A Precarious Situation for Mr. Gonzales

03/20/2007

Paul Munnis

There are two things you do not want to see happen if you are Alberto Gonzales: one is an affirmation of support from Mr. Bush since that usually is followed by rough dismissal; the other is to see the White House actively choosing your replacement. This makes for a really bad day at the office. Both are happening to Mr. Gonzales.

When GOP candidates for the presidency are saying things like:

"Alberto Gonzales has repeatedly shown that he is unwilling to enforce the law and unable to effectively manage the department,"

And

"Gonzales' legacy at the DOJ has been one of misplaced priorities, political miscalculation, and a failure to enforce the laws which he has sworn to uphold," and they then conclude "I think that it is time for him to move on."

Then you know that you will have resume problems in the days to come.

The Department of Justice is in bad need of a housecleaning. The pity was that it was not done by John Ashcroft when he was A.G.

The FBI needs to be examined and the morale of the workers improved by letting in sunshine and fresh air. Events from Ruby Ridge and Waco still haunt the Agency and the situation from 9/11/2001 still casts a pall over FBI management. This is an Agency essential in national law enforcement and it is onto rough times. The 9/11 Commission tried to make some suggestions because the role of the FBI in counter-espionage is an essential role for American security. Mr. Gonzales should have been working on ways to improve the FBI while at the same time improving the situation for FBI workers. The revelation that the FBI has abused the wire-tapping and covert surveillance authority without court authorization is not good news for them. Change must now come about for the FBI and it must be well considered change by people who are sensitive to the FBI workers and their needs and their ability to carry out the prescribed role for the Agency. The last thing that the FBI needs is people in heavy lead shoes laying down badly conceived mandates.

When it comes to Constitutional Law, Mr. Gonzales has cast a chill over a nation and since he came to office the term “Fascism,” has been heard a lot. People fear his use of wartime powers usurped by the presidency and wielded by his Department. They do not like the loss of Constitutional protections, the suspension of Habeus Corpus, and the ability to hold prisoners indefinitely and without legal representation, these are not the American Way of law and jurisprudence.

Mr. Gonzales is also negatively affected by the defense that he puts up for torture, abuse, violation of the Geneva Conventions for treatment of POW’s, and for his support of the hell hole that is Guantanamo Bay.

Thus the issue over the firing of the seven GOP attorneys is a topic of proof for the need of his ouster but the underlying reasons run much deeper.

It is also true that many Democrats want to politically swat Mr. Bush in the process of getting rid of the Attorney General. They wish they could deliver a more telling blow but it provides some relief that they are able to do something to deliver a message to Mr. Bush that they are very unhappy with his ways.

As Congress resumes their oversight role and looks to insider scandals that the GOP controlled Congress has just ignored, then we can expect more trouble to lie ahead for the White House. For example, Dick Chaney is one person who is set for the political guillotine; while Paul Wolfowitz is also being looked at very closely and former Secretary of the Treasury Snow has not left the radar screen either.

As for Mr. Gonzales, he might as well get his resignation letter written just in case he needs it.

Oversight is back, the wild GOP Party is over, wrong behavior must be atoned for, and future wrongful governing will not be tolerated.

The firing of Mr. Gonzales will serve notice that it’s all real.