "who lives the law and is deeply patriotic in his convictions."

Gonzales is "an outstanding advocate on behalf of ATF and U.S. attorney offices across the country, and the Department of Justice as a whole," Sullivan told the audience.

It was a furor over the firings of nine U.S. attorneys that marked the beginning of the end of Gonzales' tenure as attorney general. The midterm firings, planned after the 2004 elections, were unprecedented in the department's recent memory and prompted Democrats to question whether they were politically motivated.

Gonzales' conflicting public statements about the ousters led Democrats and Republicans alike to criticize his honesty. Their charges were compounded by his later sworn testimony about the Bush administration's terrorist surveillance program, which was contradicted by FBI Director Robert S. Mueller and former senior Justice Department officials.

[sjc_1]

I am just glad that Gonzo is finally going. All the trumped up artificial supposedly genuine send off is just so much bunk.

[ianlou]

"Must be lonely sitting on the top now with no one to hide behind...."

Harry Truman said "If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog"

[ianlou]

"The last Bush cabinet member I recall who left while still respected was Powell."...

I thought Ari Fletcher was OK and left with dignity in-tack.

[socrates392]

jihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihadjihad

Rawhide!!!

[rushlimpdrug]

I declare a cut and paste jihad against all jihadies that jihad against Bush''''s jihad! Fascist nazi islamists!
Posted by Larrs08

cut and pasters begin!

[me4prezz]

Must be lonely sitting on the top now with no one to hide behind. Any one ever wonder why past presidents were all called "President (insert name)" and even to this day are referred to as "President"....

In almost every news article I read, it is Mr. Bush. Not even the respectful title of President Bush any longer. I don''t suppose any one has noticed that little slap in the face?

[ioweign]

The last Bush cabinet member I recall who left while still respected was Powell.

Gonzales, Rumsfeld, Brown, Goss, the list goes on and on, all left after stinking up the place so badly that even the administration had to hold its nose.

Posted by formrusmcsgt at 09:40 AM : Sep 15, 2007

Looks like War Criminals !

Book''em Dan-O

[larrs08]

I declare a cut and paste jihad against all jihadies that jihad against Bush''s jihad! Fascist nazi islamists!

[lars008-2009]

it is fascist nazi terrorislam stupid%u2026.

non muslims of the world unite... fight against the tyranny of the fascist nazi terrorslam imperialist empire of the darkside...

I was a fanatic...I know their thinking, says former radical Islamist
By blaming the Government for our actions, those who pushed this "Blair''s bombs" line did our propaganda work for us.
More important, they also helped to draw away any critical examination from the real engine of our violence: Islamic theology.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=465570&in_page_id=1770

Bless the Beasts and Children
Fascist nazi terrorslam kills every man woman and child in the village again%u2026 typical mo for terrorslam%u2026
http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/bless-the-beasts-and-children.htm

Our Prophet commanded us to fight the kaafirs when we are able and to attack them in their homelands and to give them three choices before we enter their lands: either they become Muslim and be like us, sharing our rights and duties; or they pay the jizyah (poll tax) and feel themselves subdued; or they fight, in which case their wealth, women, children and homes become permissible as booty for the Muslims.
http://islamqa.com/index.php?ref=13759&ln=eng&txt=before%20islam%20arabia%20pagan

the truth about fascist nazi terrorislam...
http://www.terrorismawareness.org/what-really-happened/

[rushlimpdrug]

Looks like a large amount of Moveon.org scum "out and about" today.
Posted by B48151

That may be.
Although I was not there and can only comment on what I''ve read and seen on televison of history I will say it seems when Hitler''s Germany fell it was hard to find even one Nazi in Germany. It was as if it was all a dream or UFO''s took them.
I see a similar thing occuring here. Very few of the many, many defenders of this administration are now posting.
Any thoughts?

[micma-2009]

Guess Gonzo is done wiping his @ss with the Constitution. On to bigger better things.

[b48151]

Looks like a large amount of Moveon.org scum "out and about" today.

[pared1]

Buh Bye you lying sack of ***

[formrusmcsgt]

The last Bush cabinet member I recall who left while still respected was Powell.

Gonzales, Rumsfeld, Brown, Goss, the list goes on and on, all left after stinking up the place so badly that even the administration had to hold its nose.

[mnm421]

Let me show you my middle finger on your way out liar.
Lair....lair...pants on fire!

[brianbwb-2009]

"Over the past two and a half years, I have seen tyranny, dishonesty, corruption and depravity of types I never thought possible," Gonzales said at a Hispanic Heritage Month ceremony at Bolling Air Force Base. "I''ve seen things I didn''t know man was incapable of."

And got paid pretty good for helping to make it happen, then even more to help cover it up.

[nothappyatall]

Gonzales- the White Houses'' token Mexican-Puerto-Rican Bush azzwipe-poodle bites the big one, ADIOS dude, don''t let the door hit you in the azz on your way OUT!

[donnie900]

Its like that book I read as a kid, Azazel.. They made a movie by the same name, but the book was way way different. It was about this little 6 inch tall demon that came from hell, and who felt so so sorry for mankind and his demise, he revolted.. And tried to help him. Went from town to town granting wishes.. and every wish he granted.. EVERY WISH! EVERYTHING HE DID! Turned so god damned bad.. Thats what the real story was about. Thats what Washington is about..

[donnie900]

The Law of Unintended Consequence dictates that the soul of any issue is lost, the moment a politician tries to do something about it.

[donnie900]

Anarchy.. everybody''s afraid of anarchy. Ya know, the werld was fine till we all tried to fix it.