At this point one might as well start a betting pool as it seems Alberto Gonzales will almost certainly leave office in the near future. We've all seen this "Delay" act before. In my opinion, all that remains to be seen is this - how much time will Bush buy for his embattled Attorney General and longtime personal friend?
While pondering that, why not enjoy the suspense a little?
More below the fold.
Of course, no scandal would be complete without this compulsory song-and-dance. Reuters is now reporting:
Bush reaffirms strong backing to attorney general
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush on Tuesday reaffirmed his "strong backing" to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who is facing calls to resign in a political firestorm over the firings of some U.S. prosecutors.
Bush called Gonzales at about 7:15 a.m. EDT (11:15 GMT) from the Oval Office and they had a "good conversation" about the issue, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.
"The president reaffirmed his strong backing and support of the attorney general," Perino said.
Nevertheless, Republican Washington insiders have been sourced as saying that it is simply a matter of time before Gonzales steps down:
Republican officials operating at the behest of the White House have begun seeking a possible successor to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, whose support among GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill has collapsed, according to party sources familiar with the discussions.
(...)
Republican sources also disclosed that it is now a virtual certainty that Deputy Attorney General Paul J. McNulty, whose incomplete and inaccurate congressional testimony about the prosecutors helped precipitate the crisis, will also resign shortly. Officials were debating whether Gonzales and McNulty should depart at the same time or whether McNulty should go a day or two after Gonzales. Still known as "The Judge" for his service on the Texas Supreme Court, Gonzales is one of the few remaining original Texans who came to Washington with President Bush.
In a sign of Republican despair, GOP political strategists on Capitol Hill said that it is too late for Gonzales' departure to head off a full-scale Democratic investigation into the motives and timing behind the firing of eight U.S. attorneys.
Surely they can see that now is the time to cut their losses. So that means the only question left in this episode is when will Gonzales step down?