The White House MO

First, the Prez colludes with and supports an unethical action of one of his cronies and/or appointees. Then, because of that collusion and support, the crony gets in trouble. At which point the Prez gives the crony the kiss of death. The Prez says, as he recently said of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, “I have all the confidence in the world in Mr. Gonzales.” And then he gives the crony an unattainable task. In the case of Gonzales, after the Prez prated about having confidence in him, he talked about his displeasure at the way Gonzales and the Justice Department had handled the dismissals of the eight US attorneys. The president then gave Gonzales his Herculean task. The Prez said, “Al’s got work to do up there” to repair his relations on Capitol Hill, But good old Al Gonzales, the president’s great buddy from Texas who has lied and cheated and turned the Justice Department into a backroom den where unjust and iniquitous acts have trampled on the US constitution, cannot repair his relations on Capitol Hill because he’s got no one in his corner except the President. And the President doesn’t really want him to remain in office because the AG now is damaged goods and useless. Three Republicans have called for Gonzales to resign: Representative Dana Rohrabacher (CA), Senator John Sununu (NH) and Senator Jeff Sessions (AL). And press secretary Tony Snow just tightened the noose around Gonzales’s neck when Snow was asked if the President might have suggested firing the US attorneys. Snow said, "Anything's possible...but I don't think so...he certainly has no recollection of any such thing. I can't speak for the attorney general." That means sharpen up your sword Al, because you are expected to fall on it. Gonzales will resign. That’s the way it’s done in the Bush administration. But that won’t answer the pesky questions about when, how and why the White House fired US attorneys who weren’t “loyal” enough to the Bush administration. I can’t wait to hear the White House argument that testimony by Fat Karl, Harebrained Harriet, and a host of unnamed “White House officials” would jeopardize national security and harm our soldiers in Iraq.