It sometimes pays to read what the opposition is writing and thinking. And, to put it bluntly, they are not happy with Alberto Gonzales. Here’s just a sampler from Captain Ed:
As good as the argument of “innocent until proven guilty” sounds, it doesn’t apply here. I’m not arguing Gonzales commited a crime; I’m saying he’s been deceptive and/or incompetent, neither of which is commendable in the nation’s top law-enforcement officer. One doesn’t need to be convicted to be fired, which the eight federal prosecutors could tell you from personal experience.
At this point, the notion that Bush has to retain Gonzales to protect himself and Republicans in general is starting to become absurd. Gonzales inflicted most of this damage on the administration himself, and the longer he remains, the more damage he will do. As Jonah said, it’s hard to find a worse example of self-inflicted damage outside of circus tents.
Gonzales’ dismissal/resignation would not do any more damage to Republicans than has already occurred. If we have to defend incompetents and/or deceivers as critical to the Republican cause, then be prepared for a disastrous 2008. Offering Clintonian word-parsing as a defense does nothing to help the cause of conservatism.
There will come a point, and it cannot be long off, when this exact same logic will apply to the President and his Vice-President.
