Harry Reid says Gonzales will be gone within 'days'

I don't know if he has any special pipeline into the Bush Administration, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid predicted today that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is history.

Reid, who has called for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to resign, predicted the attorney general would be gone within days.  

"I've been around this place a long time," Reid told Nevada reporters. "And I know Bush has a reputation for being stubborn, but boy, this borders on a point of beyond stubbornness, maybe foolishness, if he hangs onto him. Gonzales has done things that are incredibly shortsighted."

Reid also raises the specter of possible criminal charges action Justice Department officials.

Reid also said he thought it was possible that there were crimes committed by Justice Department officials involved in the dismissals and subsequent explanations to Congress.

"I have had people who are into the law more than I am at this stage who feel that there are people within the Justice Department who've done things that are illegal in regard to this dumping of U.S. attorneys," said Reid.

Nevada's other senator, BTW, Republican John Ensign, is steaming mad about the firing of Las Vegas U.S. Attorney Dan Bogden:

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., on Tuesday denounced the dismissal of the U.S. attorney in Las Vegas as "completely mishandled by the United States attorney general."

"I'm calling on the president of the United States and the attorney general to restore Dan Bogden's reputation," Ensign said at a Capitol Hill news conference during which he blistered Justice Department officials and defended Bogden as a "fine man" and excellent prosecutor.

Ensign, who does not often criticize the Bush administration in public, stopped short of calling for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales or other Justice Department officials to resign.

...

"I was either intentionally misled or someone was misinformed," said Ensign, who nominated Bogden for the U.S. attorney job in 2001. The senator was referring to conversations he had with Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty.

•  we can hope

  Gonzales should never have been confirmed but I'll take his resignation. Hell, these people have lowered my expectations so thoroughly, I'm happy for crumbs.

  by kainah on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 06:38:48 PM PDT

  •  I want Rove

    Read Bush's Brain. This scheme has Rove written all over it. He should pay.

    by collegekid318 on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 06:40:30 PM PDT

    •  Rove is bulletproof

      Rove could be caught passing nuclear bomb secrets to Iran through his gay North Korean lover and he still wouldn't be fired.

      by quaoar on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 06:48:20 PM PDT

      •  Nah

        This whole myth of the invincibility of the Rovian wing of the Bush administration needs to be put to rest--and will, soon, I believe. People were saying much the same thing about Gingrich, DeLay and senator Macaca not that long ago.

        Now they're pushing up political daisies.

        by kovie on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 07:03:43 PM PDT

        •  Republican Senators are pissed

          Rove might finally get his by the time the dust settles. He hasn't just trashed Democrats over the years. He has fucked over a slew of Republicans too. Old John McCain must really hate Rove and there are a host of others.

          When the sharks taste blood in the water they attack.

          by FishOutofWater on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 07:26:42 PM PDT

          •  Two words:

            Trent Lott.

            Hooboy does he ever want to destroy Rove.

            by kovie on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 07:41:52 PM PDT

            •  It's not like Democrats would stand in the way...

              Rove could be impeached.  Democrats' votes alone would be enough in the House, and it would take two thirds of the Senators present to convict.  There are 51 Democrats, Joe Lieberman, and 48 Republicans (I think -- if I'm wrong please correct me politely) so about 16 Republicans would do the trick.  Has Rove made that many Republican Senators mad enough?

              by david78209 on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 08:49:06 PM PDT

              •  Rove can't be impeached

                he's not in a position where impeachment applies, IMHO.

                It's very possible I could be wrong, though.

                Frankly, I don't think any purely POLITICAL position should be funded by MY tax money. And Rove's position is PURELY political. He's a POLITICAL ADVISOR, for pity's sake.

                Bush can pay him, the RNC can pay him - but not MY taxes.

                by mmacdDE on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 09:04:09 PM PDT

                •  I think you are right. Rover however, is in a

                  position from whence he can be arrested, extraordinarily renditioned, 'interrogated' to the point where he admits wearing ladies underwear, then forced to appear as a witness for the prosecution.

                  :P

                  by Clive all hat no horse Rodeo on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 09:42:30 PM PDT

                  •  I Don't Think the Rendition Teams Take Orders

                    from Democrats though.

                    by Gooserock on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 09:50:06 PM PDT

                  •  Rove wears ladies underwear?

                    Wow... that's up there with saying Gonzo is a murderer, rapist, and child molester.

                    It must be true, I heard it on TDS...

                    by mmacdDE on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 09:50:39 PM PDT

                    •  Unless 'enemy combatant' victims don't count

                      ...he basically IS a murderer, rapist, and child molester.

                      by Blank Frank on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 10:07:21 PM PDT

                    •  On his head....

                      Have you forgotten the Abu Gonzo approved prison dress?

                      by FishOutofWater on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 06:04:10 AM PDT

                •  Rove can be IMPEACHED!

                  John Dean, former White House Counsel says that Rove and Gonzo can be impeached:

                  "Realistically Refocusing the Impeachment Movement"

                  The Constitution's Impeachment Clause applies to all "civil officers of the United States" - not to mention the president, vice president and federal judges. It is not clear who, precisely, is among those considered "civil officers," but the group certainly includes a president's cabinet and sub-cabinet, as well as the senior department officials and the White House staff (those who are issued commissions by the president and serve the President and Vice President).

                  Quite obviously, Bush and Cheney have not acted alone in committing "high crimes and misdemeanors." Take a hypothetical (and there are many): Strong arguments have been made that many members of the Bush Administration - not merely Bush and Cheney -- have engaged in war crimes. If war crimes are not "high crimes and misdemeanors," it is difficult to imagine what might be. Jordan Paust, a well-know expert on the laws of war and a professor at University of Houston Law Center, has written a number of scholarly essays that mince few words about the war crimes of Bush's subordinates. For example, many of their names are on the "torture memos."

                  Why impeach lower-level officials, rather than the "big enchilada," as Nixon used to say? There are multiple reasons.

                  Focusing On Bush Administration Officials

                  Lowering the aim of an impeachment effort to focus on those who have aided and abetted, or directly engaged in, the commission of high crimes and misdemeanors, would have all the positives, and none of the negatives, of going after Bush and Cheney. It would not be an effort to overturn the 2004 election, but rather to rid the government of those who have participated, along with Bush and Cheney, in abuses and misuses of power; indeed, many among them have actually encouraged Bush and Cheney to undertake the offensive activities.

                  Many of these men (and a few women) are young enough that it is very likely that they will return to other posts in future Republican Administrations, and based on their experience in the Bush/Cheney Administration, they can be expected to make the offensive conduct of this presidency the baseline for the next president they serve. Impeachment, however, would prevent that from happening.

                  It will be recalled that Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution states: "Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States." (Emphasis added.) After any civil officer has been impeached, under the rules of the Senate, it requires only a simple majority vote to add the disqualification from holding future office."

                  http://writ.news.findlaw.com/...

                  So does Rove qualify as John Dean Suggests? What is Rove now within the administration?:

                  From Wikipedia:

                  Karl Christian Rove (born December 25, 1950) is Deputy Chief of Staff to President George W. Bush. He has headed the Office of Political Affairs, the Office of Public Liaison, and the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives. For most of his career prior to his employment at the White House, Rove was a political consultant.

                  Rove's election campaign clients have included Bush (2000 and 2004 presidential elections, 1994 and 1998 Texas gubernatorial elections), Senator John Ashcroft (1994 US Senate election), Bill Clements (1986 Texas gubernatorial election), Senator John Cornyn, Governor Rick Perry (1990 Texas Agriculture Commission election), and Phil Gramm (1982 US House and 1984 US Senate elections).

                  Rove's domestic policy portfolio was limited on April 19, 2006, ostensibly to concentrate on Republican general election strategies for November. He retains his White House office, job titles, and security clearance.

                  http://en.wikipedia.org/...

                  Looks like he's impeachment material to me!

                  by Flint on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 10:06:03 PM PDT

                  •  Visions of sugar plums

                    are dancing in this girl's head.  Thanks!

                    by sharman on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 10:48:32 PM PDT

                    •  Rove under oath. Damn, I can dream. n/t

                      by jimreyn on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 01:45:05 AM PDT

                      •  So? He would lie n/t

                        by Timroff on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 06:12:35 AM PDT

                        •  Then he'd go

                          to jail. Go directly to jail. Do not pass GO. Do not collect $200.

                          by mmacdDE on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 06:38:32 AM PDT

                  •  I would think

                    that the only reason to impeach anyone other than the president or vice president would be because no prosecutor was willing to bring an indictment, or if the person is indicted but refuses to leave office and the president refuses to fire him.

                    by quaoar on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 10:56:38 PM PDT

                    •  i.e., if US Attorneys are politicized

                      to the point where the rule of law no long restrains the Executive branch or where opposition parties are harassed with prosecution.

                      by macdust on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 11:24:51 PM PDT

                    •  Read Dean again carefully...

                      Impeachment does not prevent criminal charges from being filed. It also affords congress the ability to bar them from ever working for any future administration. In short... their Federal careers are over and they can still be indicted!

                      Bush and Cheney have not acted alone in all the crimes that they have committed... they had enablers like Gonzales, Rove, and DoJ staffers like John Yoo.

                      The message that this sends to everyone in this administration is that you will be held accountable for your actions and even if you're not convicted in a court of law... your government career is over.

                      That's a pretty potent message and as many have pointed out about the US Attorneys as an example is that Bush  and Rove was sending them the message that if they didn't follow Bush's political agenda (not the legal agenda) that they would be sacked.  

                      by Flint on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 12:30:28 AM PDT

                      •  What is legally possible

                        and what is politically possible are often two very different things.

                        Agnew, for instance, could very easily have been impeached. Nixon was on the verge of being impeached. They weren't because they were removed from office by other means, so impeachment seemed redundant from a political perspective.

                        Yes, impeachment after resignation would have had the further effect of barring them from office, but they weren't going to be officeholders ever again anyway. The Senate halting all other work to try someone who has already resigned would have come across as vindictive and petty.

                        by quaoar on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 06:47:44 AM PDT

                        •  Impeachment Not Redundant...

                          "Yes, impeachment after resignation would have had the further effect of barring them from office, but they weren't going to be officeholders ever again anyway."

                          This is an assumption and while you may think it is valid, I have no such confidence that these creeps would not find their way back into an administration under some pretext.

                          We have an atmosphere now where Libby was convicted of perjury and obstuction of justice on multiple account, yet the GOP mob says pardon him. The Reichwing can rationalize absolutely anything.

                          Another example is Rumsfeld. Rummy gets the boot as Secretary of Defense and it turns out they gave him a consultants positon at the Pentagon.

                          Impeachment is essential when dealing with the "undead", other wise they will keep coming back to haunt you!

                          by Flint on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 08:25:11 AM PDT

                          •  Not to mention Abrams & Poindexter

                            Both were convicted of crimes in the Iran-Contra scandal.  But if they'd only been impeached and barred from office, they wouldn't be BACK IN OFFICE IN THE GW BUSH ADMINISTRATION.

                            by neroden on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 09:44:24 PM PDT

                        •  The thing is that in the Nixon era there

                          was still a notion of honor v. shame - in other words it was believed that resignation was enough.  At this era, we need to make sure that our leaders do not stop at that because frankly by not convicting the Watergate players to the extent that they could have is what allowed this crowd to rise from the ashes and try to destroy this Democracy again - but this time with experience in how to avoid getting caught.

                          If we make that argument loud and clear, we may be in the realm of "the possible" that does include all legal options.

                          by inclusiveheart on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 08:46:17 AM PDT

                  •  Ya gotta love that middle name and birthday

                    The irony is amazing.

                    by kovie on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 04:24:38 AM PDT

                •  You are correct

                  Rove is not in an impeachable position. He can, however be indicted (I can hope anyways).

                  by green917 on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 12:33:42 AM PDT

                  •  Indicted? By Who?

                    Which US Attorney will do that?  Everyone who is not a "team player" has been fired.  These guys are living above the law and they know it.

                    There is only one law that they are having trouble with.  They cannot seen to stop the earth's rotation.  This means that January 20, 2009 is going to arrive pretty soon.

                    I just hope we still have a country by then.

                    by fmrgop on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 01:57:42 AM PDT

                    •  But they're working on that

                      ...that Earth's rotation thing.

                      A signing statement declaring each day to be 72 hours long, perhaps?

                      by quaoar on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 06:40:45 AM PDT

                    •  Congress can call for an investigation.

                      If they need to they can force the Justice Department to appoint a special prosecutor.  They did that in the matter of the Plame leak after the CIA requested that the investigation be opened.

                      by inclusiveheart on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 08:48:13 AM PDT

              •  I think he would have to face criminal charges

                because of tampering with attorneys who were or would not handle political cases. I don't know technically what law that is, but I am sure he broke it.

                by adigal on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 07:19:39 AM PDT

              •  Sen. Sanders is Independent

                Bernie Sanders of Vermont is neither Democrat nor Republican, but very progressive in outlook, and certainly no fan of the Bu$hites.

                by MyBrainWorks on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 09:28:42 AM PDT

                •  He's a commie pinko Stalinist agitator! ;-)

                  Well, actually, "only" a Socialist, and in a practical, non-ideological sense, and I respect him immensely, and am probably the only person on this site to have written a newspaper article on him (years ago, for a college paper).

                  by kovie on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 12:32:59 PM PDT

                •  Lieberman's an "Independent" too, technically n/t

                  by MyBrainWorks on Sun Mar 18, 2007 at 08:45:46 AM PDT

          •  Fins to the left, Fins to the right

            your the only bait in town! (love that song)

            by dansk47 on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 07:42:57 PM PDT

            •  Cheeseburger in Paradise...

              my fave...although it has nothing to do with this thread... perhaps Margaritaville will be Bu$hCo's new theme song if everything works out... ; )

              "Generosity, Ethics, Patience, Effort, Concentration, and Wisdom"

              by Dood Abides on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 09:25:34 PM PDT

              •  Heh, so far it seems their theme has been -

                'Oops, I did it again...'

                :)

                by Clive all hat no horse Rodeo on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 09:44:40 PM PDT

                •  How about

                  "Folsom Prison Blues?"

                  by Blank Frank on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 10:08:52 PM PDT

                  •  That'll be apropriate soon I hope! nt

                    by Clive all hat no horse Rodeo on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 05:11:45 PM PDT

              •  well, the mention of sharks in the water

                smelling blood just brought the song to mind, I envision Karl the bait, thrashing in the ocean, being circled by sharks. Sing it with me Karl

                by dansk47 on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 10:09:11 PM PDT

                •  More on sharks

                  There's enough wrongdoing to keep a lot of sharks fed. It's the political equivalent of the sinking of the USS Arizona, where secrecy led to the deaths of many Navy sailors, by shark ...

                  by jfdunphy on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 07:44:35 AM PDT

              •  Cheeseburger in Guantanimo could be

                the song they're singing if we get lucky and convict them of their crimes.

                by inclusiveheart on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 08:49:26 AM PDT

          •  Too true

            Rove seems to be the type of guy where, if you cross him once, you are his enemy. Turns out that Rove can create a whole bunch of enemies.

            by collegekid318 on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 07:44:38 PM PDT

            •  The thing about that is

              enemies like that plan, plot and eventually, they win.

              Especially when NOBODY will come to your aid when they attack.

              This is going to get real ugly, REAL fast.

              It can't happen to a nicer guy.

              by mmacdDE on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 09:05:11 PM PDT

          •  Don't let the Repubs do our work for us.

            Dems need to tkae lead on this.  

            by drmah on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 07:51:22 PM PDT

          •  It's not just Repub Senators that are pissed

            I've had one hard and fast rule my entire grown life:

            Never piss off a lawyer.

            They've done exactly that, and you ain't seen nothin' yet.

            by Timroff on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 06:10:33 AM PDT

            •  It is funny after watching those attorneys

              in the Senate hearing, it was clear that they are very bright and able.  Gonzo on the other hand is supposedly a middling intellect.  People like Leahy and those attorneys that were fired will eat him alive.  And Rove... for all of the mystique around him, he is no match for these people either particularly in this arena.  

              by inclusiveheart on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 08:54:24 AM PDT

        •  The old carnival scam:

           The un-knock-overable milk bottle...  Dems have thrown and thrown and thrown to no avail.  Now, the spell is broken, the trick is up, and they can't set them up fast enough.  When the loyal, in-the-trenches republicans start to fall, the body will cut off its own head to save itself.

          by jhop7 on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 07:35:01 PM PDT

        •  Besides for which...

          I would think that Rove's Eau d'Turd cachet has faded somewhat after the mid-terms occurred on his watch.

          I'm beginning to think that this regime is like a punch-drunk fighter...their front-line defense is either absent (DeLay, Santorum, etc.) and the hits are beginning to get through and mean something.  Their arms are getting tired and the blows are landing harder.

          Scooter Libby, Walter Reed, the Prosecutorial Seven...all happening at one time.  And the investigations have hardly begun.

          by mayan on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 07:37:53 PM PDT

          •  Not to mention

            scandals yet unexposed, some no doubt potentially nukyular in explosiveness...

            All that secrecy they engage in is surely hiding a political H-bomb or ten.

            by kovie on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 07:45:37 PM PDT

          •  Only six weeks...

            ...since the Dems were sworn into Congressional power.  This really shows how bad the old Rubber Stamp Congress really was.  Cornered animals can be dangerous though.

            by Land of Enchantment on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 08:20:03 PM PDT

            •  rubber stamp congress

              gets to go down in history as the congress that made the do-nothing congress of 1948 look like hard workers.

              by FreeTradeIsYourEpitaph on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 08:02:33 AM PDT

          •  Rope a dope

            that's what the Dems did. They let the Rs think they were just a punching bag.

            Until they got the advantage. Then the blows started.

            I don't think they're finished yet. Gonzales is still standing, so is Bush.

            But they may not be much longer.

            Reid was a good amateur boxer, and he's tangled with the Mob - and WON.

            I think both of those things have been very helpful in fighting the Bushites.

            by mmacdDE on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 09:07:31 PM PDT

          •  Petals fell of the blossom

            I guess. The Turd Blossom, that is...

            by mataliandy on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 09:56:54 PM PDT

            •  or perhaps

              the palyps fell off the blossom

              by FreeTradeIsYourEpitaph on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 08:03:47 AM PDT

        •  it WAS put to rest

          we won the Congress back, remember?

          "The math" indeed, Karl.

          by AlyoshaKaramazov on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 07:50:02 PM PDT

          •  Rove doesn't have a degree

            it turns out that the two things he's still missing are a math class, and his foreign language requirement.

            It shows.

            by mosesfreeman on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 08:18:15 PM PDT

            •  yeah but

              he hates america and has expert sociopathic skills in manipulating weak and fearful minds of the gop constituency...and that shows.

              by FreeTradeIsYourEpitaph on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 08:06:12 AM PDT

          •  Didn't you get the memo?

            The Bush administration, like the Iraq war, is succeeding magnificently, beyond anyone's wildest dreams. You have your reality but I have THE reality.

            No where's that Thorazine...

            by kovie on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 08:25:53 PM PDT

        •  Timid Dems make

          Rove bulletproof

          by bunk on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 09:11:58 PM PDT

          •  and will ultimately be the reason

            why Harry Reid is mistaken.  BTW I hope I am proven wrong but the Dem's resent track record doesn't give me much hope.

            by bunk on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 09:16:08 PM PDT

            •  Huh?

              Have you been paying any attention to what's been going on in the house and in certain committees? E.g. Waxman, Leahy, Conyers, Tierney, etc. Surely you didn't expect an overnight revolution that would undo all things Bush, Cheney and Rove?

              by kovie on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 11:36:12 PM PDT

              •  well, well

                I'm with bunk on this one....yep kovie you're right there is a lot going on in the house...but bunk and I are extremely impatient...we've been waiting six years...We want justice and democracy now...it was written into law 200 years ago.

                by FreeTradeIsYourEpitaph on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 08:08:46 AM PDT

                •  It is happening.

                  Subpoenas target Justice; White House could be next

                  WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said he doesn't care what the White House and Justice Department think of his subpoenas -- he wants answers.

                  snip

                  The administration later admitted one of the fired prosecutors had been removed to make way for a former aide to Rove but said the remainder were fired over management concerns and policy disagreements.

                  "I'm surprised that they're saying that there's no politics involved, and we're still 2½ weeks away from April Fool's Day," said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-New Hampshire, chairman of the Senate panel. "How can they possibly stand there with a straight face and say that's not politics? Of course it's politics."

                  by inclusiveheart on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 09:02:06 AM PDT

                •  I understand your frustration

                  but remember, it took those men nearly a dozen years, a long and painful war, a failed attempt at decentralized government, and years of very intense debate, before they actually came up with what we all like to take for granted.

                  The constitution is sort of our own Ark of the Covenant, to be continually defended and protected from would-be usurpers and thieves, which is what we've been doing these past 6 years. I believe that we will prevail, but the other side is crafty and determined and willing to sink into the gutter, while our side is only now learning how to fight again, which is why it's taking longer to restore it that we'd all like.

                  It was never going to be an overnight thing, no matter how much we hoped it would be. Like the old saying, if wishes were horses, then beggars would ride.

                  by kovie on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 12:21:44 PM PDT

      •  We need to convince the Republicans

        that Rove is considering a switch to the Democratic Party.

        That seems to be the one unforgivable sin for them.

        But yeah. Gay lovers, North Korea, working with Iran, and passing nuclear secrets? IOKIYAR

        by bartman on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 07:16:15 PM PDT

      •  Who told you?

        That's super double  top secret.

        by reef the dog on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 07:16:51 PM PDT

        •  Jeff Gannon told me

          at the bath house.  We were spending our pay-offs from the CIA, the DIA, AIPAC, FSB (formerly the KGB), and the MSS (Chinese Ministry of State Security) and exchanging pointers on how to successfully remain a triple agent under multiple countries.  

          The Music Room.

          by madhaus on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 07:40:55 PM PDT

          •  Did he tell you with whom he was sleeping

            to get his press pass? There are lots of people who would like to know.

            by maralenenok on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 08:51:48 PM PDT

            •  Oh! That ol' thing.

              That was a "favor" from a "friend."  Wasn't clear who the "friend" was working for.  It's so hard to tell these days.

              By the way, that sleeping at the White House thing, where he checked in but never checked out?  He told me to tell you there was a "mondo kegger" in the Lincoln Bedroom.

              The Music Room.

              by madhaus on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 09:16:35 PM PDT

      •  Let's start the Rove screams

        the pressure and see how far Bush might go to convince us he's an innocent bystander.  He needs to keep up his image with his 30%, doesn't he?

        by victoria2dc on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 07:18:49 PM PDT

        •  He wishes

          it was 30%.

          I think about half of that is people who just want to annoy the pollster.

          by mmacdDE on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 09:09:00 PM PDT

          •  I prefer to believe that theory

            over the idea that approximately one third of the American populace must be blithering idiots, totally incapable of opening up their eyes and ears, reasoning on their own, and changing their minds. (After all, that's what "flip-flopping" is all about, isn't it? Using newly acquired facts to update/change your previous views?)

            That 30% (and thereabouts) figure has always bugged me.

            How on earth can it be possible???

            I swear there must be something in the water. Maybe some people (liberals, Dems...) are just immune, or would need bigger doses, or have become resistant to it.

            That Kool Aid must be powerful stuff.

            by Donna in Rome on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 03:14:09 AM PDT

            •  the number is scewed, but

              still quite a lot of people that do not have computers and get their news from the tv.  A poll on clear channel wgme Monday 75% for impeachment.  Comments were front loaded with republicans eleven to be exact the rest were all anti bush.  
               So what does Sunnunu have to gain ?  No further investigation of the feet dragging on phone jammin.

              by zenobia on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 07:34:27 AM PDT

          •  most of the rest

            Simply fear authority, and answer affirmatively.
            The remainder (dead-enders) all work for him.

            by kamarvt on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 05:05:56 AM PDT

      •  welcome to the rec list, quaoar!

        by kainah on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 07:20:39 PM PDT

      •  Rove bulletproof? I doubt it......

        I bet if someone went to test that, he'd piss in his pants......

        Keep in mind that Rove is who he is BECAUSE he was the continual target of bullies - he sought "protection" by doing the dirty work for the "popular" kids.....

        by xrepub on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 07:32:03 PM PDT

      •  but he can

        be thrown in jail -

        by SMucci on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 07:37:37 PM PDT

        •  Sorry, not a chance. They'll all be toasting each

          other at the big Pardon Party before any of them (including Scooter) ever face any real risk of jail time.

          Guys like Libby will stay free on bail through an appeals process that lasts through the 2008 elections. Same with anybody else who gets convicted of anything, no matter how egregious. Conviction itself is becoming ever more unlikely in any event, seeing as how few criminal charges have been brought.

          And everybody else will get a blanket pardon in advance  for everything they've ever done. Or may have done. Or thought about doing.

          If there were one Constitutional Amendment I'd wish for, it would be that the pardon power could be exercised ONLY after the defendant is convicted.

          These guys have a free ride since day one, and they've always known it.

          by wandabee on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 07:56:25 PM PDT

          •  IANAL

            but I think that there are probably ways around even a Presidential pardon. For instance they could be tried in another jurisdiction, like the Hague. Does a pardon prevent us from extradition? I doubt it.

            Another thing is that once pardoned, I don't think they can use a fifth amendment defense against testifying as to what they know. They could essentially be forced to either perjure themselves or publicly degrade themselves so thoroughly that the publicity would be worse than prison. If they perjure themselves after the fact, it's a new crime not covered by the pardon.

            Rove's fingerprints are all over every scummy, underhanded crime that this gang has ever committed, probably including breaking laws abroad.

            Gonzo has said, with a straight face, that US law has no jurisdiction over our base at Guantanamo, because it's Cuban territory. We could extradite Gonzo to Havana for trial regarding the abuses at Gitmo. I think Raul would probably oblige us. Shit, it would make his day.

            Or maybe he could be tried in Baghdad...

            by mosesfreeman on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 08:36:02 PM PDT

            •  I would LOVE to see

              Gonzo tried by the Cubans for crimes against humanity.

              Or the Iraqis. Or the Hague. The Hague might have more international weight, but having him tried in Baghdad would be more poetic.

              by mmacdDE on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 09:11:28 PM PDT

            •  I hadn't thought about the perjury angle. Now...

              I feel kind of happy. Thanks!

              by wandabee on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 09:11:28 PM PDT

              •  Just call me

                "turd-blossom".

                by mosesfreeman on Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 09:18:00 PM PDT

            •  And of course