July 11, 2007

Gonzo Does A Double Clinton, With A Twist

Embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has created even more trouble for himself with Congress. In April 2005, he told the Senate that the FBI had not committed "one verified case of civil liberties abuse" after 2001. However, two of his aides now confirm that they had informed Gonzales of hundreds of violations before that testimony, which would directly conflict with that testimony.

At Heading Right, I look at the two responses from Justice on why Gonzales' testimony should not be considered false. In one, Gonzales takes a page from Hillary Clinton's defense of her vote to authorize war against Iraq, and in the other Justice relies on definition-parsing that evokes Bill Clinton's treatment of the word is. Neither reflects well on Gonzales' credibility or competency, and it makes clear that the White House should have dumped Gonzales long ago.

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Comments (16)

Posted by ScottM | July 11, 2007 10:41 AM

Remind me why I volunteered for Bush in 2004? Hell, remind me why I voted for Bush in 2004?

Well, I suppose Kerry would have been marginally worse.

Posted by Tom Shipley | July 11, 2007 11:03 AM

In one, Gonzales takes a page from Hillary Clinton's defense of her vote to authorize war against Iraq

I have to disagree wtih this. Hilary didn't use the fact that she didn't read the NIE as a defense for her vote. She did defend not reading the entire thing by saying she really didn't miss anything by not reading the entire point because she read summarys and was well-briefed on it. But she didn't use not reading it as a defense.

I know it's easier to write about trangressions of your own party by talking about transgressions of the oppposing party, but in this instance, it doesn't fit.

The comparison to Bill Clinton does seem to fit though.

Posted by Lew | July 11, 2007 11:05 AM

ScottM, I would differ with you in degree only.

Kerry would have been way worse, but as time goes bye that's beginning to look like its not saying much!

Posted by Monkei | July 11, 2007 11:16 AM

The more you think these two parties are different, the more they remain and are in fact the same. Thanks for the comparison again Captain.

When will GWB ever learn to cut his losses?

Posted by Tom Shipley | July 11, 2007 11:16 AM

Oh, and Gonzales needs to go.

Posted by mrlynn | July 11, 2007 11:18 AM

Captain, I don't agree. The claim was in the context of violations of the Patriot Act, and interpreting "civil liberties abuse" as deliberate violations now allowed by that Act is perfectly defensible, not Clintonian at all.

The Washington Post and the Dems have been after Gonzales for months now. No need for you to pile on, especially on such silly grounds.

/Mr Lynn

Posted by Ron | July 11, 2007 12:10 PM

It seems to me that I remember all the calls for Janet Reno to go, from Waco to the handling of the campaign fund-raising scandal linked to the 1996 election, to the Elian fiasco. She never did go. So neither should Gonzales. More power to Bush for sticking with him and sticking it to the dems.

Posted by Carol Herman | July 11, 2007 12:22 PM

I'm beginning to suspect Dubya's use for his friend, Alberto, is what comrades do for each other, when they're under fire, in battle. And, Gozo goes out there attracting fire.

SO WHAT?

One more story about the FBI, huh?

Not only "doesn't Gonzo know," you're just being informed, too, that the FBI sucks. That the only thing on their agenda is to embarass this president. And, the "secret stuff" spills to the New Yuk TImes. Where there's maggots jumping down from the roof. Nicely built, huh?

Keeps the rabble busy.

Doesn't amount to a hill of beans.

And, we can thank our lucky stars, that as bad as our guys are; from the looks of things that happened in Glasgow and London, their doctors are worse than our lawyers; who've been hired to "halp" by given badges. At the FBI.

So, if you want me to be "impressed?" WHY? Our idiots are less worse than their religious nutters.

Posted by brooklyn | July 11, 2007 12:30 PM

Embattled ???

So he is going to be forced from Office or something?

Captain, you remain outstanding, however, once someone gets on your 'bad' card, you seem to play it overtly.

Long ago, some of the biggest Conservative Pundits embraced a negative cynicism with the Bush Administration, often without sincere basis.

Some even provided the baseless charges of Chuck Schumer with a tiny wind.

Even you Captain, rushed to entertain a bizarre fake conspiracy about the Bush Administration hiding the discovery of a massive WMD discovery in Iraq, because of some nutty claim they lost those same WMD's.

Dubai, Meirs, Immigration has all been handled with such overt hyperbole and reckless debasing.

And some actually still perceive the worst.

Sadly, we see this now with the fine Captain in regards to the AG.

ABUSE is not the same as a VIOLATION.

Or is it?

Abuse usually contains malicious intent, while violations could be a failure to dot an 'i', without any victimization involved.

Ironically, it has been revealed, the current AG has a number of positives, supporting some sound policy, especially in regards to the War on Terror.

Specifically, the AG should be thanked for rejecting calls to close GITMO, the strong response in regards to investigating Rep. William Jefferson, etc...

Again, I am beginning to wonder if some of the best Conservative Pundits I have been reading for many years, have lost sight of objective insight.

Often, many these days use the same condemnation for some honest imperfections amongst decent Americans, as they do for the actions of unethical Liberal Democrats.

First, as a reminder, Conservatives believe human beings are imperfect, and this is one aspect for Our belief in limited Government.

As power corrupts, people make many mistakes, and bureaucracies remain difficult to manage.

Meanwhile, the cynical nature of many critics, who have never held positions comparable to those governing, managing, sacrificing, has become far too exacting.

And they are unwittingly undermining those trying their best to serve their interest.

It is still shocking, to see many Conservatives without any empathy for the burden this President carries, leading so many Americans in harms way.

Hillary must be thrilled with the Conservatives failure to maintain focus, healthy context, constructive insight, and a resolved determination.

The pessimists are winning, and everything is a negative.

Posted by Tom Shipley | July 11, 2007 12:42 PM

Embattled ???

Gonzalez' picture is in Webster's at this point. It replaced Rumsfeld's.

Posted by Arthur Franke | July 11, 2007 1:30 PM

I have to completely disagree with you. I was ticketed for doing 88 mph hour a few months ago when I was only doing about 75.

The speeding laws weren't abused. The cop just made a mistake and pulled over the wrong silver SUV.

The FBI's getting three months of phone records when the only requested two months of phone records isn't an abuse of the Patriot Act. It is a stretch to even call it a mistake.

Posted by Red Wolverine | July 11, 2007 2:09 PM

Why was John Ashcroft forced out?

Posted by eaglewings | July 11, 2007 2:42 PM

WashCompost 'abuse' =anytime a republican DOJ official does anything to enforce criminal or anti terrorist laws.
Violation thus does not equal abuse. Does Charles have an ACLU card that he's been hiding from us? I think the Captain is a little over the top on this one.

Posted by Bill Faith | July 11, 2007 5:17 PM

OK, so Gonzo's a loser. No argument there, but I hope you aren't recommending firing him at this point. Bad as he is, he's better than anyone Bush could get confirmed by the current Senate. Bush had his chance to appoint someone qualified for the job when Ashcroft left and he opted for someone he could count on not to get any crazy notions about enforcing any immigration laws.  I excerpted and linked.

Posted by ScottM | July 11, 2007 10:12 PM

"Embattled " is the opposite of "embiggened."

Posted by owl2 | July 12, 2007 1:39 PM

Just.....WHY?

To all of it.

Again, I am beginning to wonder if some of the best Conservative Pundits I have been reading for many years, have lost sight of objective insight.

Often, many these days use the same condemnation for some honest imperfections amongst decent Americans, as they do for the actions of unethical Liberal Democrats.

Exactly, brooklyn. Since the Nov elections, I have had to go on several no blog/politic vacations because of it. Republicans had a major problem with 1)Spineless Pug Congressmen who could only stand together on one issue over and over......they agreed to POINT at the White House and SUPERVISE. 2)MSM's distortions that finally just degenerated into flat out lying........as long as they could POINT at the White House.

I can no longer even tolerate some of our best Pundits. No, I am not talking about the Captain although I detest these hair shirts.

I swear to God the Democrats do not need ANY more help. They have 99% of all American and International MSM. When you unite 99% with the political wimps that were in power before Nov......and all the above POINT at Bush for all trangressions.........

And people wonder why we lost? And then we move to the furious people (of which I now reside). All of you that are so eat up with immigration that you feel you must POINT at only George W Bush's administration.........you need to get in that long line of POINTERS.

He is one man. Only a single man doing his best to protect us with the resources that he had available. And a damn fine job he has done when you consider the 'world' against him. For myself..........I wish he would prosecute the NYTs, WaPo. I wish he would say that Armitage and Collin Powell are backstabbing sluts. I wish he would have called names of those slimey, wimpy but arrogant Pug Senators that have stood in his way on every issue. I wish he had called their names when they sat on their Glorious Rumps and allowed all his nominees to be trashed. I wish he had called many people......many.

I do not understand the pure fracturing of a party over Miers/Dubai/Brownie/immigration. The Dem's MSM have beat the 'cronyism' and 'corruption' drum from the beginning. So has one particular Pug Pundit and one particular Pundit group site that started the first hulabaloo.

Write me down in the 2% that still supports President George W Bush. He seems to be the only man with a spine........and Lord has that man took a beating from all. He is the only one that has my 100% support........certainly not what is called the Party, these days.