The Democrats’ Responsibility In The Wake of Gonzales’ Resignation
One of the most blatantly dishonest political hacks ever to occupy the position of U.S. Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales, has now resigned. This is a real moment of truth for the Democratic Congress. Democrats, who have offered up little other than one failure after the next since taking power in January, can take a big step toward redeeming themselves here. No matter what, they must ensure that Gonzales’ replacement is a genuinely trustworthy and independent figure.
That means that Democrats must not confirm anyone, such as Michael Chertoff, who has been ensconced in the Bush circle. Instead, the DOJ and the country desperately need a completely outside figure who will ensure that the prosecutorial machinery operates independently, even if — especially if — that means finally investigating the litany of Executive branch abuses and lawbreaking which have gone almost entirely uninvestigated, as well uncovering those which remain concealed.
The standard excuse invoked by Democrats to justify their capitulations — namely, that they cannot attract a filibuster-proof or veto-proof majority to defy the President — will be unavailing here. They themselves can filibuster the confirmation of any proposed nominee to replace Gonzales. They do not need Blue Dogs or Bush Dogs or any of the other hideous cowards in their caucus who remain loyal to the most unpopular President in modern American history. The allegedly “Good Democrats” can accomplish this vital step all on their own. They only need 40 Senate votes to achieve it.
It is difficult to overstate how vital this is. The unexpected resignation of Gonzales provides a truly critical opportunity to restore real oversight to our government, to provide advocates of the rule of law with a quite potent weapon to compel adherence to the law and, more importantly, to expose and bring accountability for prior lawbreaking. All of the investigations and scandals, currently stalled hopelessly, can be dramatically and rapidly advanced with an independent Attorney General at the helm of the DOJ.
That is not going to happen if the Democrats allow the confirmation of one of the ostensibly less corrupt and “establishment-respected” members of the Bush circle — Michael Chertoff or Fred Fielding or Paul Clement or some Bush appointee along those lines. The new Attorney General must be someone who is not part of that rotted circle at all — even if they are supposedly part of the less rotted branches — since it is that circle which ought to be the subject of multiple DOJ investigations.
As Democrats supposedly just learned (yet again), even the Bush appointees whom they claim (foolishly) to believe they can trust to act independently, such as DNI Mike McConnell, have their ultimate allegiance to George Bush and Dick Cheney. The President is certainly entitled to choose someone who is generally compatible with him ideologically, but the only acceptable replacement for Alberto Gonzales is someone who is truly independent of the Bush machine and whom Democrats are supremely confident will act independently, which means pursuing criminal investigations where warranted of the highest levels of this administration, including the departing Attorney General himself.
Congressional Democrats, insulting the intelligence of their own supporters, have repeatedly claimed to have trusted the Bush administration and its appointees only to be “betrayed” time and again — they were “betrayed” by allowing the confirmation of Alito and Roberts to the Supreme Court based on false assurances that they would respect precedent; they were “betrayed” again by the agreement on the Military Commissions Act between the White House and Graham/Warner/McCain only to then have the agreement modified severely by last-minute changes; they were “betrayed” again by trusting Mike McConnell on the FISA deal; and they even claim to have been “betrayed” by supporting the confirmation of Gonzales himself based upon assurances at his confirmation hearing that he understood and would honor his independent role as Attorney General.
That excuse is not going to work again. Relying on assurances from some current Bush appointee that they will act independently is woefully and self-evidently insufficient. Only a truly outside figure, one who is entirely independent of the Bush circle, should be acceptable.
Pressuring Senate Democrats right away on this is vital. There is no more important domestic political goal then ensuring that the DOJ investigative and prosecutorial machinery operates independently. Senate Democrats will have none of their usual excuses if they fail to compel the nomination of someone truly independent and/or if they sit by meekly and allow the appointment of someone whose independence is even questionable.
Whatever it takes — repeated blocking of nominees, filibustering, protracted hearings — it is critical that it be done in order to restore integrity to the DOJ. A less-than-independent replacement as Attorney General will be entirely the fault of Democrats if they allow it to happen. Conversely, by ensuring the confirmation of someone independent, Senate Democrats can take a major step in revitalizing the rule of law, revitalizing their political base, showing the country they stand for something, and making the case that the 2006 midterm election change of control actually meant something.
UPDATE: Commenters have suggested that Bush could bypass the confirmation process with a recess appointment, but Bush and Harry Reid have an agreement in place that there will be no recess appointments during Congress’ adjournment:
There’ll be no recess appointments this time around, Roll Call reports (sub. req.), meaning the White House won’t be taking advantage of Congress’ vacation to install any contested nominees. That’s due to a deal between Bush and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). . . . Last recess, the White House made a number of controversial recess appointments, including Swift Boat backer Sam Fox as ambassador to Belgium. In order to prevent that sort of thing from happening again, Reid had plotted to keep the Senate in “pro forma” session during the recess — whereby the Senate floor personnel show up every three days to make it an official session. But now Reid and Bush have made a deal, according to Roll Call. Bush won’t make any recess appointments and Reid has promised to move some of his nominees when Senate gets back in session.
Obviously, there is nothing truly binding about the agreement, and Bush could violate it. But in the Beltway world, that is a Draconian step that seems unlikely (though not impossible) for many reasons. Far more likely, it seems, is Bush’s (reasonable) belief that Senate Democrats will be as accommodating as usual and confirm a replacement who is acceptable to the administration.
© 2007 Salon.com
gonzales has resigned - cheney is next in line
“Cleaning Time”
Peace,
Ken Hausle
* i support HRes333 - Impeach, Impeach, Impeach, Impeach….
Democrats need to yada yada yada……
Yeah, right……..
“… as accommodating as usual….”
That about sums up the “Party of Opposition.”
I’m on pins-n-needles waiting to see who will get the nomination. I’m sure it will be someone of quality who has truly earned the right to head the DOJ.
Some think math can set you free. Here are some universal truths along those lines:
DEMOCRAT = REPUBLICAN
CORPORATION = GOVERNMENT
IRAQ = GENOCIDE
Peace to you and yours.
The chances of Bush proposing an independent individual to fill the job are so remote that it is inconceivable that anyone would waste time considering that. Now I do believe there is the possibility that Congress will push back if Bush proposes someone who everyone will immediately recognize as a blatant administration hack, but I would not bet that they would. And if Bush proposes a person for whom there is a plausible argument that the person is not totally under Bush/Cheney direction, it is virtually certain that person will sail through the process without opposition.
Let’s see. Now we’re done with Rumsfeld, Rove and Gonzo.
Maybe the Democrats hope that Bush and Cheney will just resign too?
After all, impeachment is off the table and Bush still has 1.5 years to do anything he damned well wants to do. Must be comforting to hear your opposition leader tell you that impeachment is off the table. Is that for deeds done in the past, as well as present and future? Pelosi’s given them carte blanche. The future of democracy apparently relies on Republicans pulling us out of Iraq, Republicans resigning, or “dying” (Ken Lay), etc.
Don’t hold your breath.
Look at the Democrats. They stood “shoulder to shoulder” every step of the way. Now Sarge Hillary tries to pin the blame on Iraqi leadership for the unspeakable mess she endorsed (or for not bowing deep enough to oil vital interests)–still suggesting she would be a more capable alternative killing machine.
Sorry to cross post, but this belongs here, too, I’m sad to say.
Just remember, the cesspool that is Washington DC is filled with bottom feeders of all political persuasions, who happily protect each other as they gobble up the leavings.
The only thing that will save us is to get someone who will see that a good septic pumper is hired to empty the cesspool and starve the bottom feeders. That does not appear to be happening. The handful that have not jumped into the pool and headed for the bottom are standing on the edge of the pool, beating on their chests, saying “Look what we’re doing!” and bailing with a teacup.
The politicians in Washington DC, and in most states, are like rats in a grain bin. What they can’t eat, they piss and crap on, to spoil it for anyone else.
Time for a big change, folks.
Y’know what? When you posters generalize and put “Democrats” into a pile as all or nothing, you are doing real harm. There are Dennis Kucinich, John Conyers, Maxine Waters, Bernie Sanders, etc. You do these good people a great disservice with generalization, not to mention send out a POWERFUL message of negativity to the Universe. Can’t you at least refer in your bitching and complaining to “Bush Democrats” or “Republicrats” or even
“Red Democrats”. Something to add a gray instead of just black and white.
It seems to me (who is just a small “We The People” person)
that the high amount of negativity and complaining I find on ALL the Progressive sites I visit is counter-productive. YES! We all know how shitty things are out there. Yes! Things we read, about business-as-usual, anger us. Yes! The government, media, and corporations are mostly corrupt.
We are truly BLESSED with the ability to join together, thanks to the internet. The net should be a tool for positive change in our lifetimes, not for a place for whining, pissing and moaning. We could come up with ideas to get a TRUE PROGRESSIVE LEADER like Dennis Kucinich in the White House. Instead fear keeps us from supporting him FULLY.
We could share ideas and websites and e-mails and strategies to SERIOUSLY make changes in our system, environment, and World. To share hope instead of anger.
Well, I’ve been wanting to write this for a long time. Unfortunately, I don’t expect to be the voice of change in a world of apathy and fear. But I needed to write this…for me.
Thanks.
It’s absurd at this point to even be speaking of “the Democrats’ Responsibility” in any particular situation, since most of us recognize that this hopelessly corrupt party will not rise to meet that responsibility. They won’t even defend the Bill of Rights, oppose illegal wars & occupations, oppose torture, oppose elections stolen from them, or defend serious political dissent. It’s beyond ridiculous to expect them to suddenly make a great show of principle on an issue like Gonzo’s replacement.
“Time for a big change, folks”
What happens when grassroots change actually gets in gear? Publications like “The Nation” start a campaign to advise someone like Cindy Sheehan that she is over-stepping herself–and then these opinion pieces get printed in San Francico papers. Recall that at the onset of the Iraqi invasion there were massive protests until publications like, “The Nation” linked arms with Michael Lerner in attacking A.N.S.W.E.R, with red-baiting ploys as well. Now, publications like “The Nation” wail about a weak and powerless antiwar movement. It is enough to make you spit.
One is left to wonder if they prefer the status quo just to keep themselves in business.
You must be new to all this, Brown.
“Don’t worry, be happy”
Start impeachment proceedings immediately against Cheney and Bush– clean out the septic tank from the top down, rather than the bottom up. Enough is enough. Neither of them has an ounce of integrety or they would have resigned long ago.
Here’s what’s going to happen.
The Dems got the political headline they wanted. That’s what all of this was about. It was never an attempt to investigate deeply into the Bush admin. It was a drive towards a political headline that would work to the Dems advantage. They’ve got that today.
The investigations will continue. On paper. But they will lose steam and slowly die quietly. The Dems don’t want the headline that reads, “investigations shut down”. So they won’t do that. But the emphasis will be gone and nothing really big will be accomplished.
Enough Dems will side with the Republicans such that the Senate will rubberstamp another Bush partisan into the job. More than 40 Dems will cast a symbolic no vote, but since they’ll refuse to filibuster and take their real chance to stop this, its all just phony theater to make fools believe they actually opposed the nomination.
So, at the end of the day we’ll be just where we were. Except the Dems got a poliical headline and a chance to crow to the fools that believe them that they’ve actually done something. In reality, they’ll have done nothing as another Bush partisan will be running the Justice Dept into the next elections.
And, frankly I don’t give a damn if there are a handful of decent low-ranking Dems. They need to get the heck out of that party. The party is run by the top from people who are not Kucinich or the others. BTW, don’t mention Conyers right now. He’s the guy who sold his soul and what he believed in to get the chairman’s seat he occupies. He clearly made a deal not to pursue impeachment in order to get the job. In that, he’s very much a typical Dem. Sounds decent as a back-bencher, but then he abandons what he believes in when he gets a chance to get some real power.
And, you must not pay very much attention at all, because Bernie Sanders has long refused to be a Democrat. He either calls himself a Socialist or an Independent, but he’s either never been a Dem or he had the sense to leave that sick party long before he ever ran for Congress. If you have to cite Bernie Sanders in order to make a list of four decent Dems, that just shows how few decent people there really are in that party.
The Dems are controlled from the top. The party is not democratic, in that what the back-benchers think and what the members pass as resolutions don’t matter to the leadership. The leadership follows its own course, largely based on how many hundreds of millions of dollars it can pull in to its coffers. So when people refer to ‘the Democrats’ or ‘the Dems’, they are referring to the policies of this leadership.
Everyone under them in the party has the option to go along or leave. When you see Kucinich standing up at the Dem convention supporting yet another pro-war, pro-corporate candidate like he did Kerry in 2004, then you’ll know the choice he’s really made. That’s the day you get to see the real Kucinich, again.
How about Patrick Fitzgerald for Attorney General. Wasn’t he appointed by Ashcroft? That is, the Republicans? And didn’t he do a clean, scrupulous and IMPARTIAL job in the Libby trial?
How could Bush refuse?
PS … while, this is definitely a site for unrealistic dreamers. There’s the one’s that think this Congress will impeach Bush and Cheney. Reid and Pelosi keep saying it won’t happen. How many times do they have to say it before you believe them. They won’t let Conyers investigate and they’ll keep the process stopped dead. It ain’t happening.
Same with Kucinich. The Dem party primaries are a rigged game specifically designed to make 100% sure that someone like Kucinich can’t win. Look at the combination of the money rules (as much big money allowed as they can get their hands on), and the schedule of the primaries. Only candidates that have the funds to blanket a bunch of big states with saturation advertising campaigns in quick succession have a chance. And if that doesn’t convince you, look at the 800 party hacks in the convention as unelected super-delegates. That means Kucinich needs 60% of the vote to win while someone like Hillary can probably win with less than half when the party hacks predictably back her.
The Kucinich campaign is just a diversion to suck time, energy and effort out of campaigns and causes that really could make a difference into a stupid, Don Quixote like campaign that can’t possibly win because the game is rigged against them. If you want to put your efforts into politics, put them into building a new party which can have fair rules, which can truly represent the people, and that can be bottom-up in terms of power instead of top-down.
Everyone who has invested time, energy and effort into the Kucinich campaign will realize what a complete waste it all was when he stands up and makes his little speach supporting Hillary, or whatever pro-war, pro-corporate candidate represents the pro-war, pro-corporate Democratic party.
What COMarc said.
So, Speedy Gonzales has sped off to greener pastures.
There is now only ONE big fat rat left on board of the Pirate Ship Bush–Dick Cheney.
Care to speculate WHY?
There won’t be a confirmation hearing — the president will make a recess appointment, and that’ll be that.
BROWN,
Well said.
But you must have noticed that this discussion is not the place for organizing resistance or for working for someone who might stand up for freedom and decency, it is not a tool for convincing the people that together we can build a better world.
This is a pity party.
This is a where bravehearts come to publicly, if anonymously, surrender to their oppressors.
The idea that a progressive community might harness the internet to work together for what we say we want or to get out in the streets or into the community to engage the forces of oppression, well that sounds too much like work.
Venting frustration at the keyboard is so much easier.
No need to leave the house, you can even do it in your pajamas.
So don’t expect much here other than being told you “just don’t get it,” you are naive, you are an idiot.
Stay strong.
Brown (12:27 pm) —
While it’s true that Kucinich speaks more of the truth & seems much more principled than most other Democrats, his role is not quite what it appears to be. He’s not really running to win the nomination. As he himself knows, there’s no chance whatever that he could get anywhere near being nominated. If by some quirk his campaign started to win a following, & his support levels got anywhere near those of Hillary & Obama, the pooh-bahs of his own party would collaborate with the media in taking him down overnight. The Democratic Party as an institution will simply not allow someone like Kucinich to win their nomination, because he has zero corporate support, zero Pentagon support, & zero support among the Dem leadership & big donors. It’s naive to believe that “We, the voters” have the slightest say in this. (And I speak as one who worked very hard for the 2004 Kucinich primary campaign.)
Your claim that “We could come up with ideas to get a TRUE PROGRESSIVE LEADER like Dennis Kucinich in the White House is not based on a realistic understanding of how the US political system works. Despite what they taught you in high school civics class, the system is not at all set up to allow “We the people” to decide things. Rather, it’s set up to ensure that the corporate oligarchy makes all the important decisions, while mere lip-service is paid to the idea that “the voters” decide.
The Dem pooh-bahs allow Kucinich to compete in the primaries only because they calculate that it will keep a goodly number of naive antiwar Democrats from leaving the party. Kucinich himself is willing to lend his name to this farce. After the pro-war Hillary (or Obama) wins the nomination in January, Kucinich will support her candidacy — just as he did for the pro-war Kerry in 2004.
Actually, it is ENTIRELY justifiable to paint all Democrats with pretty much the same brush. Even if Waters, Lee, Sanders, Conyers etc were as good as you think they are, they comprise only about 5 of the 280 congressional Democrats. It’s perfectly accurate to characterize the other 275 as worthless sellouts and cowards. And even some of this supposedly “progressive” group is not really so good — for example, look at Conyers’ disappointing sellout on impeachment.
It is foolish to characterize rejection of the Democratic Party as “bitching and moaning.” Rather, it is making a realistic assessment of the situation. To move forward, the US population must learn to see & accept the bitter truth: that there are only 2 parties, & both represent only the interests of the corporate oligarchy & the Pentagon. Neither represents the public’s interest. From the viewpoint of the general population, trusting either of these parties can only lead to disappointment and betrayal.
Right, the Notorious B-I-G change is a comin’!! Thassa raaghht massaa. Iza beez gittin it dun fer ya.
Holy F’ing crystal ball Batman!! The top 3 Justice Dept. positions are open right now. I think PNAC can now put the Mission Accomplished banner on their website now. The government is in so much debt now it is almost defunct - a stated goal of PNAC. it is also not capable of administering justice - only putting people in jails run by Halliburton.
But hey, I’m an optimist - show me how Bush is going to appoint someone who is not in his inner circle when he doesn’t know ANYONE who is not in his inner circle?!?!?!
I mean really, did Clinton appoint anyone not in his inner circle? the whole idea that Bush is going to do something FOR this country is preposterous. He has committed treason every step of the way. Imagine if Clinton had tried to seel port authority control over to the saem Dubai based company that Bush did? Clinton would have been skinned alive in the press as the worst president EVER!! but this crowd calls it no big deal and the Dims can’t seem to make a case for corruption or calling this administration like it is - the worst in protecting the country EVER.
The worst terror attack in US history happened on George Bush’s watch - period end of story. You can slice it dice it and it always comes up the same - Bush ignored warnings for 9 months until the towers fell. Then he pontificated and exhorted to us all to “keep shopping with credit cards” and did not deliver on any of the steps we needed to take as a nation to secure our country. We cannot “bullet proof” the country and I understand this so don’t think me naive. However doing absolutely nothing is a far cry from doing those simple things that you can do. Grandma must take off her shoes to get on the plane but airports are not secure yet. Poison in our food gets shipped in from China along with who knows what else since the ports do a real check on only about less than 1% of all shipping containers entering the country.
And Dem’s had no way of winning an election even with failure after failure in the Republican administration. So let’s not put our hopes on the kid huddled in his own tears in the corner (Dem’s) while the criminals (Rep’s) are busy taking the till out of the store. I think it is time for a new kind of change in America. One where money no longer determines who wins an election.
Great job Brownie!! Don’t worry… be happy…
You are full of shit robsidian. What are you doing other than what you accuse others of? And you have no idea what people here do in addition to participating here. Sometimes it seems that the only legitimate “doing” is manning phonebanks and leafletting for the Democrats. And how come so much funding went to those Right-wing think tanks, if sitting on your ass talking about it added up to nothing? There is power in words and ideas AND FREEDOM IN HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPRESS THEM or having a venue that helps disperse them, somewhere to speak the truth. Too bad if that sounds like complaining to you, wouldn’t want to disturb your beautiful mind.
Thanks, COMarc and RichM. Saved me a lot of writing. You only left out one thing:
There IS a “new” party, the Greens. Not so new, anymore. At this point, we’re the only national progressive party. And the only one not sold out to the big corporations. We’re also working hard to get ready for a very wild election year, 2008.
Also at this point, both major parties have put themselves deep in the toilet, and they’re still digging. Alternatives are coming out of the woodwork. I fully expect about a 5-way Presidential race, if not even more. In a race like that, there are no spoilers and you can win with 21% of the vote (it’s where our electoral system self-destructs).
It’s going to be fun, so join the Party. www.GPUSA.org
shikantaza:
http://www.onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_565.shtml
Sorry, all the same team after all.
Terrorism is a tactic and there are underlying grivances that may well be legitimate, like addressing the Israli-Palestianian conflict in a straightfoward manner as an honest broker. That will never happen because all politicians bow to AIPAC, and besides, that would be “letting the terrorists win”. Terrorism is assigned to “Unlawful combatants”, without “legitimate” armies. As if, “legitimate armies” do not engage in terrorism and “unlawful combatants” have no possible justification for battle.
Bush also promised to go to back to the UNSC before invading Iraq, and promised that “any time you hear wiertapping, that means we got a subpoena”
I bet he recess appoints either Karl Rove or Jenna Bush
The Democrats will redeem themselves?
Yeah ok. Expecting the Democrats to actually do something constructive is as ludicrous as expecting Bush to tell the truth. The Democrats are part of the problem not part of the solution. They’re all in cahoots.
Expect Gonzales replacement to be a conservative Bush administration puppet but just marginally liberal enough to make his nomination believable.
Bush will nominate The Honorable R. Logan Shyster, convicted jury fixer, perjurer, pedophile and counterfeiter to be our next AG. The Democrats will have his numerous rap sheets and prison records, his transcripts from Show Me The Money University where he obtained his night school law degree, yet they will praise him as a great patriotic American and pass his nomination unanimously.
Cheer up, Charlie Brown!
He’ll nominate someone good at destroying democratic government and privatizing it. Thanks for the “Iron Heel” tip Namvet. It should be required reading.
Kucinich did back down in 2004 and supported Kerry(just as Kerry told everyone to back Bush!).
Oregoncharles: Here is the correct link to the Green Party:
http://www.gp.org/
I say we DRAFT Michael Ratner (President of the Center for Constitutional Rights) for Attorney General! Just to show the American People what a REAL Attorney General should stand for:
http://www.kpfa.org/archives/index.php?arch=21072
Don’t hold your breath. Here’s a quote from “democratic” Senator Biden during Gonzo’s nomination hearings:
“I like you. I like you. You are real — you’re the real deal.”
AAAAAARRRGGGHHH !
I missed the obvious - Rove as Attorney General !!!!
I agree with all the comments about the ‘whine’ party. The stealing of civil rights has proceeded apace while we have all stood (sat?) around and wrung our hands and preached to the choir. Dear Me!
I too support - support HRes333 - Impeach, Impeach, Impeach, Impeach but my Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren states
“I think Cheney is a terrible VP- worse than Agnew. But that opinion doesn’t translate into facts supporting ‘treason,bribery, or high crimes and misdemeanors.”
I guess violating the Freedom of Information Act is nothing and he really does not have to follow court decisions.
I don’t want to say too many negative things about Kucinich.
But one thing that made me mad was he ( Kucinich and his campaign people in 2004) avoided giving us a straight answer whether he would consider running as an independent or endorse Nader.
In hindsight, it was so so clear that he never ever even considered that possibility (not endorsing a demo candidate) for a second. But he kept us hanging by not giving us a clear answer.
That I really resented… I would say he’s a decent illusionist.
We must give the democrat’s credit where credit is due. If the democrats hadn’t been in the majority and started the ball rolling against Gonzales the crook would have been Attorney General until 2009.I have been one of the strongest critics of the democrats but finally things may be going much better than we thought. I certainly hope so.
“I agree with all the comments about the ‘whine’ party. The stealing of civil rights has proceeded apace while we have all stood (sat?) around and wrung our hands and preached to the choir. Dear Me!”
Watch this disconnect.
You mean “do something” like Cindy Sheehan or Ralph Nader? Green Party? Third Party? Did you happen to notice what happens to anyone who actually “does something”? They are dragged over the coals for not opposing the Republicans by supporting the Democrats. Fo being “spoilers” among other things, such as “crazy”, “media whore” or other blanket terms to suggest massive egos or lack of stability.
What a racket.
Excuseme, but am I allowed to put that out? Or, would that be “whining”?
What exactly do you suggest people do?
Likely replacement: Another murderer, Michael Chertoff!!!!! He is linked to the transnational companies bribing the Colombian paramilitary to kill leaders of workers’ unions and the workers affiliated to these unions.
Here is the news:
US Attorney General resigns:
Washington, Aug. 27 (PTI): Embattled US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, under fire from lawmakers over issues like domestic spying programme and firing of federal prosecutors, has resigned, media here reported today.
Gonzales, facing criticism from senior Republican and Democratic Congressmen alike for his conflicting testimonies on critical issues such as surveillance, is said to have told President George W Bush on Friday by telephone of his intention to resign, TV channels reported citing an unnamed senior administration official.
The President is reported to have accepted the resignation “grudgingly”.
The White House has not made a formal announcement on the resignation but the impression is that Bush may not wait too long in making known his choice of person to replace Gonzales. Reports here are mooting the name of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff as a likely successor.
One of Bush’s close aides and considered to be a chief architect of the country’s tough anti-terror laws, he has been locked in a several months-long standoff with the Congress over the Justice Department’s handling of the warrantless wiretaps related to the threat of terrorism.
Gonzales, accused by lawmakers of misleading Congress about the spying programme, also faced flak over sacking of eight US federal prosecutors last year, which critics said was done for political reasons.
Glen Greenwald is apparently a Democrat now. Yesterday he spoke on CSPAN Book reviews about his new book, “A Tragic Legacy,” at the Cato Institute. A whole lot of libertarians showed up to hear him, too.
But apparently, Greenwald has decided to change parties, in fact, and is now routing for the Democrats to hold BuchCo in check.
If you haven’t heard Edwards speak lately, go to You Tube or One Corps and check out what he’s saying. He will take the country in a new direction.
The people have sovereignty. Officials are just our representatives. If we’re willing to do the necessary grunt work we can have any kind of country we want.
Solidarity.
In other words, the loyalbushieDems will do what they’re told and confirm whatever sick, twisted loon still refusing to turn in his embedded cult member RFID chip.
I think that Bush will nominate, and the Senate will approve, someone who is a Bush “insider” (as someone said above, Bush doesn’t know anyone else), but who is also “respected” by the REPDEMS (we need a new word since there is very little difference, as many have noted ad nauseum), who has a “stellar” record of public service, who Dems like Patrick Leahy have confidence will “restore rule of law to the justice department” etc etc (I can already see the confirmation hearings now). But most of all, this person will stay away from looking too deeply into any scandals and will “look to the future” rather than “point fingers,” will “move forward” rather than “look back.” Which means that none of the hellacious wrongs perpetrated by AG will ever, ever be prosecuted.
I bet the Senate Judiciary committee made a deal with the White House to drop all of their investigations and subpoenas if AG resigned (maybe they even bargained hard and got Karl Rove too). Congress and the White House are in cahoots and don’t give a damn what the American people think. We will never, never see justice for the extreme politicization of the justice department (I think the US Attorney Scandal was tied up with voter fraud, hence Rove’s involvement), illegal wiretapping, and torture. Sadly, I think we are all just going to have to live with the fact that terrible crimes have been committed (and the rule of law corroded) that Congress has no interest in prosecuting.
Oh well, let’s just look ahead and forget about the past!!!
Vern (and others)
A possible course of non-violent action:
Until the US populace gets the courage to take to the streets and follow the example of Gandhi’s non-violent marches and demonstrations nothing will change. The people have got to WANT the Constitution restored enough to ACT accordingly. If there is no such desire, there will will be no more US Constitution (except in name only).
What a shame to let cowardice bring down such a noble experiment of human governance!!
Here are some comments by a man who stood by Gandhi - Badshah Khan, who led a 100,000 person army of non-violent Pashtuns from the Khyber pass region. He was a Pashtun (Afghan) political and spiritual leader known for his non-violent opposition to British Rule during the final years of the Empire on the Indian sub-continent. He was a lifelong pacifist and a devout Muslim. He was known as Badshah Khan (sometimes written as Bacha Khan), the `King of Chiefs’, and `Frontier Gandhi’.
“To me nonviolence has come to represent a panacea for all the evils that surround my people. Therefore I am devoting all my energies toward the establishment of a society that would be based on its principles of truth and peace.” –
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
“Today’s world is traveling in some strange direction. You see that the world is going toward destruction and violence. And the specialty of violence is to create hatred among people and to create fear. I am a believer in nonviolence and I say that no peace or tranquility will descend upon the people of the world until nonviolence is practiced, because nonviolence is love and it stirs courage in people.” – Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan to an interviewer in 1985
His story is contained in ‘Nonviolent Soldier of Islam: Badshah Khan, A Man To Match His Mountains’, by Eknath Easwaran (Published by Nilgiri Press).
Also see NPR highlights:
http://www.npr.org/programs/musings/2003/jan/khan.html?sc=emaf
In order to insure that there will be a complete and fair investigation of any possible wrong-doing in the DOJ, the Senate Judiciary Committee should require the next Attorney General to pledge to appoint a Special Prosecutor to investigate all such matters, especially the firing of the U.S. Attorneys. Any nominee who refuses to make such a pledge should be rejected by the Committee, regardless of his/her other qualifications. I can forsee Bush not being able to get a nominee past the committee under these circumstances, but that will only highlight his probable guilt.
I don’t think everybody needs to actually take to the street to cause some significant changes. ( it would be a very good thing)
If a big chunk of democrats abandons the party and re-registers as independent or the Green ( where that option is available), we will start seeing some real changes. At least we will be offered a much bigger bone.
So Bush and Reid made a deal. If Bush lets the Dems have their vacation, Reid will let “some” of Bush’s nominations go forward. Lovely. Which nominations?? Why is Reid being so cooperative with Bush? Oh I forgot, he’s in cahoots. We don’t have a loyal opposition party. How tiresome.
robgo, I really like your idea. Maybe someone in Vermont could suggest it to Patrick Leahy. These people seem to need all the suggestions they can get.
I’d suggest getting Bush and the acting Attorney General to appoint the Special Prosecutor BEFORE confirming the new guy. I wouldn’t trust a ‘pledge’ from these people as far as I could throw the Capital building.
Don’t get me wrong about Kucinich. I like the guy. I think he’s got some great ideas and raises good issues. I just wish he’d leave the Democratic Party. Its obvious he’s nothing more than a sideshow or entertaining eccentric in that party.
My point is exactly about putting effort in beyond typing at a keyboard. Its just that I think any effort put into the Kucinich campaign is wasted and lost and won’t make any difference at all. In fact, you’d probably have more impact by sitting there typing comments into CommonDreams.
Did anyone hear Sen Schumer today in response to the Gonzo resignation and the possibility of Chertoff nomination? He has already signalled a cave-in by the Dems.Good luck on any independent AG!
He said Chertoff is “NOT a Slam-dunk” He apparently will be considered as a viable candidiate by the Dems, who will approve him. He has to hear from us who arent having any of the Bushies.They will approve anyone who says they are good guys, just like Alito. Roberts and Gonzo because they simply dont care.They only want to be re-elected.
As many here were saying there is no difference between the 2 right wing parties and until we have Instant Runoff Voting where the votes of the candidiate receiving the least votes are transferred to the second choice of the voter, we will have no choices, and only “spoilers” ewe only had Clinton because of Perot.
IRV is common in Europe.(If you voted for Nader and he received insufficient votes, your vote would have been transferred to Gore if he was your second choice.)
Also– support Clean Money/ Clean Elections– see publiccampaign.org for voluntary public financing -it works very well in Arizona and Maine where the candidates who accept it mostly win and then work for the people not wealthy donors. They love not dailing for dollars.
Alberto Gonzales makes me miss John Mitchelol!
I wonder what those 2 Texans (Rove & Gonzalez) are up to?
It can’t be good for the rest of us is all I can say.
But I’m sure it’s a coincedence.
If something happens in DC, I might be a trifle suspicious.
Naw….
Bush never saw a constitution, treaty, or agreement he didn’t violate.
In a more perfect world, the democrat’s responsibility would be to pour their support on the one candidate who wants to turn it all around - Dennis Kucinich.
With him in charge, the USA could become a true force for peace & justice in the world.
Seems all that remains with Bush is his Dick.
What responsibility?
Democrats = Bush enabler
Need I remind this journalist that it was Se. Russ Feingold who cast the deciding vote that made John “Patriot Act” Ashcroft Attorney General. Don’t hold your breath on getting a much better new AG than Gonzalez
ADEQUATE CAMPAIGN SPENDING LIMITS NOW!
Yeah…gimme a break. Like the Democrats will do anything. This guy’s living in a dream world. I bet he’s waiting for them to start impeachment proceedings too.
I’ve been rapped a few times for saying that the Dems are doing nothing, save for a few cosmetic items they can use to convince the gullible that they are trying.
Think about this one for a moment. The Dems were voted in to end the war, pull the troops out, hopefully impeach the Bush Gang, and restore the Constitution and Bill of Rights to the halls of government, intact and functioning.
Instead of saying “Impeachment is off the table,” and “well, we have a majority, but we don’t have enough clout to filibuster,” and other excuses, why could they not have sent an “end the war, funding only for withdrawing the troops and destroying the bases” bill. Let Bush and the Repubs explain why they want the war and the money.
Can’t override the veto? Send in another similar bill, let them explain again why they need the war and the money.
Another veto? Send in another bill. Filibuster? Cloture? Just keep embarrassing these bastards by sending the same thing back over and over as representatives of We the People, who want the war ended, our kids home, and attention paid to our crumbling infrastructure. Let them explain to us, over and over, how war and profits are good for Big Business and Big Military.
If these Dem dumbheads or dumb Demheads had done that from the gitgo, we wouldn’t be desperately swinging away from them, looking, like Diogenes, for an honest man.
However, I don’t think they had any intention of fixing anything. They would love to inherit the Bush Dictatorship, filled with eight years of legal precedents, to use for their own ends, which no doubt will coincide with those behind the scenes string pullers that always seem to wind up running the establishment.
A dictatorship is a dictatorship is a dictatorship, regardless of the figurehead.
Corperate interist oun the news papers,they tell you who to hate and who to vote for. Laybor owns CA-CA,you willdo as they tell you. Ever notice how news papers have a SPORTS,BUSINESS,INTERTAINMENT,HELP WANTED section and on LABOR SECTION!! Hmm Wonder why?
RichM
well said
Kathyodat, I should have guessed you’d be the one that picked out that line about Bush and Reid having a “deal”…It was the first thing that caught my eye in the article and I’m still wondering what Reid gave up to Bush to keep him from making recess appointments? Maybe a promise not to impeach? HMMMMMM
robsidian
Thanks for your support , understanding, and insight.
I think leaving this “pity party” permanently is a great idea.
Keep bitching, Folks–It’s REALLY gonna change things!!!
ciao….
Article title: “The Democrats’ Responsibility…”
Whoa. Stop. No sense reading any more than that.
I could only laugh when I heard Harry Reid quoted to the effect that he wants a nominee that is willing to stand up to Bush. We can’t even find a Democrat willing to do that, let alone someone Bush would appoint.
Goodbye, Charlie Brown.
trippin, you made me laugh! I needed that with all this grim news!
Brown, more and more people are waking up to the fact that we have two right wings and one party, the corporate party. And choosing not to be a part of that. At some point a critical mass will be reached.
BEST HUMOR awards to: Rebelnow and Mordecai!
RICH M & COMARC: Excellent analyses. Thank you for sharing them.
To Ken Hausle. No, no no. If Cheney goes first then the nuthouse is still under the direct control of Junior. Junior has to go first and then Dicko or both at the same time. Of course getting Dick would be better than nothing but how would you get all the Democrats in Congress to line up to do that, much less some Republicans? Remember, these are not your daddy’s Democrats.
Democrats need to be SHOT for caving in and no I don’t mean by means of GUNS but by DEFUNDING and VOTING them OUT OUT OUT !!!! Let’s get started and work on building a people’s progressive party for GOD’s sake and the country’s sake !!
I’m completely with COMarc, haven’t read all these comments but COMarc has exactly the right critique of the Kucinich thing. He’s strictly symbolic, the media will bury him alive if need be, which need will never arise because his own clueless party won’t allow him to get ANYWHERE. Besides, he’s entirely too short, too vegetarian and too New Age to appeal to any but a tiny remnant of voters, many of whom don’t vote anyway. Throwing money into the Kucinich campaign is wasted. The only thing to do is what won’t be done: forming a third party that kicks Democrats in their worthless asses and starts to make substantive changes. This can never happen because the two-party duopoly makes all the laws governing who plays politics and who doesn’t, and they’re not going to open doors that neutralize their hegemony over this system. Take to the streets. There’s no other alternative.
Brown, don’t go! You’ll break my heart!
Look, I’ll vote for Kucinich one more time. But if he loses and endorses a pro-imperialist Dimocrat again (as he did Kerry), that’s the end. There will never be a way out of this one party with two names until we the people make the Dims feel pain. If you want runoff elections and/or proportional representation, you gotta vote for the independents and third parties with some progressive (dare I say revolutionary?) teeth.
Marxymark - it always boils down to 2 people. Kerry would have been far better than Bush. Kucinich made the right decision by endorsing Kerry. Sadly, though the “election” was fixed - the American system is rotten to the core. Filthy dirty rats strut around in the white house and on capital hill.
First off I’m very glad to see the resignation. Did all of you pick up on the lies bush told the reports as he accepted the resignation. If that would have been Clinton the MSM and the Star Scum Investigation would be spending the next 2 years and millions of dollars trying to get to the bottom of those lies.
I agree the democrats should block any republican nomination period. The repukes would not allow any Clinton appointed judge the last 3 years of his presidency.
MaxheMust,
What tells you Kerry would have been far better than Bush? Don’t you recall Kerry’s pitbull demeanor in the debate when he exclaimed, “I’ll hunt down the terrorists and kill them!” It’s much easier to bark along with the other mad dogs than to think through a rational alternative to the so-called war on terror. I voted for Kerry, and I never again will vote for the lesser of two evils. You say, “It always boils down to 2 people.” I say you’re stuck in the box.
If Kucinich loses the nomination (and the mainstream media is determined to make it so), I hope he has the courage to endorse according to his conscience or to run as an independent. If he endorses a corporate Democrat again, I’ll never waste my energy again on campaigning or voting for a Democrat, period.
Kristina, the deal was on “some” nominations. AG, perhaps? And what else? Just how much did Harry give away for his month’s vacation?
Kucinich is a fraud designed to keep the left on board of the Democratic Party. He’s a charade, allowed in with the big boys so naive voters (like Brown) keep voting Democratic.
If Kucinich were a true progressive, he would’ve left the Democrats a long time ago.
It’s really time for you to go, Brown, when all you can do in order to defend Democrats is mention 4 measly names out of 400. By the way, wasn’t Conyers the one who had Cindy Sheehan arrested for demanding the US Constitution to be observed?
Screw the Democrats. They’re an utter failure, and are literally as much to blame as the Republicans for the country’s current situation.
The Repbulicans allowed themselves to be hijacked by the Neoconservatives. The Democrats were voted in to clean house _ and need I remind you we’re PAYING them to do so _ but they’re cowering in a corner and collecting their paychecks with collaborating with a criminal junta and doing NOTHING to change the problem. They need a bit of a talkin’ to.
Worse, by abandoning their duty to be an opposition party, the Democrats have necessitated moves toward a third party _ which means splintering the opposition, a bad situation in US politics. Splintering it would pretty much end it. We’re in a bad place, and the Democrats played a huge part in that.
Notice how it’s called “whining” when Liberals do it, and “attacking” when Rush Limbaugh or Bill O’Reilly does it? Shocking to see, appartently, Liberals using that word.
Heckuva job, Brownie
Brown, thanks for the right-wing critique in which expressing dissent is minimized and ridiculed. Too bad that you chose to run away rather than confront the evidence, which is that Democrats are complicit with Republican criminality at every step of the way.
Run, run like the wind! Those darn facts will never catch up.
Greenwald complains about the naive Democrats who have been betrayed repeatedly by the Bush administration and appointees.
Then he says he trusts Bush to honor his no-recess-appointment agreement with Reid.
curmudgeon99 & Brown:
BEFORE there can be any mass movement of any kind there has to be awareness. Where the hell do you think that arises from? If people are isolated in their suspicions about the real story and constantly bombarded with a barrage of lies and soundbytes, don’t you think these sites serve a valuble purpose to disperse info and raise consciousness?
Now THINK, who would want to, and who would benefit most by wanting to shut down the flow of information–the exchange–the networking–the growing awareness that there are others out there, by dismissing it as whining–or ego gratification, or a waste of time, or crazy or media whore or…
THINK! Mass movements do not materialize in a vacuum.
About Kucinich:
Is it really fair to blame him for capitulation when so many of us did at the time? Viewing it in retrospect is out of context.
These sham debates would be hollow pandering if he wasn’t always there as a foil and enlightening reminder that the “most electible” candidates are BS.
I say cut him some slack until this time around. Many more of us likely won’t be reeled in. Let’s see what course he takes before we judge.
Democrats will roll over as they are designed to do. A real opposition party would stall and not approve any AG at all.
Democrats are weak Republicans and will do what they are told.
Here’s the exact quote:
“Alberto Gonzales was never the right man for this job. He lacked independence, he lacked judgment, and he lacked the spine to say no to Karl Rove,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada).
That’s funny, Harry, because we could say the exact same thing about you and the rest of the Democratic leadership in Congress.
TruthSquad, you’re right. It’s obvious that the Democratic leadership likes things just the way they are. No talk of publicly financed elections, an ethics reform bill that was immediately watered down to useless, no serious effort to end the Iraq occupation, no serious reform of health care, and completely ignoring the goring of the Constitution.
As far as I can tell, the American majority is prepared to vote for the lesser of the two evils and meekly accept whatever crumbs get tossed off the table.
Enter some economic fallout from an excess of greed which may create an economic crisis, and maybe it will be the straw that broke the camels’ back.