At yesterday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Alberto Gonzales seemed to take it upon himself to provide the American people with as many reasons to demand that he be fired as he possibly could. He was evasive. He was defensive. He seemed out of touch with his department, ignorant of many key facts, and absolutely deferential to the political whims of the White House.
People For the American Way legislative and legal staff monitored and live blogged Gonzales’s testimony, but even the most casual observer could see that Gonzales was being challenged aggressively and effectively not only by Democrats, but by Republicans as well. The tenor of the hearings is indicative of a new order on Capitol Hill -- the new congressional leadership has shown a refreshing willingness to uphold its constitutional responsibility to provide oversight of the administration, and, in light of the President’s abysmal approval ratings, the Republicans refuse to stick their necks out for him.
Even Tom Coburn, not a politician usually associated with vigorous oversight or anti-administration sentiments, said of Gonzales’ role in the attorney firing debacle:
U.S. attorneys' reputations that were involved have been harmed. The confidence in U.S. attorneys throughout this country has been damaged. The reputation of the attorney general's office has been tarnished and brought into question.
Gonzales, of course, denied any substantive role in the firings, and someone watching the hearing today could be excused for wondering whether Gonzales as Attorney General played any role in DOJ at all.
As Senator Chuck Schumer pointed out, Gonzales said "I don’t know" or "I can’t recall" almost a hundred times. And when the Attorney General did remember something, it was often a vague recollection of trusting the opinion of someone else. Rarely in my career in Washington have I seen a cabinet official so obviously and unapologetically out of touch with the workings of his own department.
When Senator Feinstein referred to the "senior so-called leadership" at DOJ, she hit the nail on the head. In fact, there seems to be little if any real leadership at Justice. Instead, Gonzales and his predecessor have instituted a policy of following the political will of the White House regardless of the Constitution or the rule of law.
There are still countless career attorneys at the Department of Justice who are trying to do their duty and serve their country. But Alberto Gonzales has never stepped up to the job of being the people’s lawyer -- he’s always just been George Bush’s attorney.
After today’s hearing, it’s more obvious than ever: Alberto Gonzales has to go.