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Andrew Zajac
The U.S. attorneys firing scandal still has legs.
The Senate will attempt to vote on a non-binding resolution of no confidence in Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on Monday, New York Democrat Charles Schumer said this afternoon.
“If all senators who have actually lost confidence in Attorney General Gonzales voted their conscience, this vote would be unanimous,” Schumer said. “However, the President will certainly exert pressure to support the Attorney General, his longtime friend. We will soon see where people’s loyalties lie.”
Gonzales has been on the griddle for months for his inability to explain the circumstances of the firings on nine U.S. attorneys last year.
However, President Bush has stood behind him and Gonzales shows no signs of stepping aside.
Schumer said he expects a close vote. But it's still not a slam dunk that the resolution actually will come to a vote.
It's not clear that Schumer could corral 60 votes he needs to cut off debate if one of his colleagues was inclined to drag out discussion of the proposal.
Comments
How the nutty neocons can still support Gonzo is a mystery to me.
Oops my bad.
The reason Dubya and Darth don't throw the knucklehead under the bus is that he might rat out who was calling the shots when Gonzo & Card went to Ashcroft's hospital room that Godfatherian night.
Posted by: Doug Zook | June 8, 2007 2:45 PM
And a non-binding resolution will have exactly WHAT purpose and effect?
Posted by: Op109 | June 8, 2007 3:30 PM
Can you imagine if this was during the Clinton years and Janet Reno was trying to pull this off?
Gonzales needs to go and he needs to go yesterday.
And to answer OP109, a vote makes our Senatorcritters go on record as either supporting Gonzo, or supporting the rule of law. It makes for a very nice campaign ad next year.
Posted by: weinerdog43 | June 8, 2007 4:08 PM
Op109,
The purpose of the resolution is to turn up the heat on Dubya to dump his political hack.
The effect is to provide a morale boost to the remaining professionals at the DoJ that they are not alone or forgotten in their caring for the mission of non-partisan justice for all.
Posted by: Doug Zook | June 8, 2007 4:09 PM
Just because the Paris Hilton thing got screwed up, what else can the Loony Left dredge up on this tireless government official?
Gotta go turn up the air conditioning...
Posted by: Not Really John D | June 8, 2007 4:12 PM
John D,
What's the connection between Alberto Gonzalez and Paris Hilton? Or between Scooter Libby and Sandy Berger?
Posted by: Bryan | June 8, 2007 5:21 PM
Gadzooks! Mr. Zook is dead right -- a morale boost for the poor pros at the Justice Department is itself reason enough for such official censure. Pity the foolish Republican senator who talks "filibuster" on something such as this.
Posted by: G. Hall | June 8, 2007 5:24 PM
Will there be enough senators in DC to even take a vote? Dems and Repubs should reel in their presidential hopefuls.
Posted by: lochnessmonster | June 8, 2007 6:25 PM
Yet another waste of their time and our tax dollars. Just vote to impeach him already, a non-binding vote means NOTHING, especially to this administration who absolutely does not care what John Q citizen thinks, let along Congress.
incognita
politicalstew.com
Posted by: incognita | June 8, 2007 6:37 PM
In relevant part, weinerdog43 said (above):
"Can you imagine if this was during the Clinton years and Janet Reno was trying to pull this off?"
My, my - how soon we forget. You mean, we don't remember how, on August 6, 1998, a House committee voted to hold Janet Reno in contempt for refusing to turn over Justice Department memos subpoenaed in a dispute over her failure to appoint an independent counsel to investigate 1996 campaign fund-raising abuses? What about her flip-flopping on file-gate? or her feigned blindness during China-gate? What about her decision to promote and then demote the FBI supervisor that rode herd over the Ruby Ridge debacle – because she blindly chose to follow the FBI director’s recommendation? Oh yeah, and what about the fact that Reno fired all 93 U.S. attorneys – a decision she claimed to have made in conjunction with the Clinton White House?
Yes, I can imagine what would happen if this during the Clinton years and Janet Reno was trying to pull this off.
It happened. It happened.
Posted by: John W. | June 8, 2007 8:44 PM
Republican senators will support Gonzalez at great risk. There are a lot more dung drops coming. There is a trap being set for anyone backing Gonzales. The Gonzales story is going to be around for a while. It free and easy.
Posted by: c. perry | June 8, 2007 9:48 PM
The No Confidence Vote should be for the no visible effect majority Congress. Grow some cajones, folks. Demand action. Stop the Bush Machine and stop this stupid, sad war.
Posted by: Rick/Sneads Ferry, NC | June 8, 2007 10:21 PM
Chuckie Schumer with our Dickie Durbin twisting arms to vote for the no confidence. Both these men are narcissitic and prefer symbolism over substance neither knows how to govern in an effective way legislatively.They are the epitome of Democrat hacks playing gotcha politics to derail the AG. But, the AG is being persecuted after Don Rumsfeld and there are 175 Bush appointments being put on hold by these and the rest of the Dem Senate losers Di Fi, Barb Boxer,Hary "Dingy Harry" Reid, Levin, Feingold the list goes on.They are doing this primarily for fundraising letters to the stupid Dems to deflect the $2.9 trillion dollar Nancy Pelosi tax hike the biggest in history.In Illinois the average family will pay $3,282.92 more in taxes if the tax hike is schmoozed through by Chuckie and Dickie and friends. They don't want Gonsales he's just the hors deurve, they want Bush and Cheney but, most of all they want you to believe they are not taxing and spending which is all they ever do. Wakeup America toss these bums. Jerry White, Springfield, IL
Posted by: Jerry White | June 9, 2007 10:16 AM
OK, when this is done and they don't win the vote, who do we bet the left will demonize, create a left wing manufactured outrage and then do all it can to get that person to resign?
Is there anyone left?
Does the left even remember why they are mad about this?
Can someone refresh my memory?
Posted by: JD | June 11, 2007 1:18 AM
I see dittohead Jerry White from Springfield Illinois has reared his ugly head spouting falsehoods, as usual. Sounds like he's had a big dose of Limbo Limbaugh. How clueless and ignorant can Jerry White from Springfield be?? About as clueless as George Bush and Iraq and WMD's or George Bush and AG Berto Gonzalez. If this were Bill Clinton it would be a very different story for these moronic hypocrites like Jerry White and RNC John D. Limbaugh should inform us about his multiple marriages, his adultery, his drug and viagra addictions, and why he is a yellow-belly coward (draft dodger).
Gonzalez is dirty, dishonest, and crooked. He needs to go. I say he should be impeached and prosecuted.
Posted by: Doug R. | June 11, 2007 9:51 AM