What struck me about the Gonzales hearing was the sudden diminishment of the size of the man. As RSJ noted, these guys are moral and intellectual midgets, and Congress might be slowly coming around to seeing them that way. The ray of hope is that their hollowness, like that of typical playground bullies, will now encourage their formerly rabbitlike peers to stop being intimidated by them. I remember poor John Edwards in the 2004 vice presidential debates, getting up his courage to face off with the smoldering, snarling Dick Cheney and his phony gravitas. It will be a pleasure, as their bogus apparatus of smoke and mirrors comes apart, to discover what trifling characters they actually are. I won't get my hopes up, but I would celebrate any degree of emergence from Upsidedownland where intelligence is dominated by dumbness and competence is subordinated to hype and fantasy. Let's get the rest of this administration in the hotseat and have a look at the real substance of them.

Gonzales does not seem to remember having done ANYTHING in his term in the Justice Department--except cash his paychecks.

Throw the creep out!

As someone with some legal experience once said, the scary thing about Bush's lawyers John Yoo and Alberto Gonzales is you have the impression that it's not so much that they want to dismantle the Constitution but they they don't seem to understand the Constitution.

"When small men attempt great enterprises, they always end by reducing them to the level of their mediocrity."
-- Napoleon Bonaparte

It's no surprise, considering who Bush is, that he surrounds himself with unremarkable people such as Gonzales. After all, who but a dimwit would idolize an empty suit like Dubya?

"These creeps are not practicing any kown religion. They have invented their own form of Radical Christianity."

You might call it 'Corporate Christianity.' It appears on list of oxymorons as 'Christian Businessman' or 'Christian Capitalist,' right up there with 'Jumbo Shrimp' and 'Military Intelligence.' Both twisted forms of the religion are the antithesis of what Jesus taught.

I wish that some member of the White House Press Corpse would confront the allegedly pious and devout President Born Again with Jesus' words in the New Testament, asking him to justify what he is doing in the world with his purported faith. They're much too embedded and jaded to ever do such a thing, of course. (Can't inflame Mr. Rove.)

Siouxrose, you wrote: "A coup has occurred, but since it brings advantage to the monied classes, who so willingly profit by a war (on fixed cause), the apparatus to thus far bring the beast down has NOT shown itself up to the task."

Precisely how Mussolini and Hitler came to power; they made secret deals to increase the profits of Italian and German industrialists while pretending to be 'for the people.' By the time 'the people' of that era got wise, Allied bombers were flattening their cities.

Our only hope is that we don't have, as did Italy and Germany, a history of monarchy and Americans are waking up to the massive fraud perpetrated on them by the Bush Gang, a fraud that has enhanced the profits of global corporations and Bush's family and friends, while dragging the rest of us into poverty.

RSJ thank you for the fine tuned points. I study metaphysical systems and what some would term "the oracle," and what I see is that justice and liberty will not return easily to this nation. There are going to be ENORMOUS legal struggles that begin in 2010 and go through to about 2015. Those years are going to be a great and grave test to what we might call the SOUL of our nation. (IF you were the person who asked about the Turner contest material self-pubished, it's entitled: Evolving Toward Eden: The Divine Promise Restored. It's a vision of a better future for mankind... and since it's set in the year 2020, using those numbers metaphorically to suggest a balanced vision between yin and yang values, I felt unable to USE that title as you could say the Pentagon pre-empted me with their own "2020 vision" for arming space! Hey, Nixon resigned on my birthday. There's a whole lotta cosmic choreography going on if people were taught to NOTE the sign language. But of course, the earlier fundamentalist Christians did their best to MURDER thinkers or any who didn't tow the line of earlier versions of authoritarianism. There are forces on this planet committed to holding back the progress of human beings, greed, war and "divide to conquer" are the more notable tactics. In any case, I appreciate the "tennis match" here on commondreams among minds prepared to volley.

Springing a trap makes for good judicial theatre, but does Feingold get to the point?

When Gonzoles finally uttered "the basis of decision", wouldn't it have been more illuminating to follow a line of questioning around that?

The national media seem to do the same thing: show up at a questioning with a list of questions and with a main goal of finishing the list as opposed to exploring the questions and where they lead.

Instead of blustering on from the list, isn't there something to be had by focusing once in awhile on what Gonzoles does recall around a certain relationship?

And for gosh sakes isn't this - like the Foley case being a tipping point in the '06 elections
- a tipping point for impeachment!

W, as part of his salvation (home-grown rehab) from drugs and alcohol in his 40s, allegedly spent a number of months studying with a preacher two or three specific books of the bible. When asked during the 2000 campaign which books were so able to turn his life around, he could not recall any specifics about the stories or the even the names of the bible books he was immersed in. False Christianity, false leadership, bald falsehoods - they are ingrained into every facet of the corrupt and criminal GWB administration.

Have you ever asked a Bushie what about the lying incompetent the so admire? You can't get a good answer - one woman I knew was impressed with the way he looked in a flight suit (too bad for her he didn't spend more time in one when he was on the ANG rolls). Rove is one of those who's adoration of the empty suit is similar. He speaks of being a young republcan and meeting Bush and realizing this was the man he could spend his life making president...he was actually that impressed with him, when there has never been anything but a smart-alec frat boy wannabe there. I just don't get how he inspires such an undying allegiance in his friends, his associates, and his supporters that allow them to dismantle our Constitution and our country in his name.

Siouxrose April 22nd, 2007 5:37 pm

"There are forces on this planet committed to holding back the progress of human beings, greed, war and "divide to conquer" are the more notable tactics."

Yes, and these forces a/k/a the "secret government", aren't committed to any religion, though they may have been brought up in a Christian, Jewish or Muslim faith. Their commitment is to money, power and class warfare, and their goal is to establish a one world goverment under corporate control.

The Jewish and Christian conspiracies do nothing but divert attention from the ideology and practices of this secret government. In fact, many authors have written about this and point out that members of the Patriot movement and militias who understand how dangerous these people are, have no prejudice against against race, color or creed. Most of these (credible ones) organizations are doing everything possible to screen and reject potential members who are not on the same page.

"The one who has the gold makes the rules". What they don't realize is that all the gold in the world will not prevent them from losing their freedom. If they continue to pursue their sick agenda, at some point, they will not be able to leave their homes for fear of being killed by those who will defend not only defend their Constitutional Rights, but the Human Rights of all people.

We can only hope that these greedy fools wake up before the planet and its inhabitants are completely destroyed.

A visitor at the judicial hearings was keeping count of the "can't recalls",and at one stage,the T.V.cameras showed his count at about 12 groups of 5 "can"t recalls".At this rate of memory recall,Ronald Reagan,in his later years, would have made a very good A.G.

Watch teh 04/20/07 edition of Democracy Now with Amy Goodman to see a good compilation of extended excerpts from the hearing and wait for the end when members of the audience chant "nah, nah, naahnah,nah, nah, naahnah, hey hey, good bye!" It was a nice touch for the closing of the whole affair.

democracynow.org

It's Deja vu all over again. When Gonzales was being "screened" by Democrats and Republicans he pulled this same tactic. The guy never answered a question honestly. It always pissed me off that there wasn't more pressure from Democrats NOT to Okay this yes-man. They all figure the president will pardon them. Whatever they do, it'll be undone later, so long as they stick together, play dead, play dumb, just a bunch of POSSOMS on Capital Hill. Just as Bush's going after "evil" has effectively made terrorist strikes MORE likely, just as they helped New Orleans STAY sunk, just as our treasury is effectively RAPED, and thousands of US soldiers dead or maimed... I mean these are some kick ass sorry bunch of excuses for leaders. Sometimes I wish everything I see was evidence that I'd already lost it, and this is just a figment of my own imagination... it could NOT POSSIBLY be that such incompetents with such heinous disregard for human life and principles of justice are running loose... and the "nuclear option" is not off the table. Tricky Dick in a chorus of clones on steroids!

I listened to the entire day's exchanges on NPR and waited and waited for one of the Senators to ask Gonzales if he would support their committee in their efforts to get the White House (Rove, Meirs) to testify, or at the very least produce the missing emails. Clearly they know that not only was Gonzales lying but that he was doing it to cover the crimes of the the thugs at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave who have been trying for at least 6 years to disenfranchise as many poor people of color as possible from ever being able to vote in any election. What a bunch of namby pampies acting tough but refusing to call a goddamn spade a spade!

Siouxrose April 21st, 2007 10:13 pm

"It's Deja vu all over again. When Gonzales was being "screened" by Democrats and Republicans he pulled this same tactic. The guy never answered a question honestly."

How true! He's a professional at not be able to "recall" a situation if he doesn't have a creative interpretation of the law or a Constitutional basis for his questionable behavior.

Gail: I dated an attorney who used to relate to me many things about law school, even the "acting part," the would-be attorneys do mock theater to TEST "audiences/juries." In any case, he told me the rule of thumb was... as per this analogy, that if a woman came home and FOUND her spouse in bed with another individual (these days it could be either gender), the husband (offending spouse) should say, "Honey! It's not what you think." I tihnk Gonzales has THAT view of law. GUILTY till proven, and "if we're the top dogs who MAKE up the rules, can toss Geneva Conventions at our PLEASURE, who's gonna stop us, anyway." And therein lies the rub the nation's FREE world, and THIS nation most faces. A coup has occurred, but since it brings advantage to the monied classes, who so willingly profit by a war (on fixed cause), the apparatus to thus far bring the beast down has NOT shown itself up to the task. Ironic, when nature is also showing signs that greater threats are building (like storm clouds) in our midsts. Is Bush any different from the captain of the Titanic? Full speed ahead, when the hour couldn't BE more ominous so have such as him at the wheel. And the FOX "news" idiots think they're patriotic? Sure. IF you're courting Armageddon and think Jesus will fix the mess... the metaphysics of "The only way to the Father is through me," is hardly mess up the planet, do NOT follow my example of "turn the other cheek," and THEN call my name as if a mantra, to summon me like some kind of Ebay genii to just Presto! clean it all up. LOTS'A people think that's what's coming down... check out "The Great Disappointment" when a preacher a lot like these Tim Lehaye followers told his loyal flock of a specific date the messiah was expected. When nobody showed up, the geniuses of that era determined it was due to the congregation worshipping on the wrong DAY of the week (there they go with that "letter of the law" nonsense, their master warned against) and the 7th day Adventist denomination was formed. Religion... practiced by those without spiritual consciousness or an intelligence based on testing theories, not just assuming they are true... has caused much of what ails us on this planet today.

SiouxRose: These creeps are not practicing any kown religion. They have invented their own form of Radical Christianity. Ttheya re not any better than the Radical Muslims or Radical Jews. They all want all the money and control of the masses. Our bunch is verry far along the way to getting what they came for. They do not have to pay taxes by moving their corporations to the Caymans, shift the jobs to China and India, impoverish the middle class in this country and ignore the poor, disabled, children and the old.
I think that both political parties have been completely corrupted by the corporations with a daamn few exceptional members. Kucinich and Feinman come to mind.
Gonzales has only ever worked for GWB, and can't be blamed totally if he is an idiot and thinks the Constitution is a "quaint" document. He only does what Bush and Rove tell him to do. The whole bloody bunch needs to be hauled up before the World Court and tried for crimes against humanity.

He's said it several times. The judges "serve at the pleasure of the president". Bush told him to run them off. Bush is behind it all.
He and his staff must be impeached!

Please write and/or call your representatives in Washington and tell them to impeach the Bush regime. Plesse do this until we get what we need/want.

Watch out for W's momma to stage a fake gay marriage of W to the "Terminator" in the White House to unite the GOP and fool gays enough into seeing W's gang as pro gay to split the gay vote, which is currently a solid Democratic base constituency and beat back efforts at impeachment and removal of these slime ball criminals.