Bush is more inclined to issue medals than fire incompetent underlings. And he is especially loyal to his close friends. Take Alberto Gonzales, a man that Bush bonded with when they executed prisoners together down in Texas. Bush should have fired him weeks ago. I have no idea why Gonzales even testified if he is just going to be shit-canned for the effort. But the White House sent a clear message even before today’s hearing concluded. From Campaign for America’s Future:
Further, CNN White House reporter Suzanne Malveaux just aired this report:
…people who we have spoken to, White House insiders, those involved in discussion with members, senior staff, behind me in [the White House] as well as outside, are saying that Gonzales is in trouble…
…I just want to read a couple of things, describing the testimony as, from two senior level White House aides, “going down in flames,” “not doing himself any favors,” that this was “predictable.”
One prominent Republican describing the testimony this way, as “watching a clubbing of [a] baby seal.”
Clearly, these people are saying, this all hangs on one person, and that is the President.
If that wasn’t clear enough, the Repubicans’ most rabid frothmaker, Sen. Tom Coburn, flat-out told Gonzales to drop dead.
“It was handled incompetently, the communication was atrocious. It was inconsistent. It’s generous to say that there was misstatements, that’s a generous statement,” said Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK). “And I believe you ought to suffer the consequences that these others have suffered, and I believe the best way to put this behind us is your resignation.”
Lindsey Graham didn’t ask Gonzales to resign but he did basically call him a liar.
“Most of this is a stretch. I think it’s clear to me that some of these people just had personality conflicts with people in your office or at the White House and, you know, we made up reasons to fire them. Some of it sounds good. Some of it doesn’t,” Graham said.
It sounds to me like the GOP has decided to throw Gonzales to the wolves. I suspect that Bush has given a quiet thumbs up for this embarrassing spectacle. Why he felt the need to put his execution buddy through this humiliation is anybody’s guess. It’s probably because he is a very bad person. Or…he’s covering up a bigger problem…like Karl Rove and his missing emails. Or something. These are not good people.
