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Gonzales: Burden's Not with Me
There was just one of the most telling exchanges of the whole hearing.
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), up for another round of questioning, declined, saying that Alberto Gonzales had failed to meet the burden of proof to explain the basis for the U.S. attorney firings, and to show that they weren't improper. It wasn't worth trying another line of questioning.
Gonzales shot back, saying that he'd explained his own actions, and that the burden of proof was actually on those who had alleged that something improper had happened here, i.e. Sen. Schumer and others.
Schumer replied: "Our standard is not a criminal standard -- it's higher than that." Because Gonzales had fired the U.S. attorneys, Schumer said, the burden is on him to give a full and complete explanation for the firings. He hadn't done that, he said.













I especially liked the refrain from the gallery:
Na na na na hey hey hey good bye.
April 19, 2007 4:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
This was Schumer's chance to administer the "coup de grace" summary:
"If you can't even tell us who put the names on the list or why . . . " (fill the in the blank)
April 19, 2007 4:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
I would have liked Schumer to ask all present, members of Congress and audience for a show of hands: "who actually believes the Attorney General when he tells us that Carol Lam was fired for her handling of immigration issues?"
April 19, 2007 5:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
The abandonment of principles that the appearance of impropriety should be avoided - the Bush doctrine of dictatorship at it's zenith. Bush thinks that what the American people think is irrelevant because he's the decider and it's OK for us to live in a dictatorship as long as he's the dictator. And personally, I think all the bobbing and weaving means something improper DID occur, or else why do it?
Security code: square, as in the Bush Administration is never square with us - they prefer to lie.
April 19, 2007 5:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
It is now painfully obvious that Bush/Rove/Miers came up with the names for that list. That is why no one can give a definitive answer- Kyle Sampson has said he just gathered the information but did not decide who would be targeted. Gonzo also cannot say. He lied in an attempt to protect the White House. Gonzo gave about as shitty a performance as I have ever seen. Sayonara you asshole.
April 19, 2007 5:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
I want Gonzo the Dumbo gone. However, if he isnt there will always be a cloud over the DOJ, the White House, and Karl Rove. Thats bad for all entities. A scandla that keeps on giving and giving and giving. Although, they may clean up theri act and include more Republican conrriuptions in their cases ( well to make it look non partisan) but but but these are ideologues so chances are any cases brought will be lost as these attorneys are unproven and not gotten their jobs on MERIT.
I want to know now Bush thinking is any different from Radical Islam?
Bush has managed to tear up the Constitution, Democracy ( the same Democracy he wants to put in place in Iraq, "give me a break"), the judicial system.
In Bush's mind he thinks he is right as do the Islamic terrorists.
What is different between the two
Bush wants to torture, they torture
Bush wants to spy, they spy.
Bush wants to attack attack attack, they want to attack attack attack.
Bush wants to tear down Democracy, they dont want Democracy
Bush thinks his way is the the want and the only way, They think their way is the way and the only way.
I ask what is the difference between the two??
Ideologoe is still Ideologue.
Bush is going against the will of the majority of Americans
April 19, 2007 5:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Code word "rate"
I thus rate Gonzales = Wormtongue.
April 19, 2007 5:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Man does this not sound like the tired resigned stage of a breakup fight. It's over, he's got no support on the hill and no defense for his actions.
It's one thing to be Rummy with a rubberstamp congress, but a bi partisan feeling of no confidence can simply shackle a cabinet head. I can't see how he survives this.
April 19, 2007 5:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Schultz ("I see nothing, I know nothing. I hear nothing."). Notwithstanding, the smug condescension of the ...
April 19, 2007 5:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
Schumer was spot on when he said that Gonzo had answered "I don't know" to almost 100 questions. Then someone in the gallery piped up with an exact number.
April 19, 2007 6:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
whoa. Did the gallery really chant, or do you just mean THIS peanut gallery?
April 19, 2007 6:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
There is a sad parallel between Gonzales' assertion that the burden of proof was on congress and the assertions of the legal system in addressing concerns about the mentally ill in society: according to Gonzales, even though we see the government doing very questionable things, we have to prove that what we see is corrupting democratic principles of justice and equity. And in society, despite worrisome psychiatric evaluations of Cho Seung-Hui following episodes of stalking and other disordered behaviors, no action was taken to restrain him from access to dangerous weapons because no one could prove he would do anything deadly. We always have to wait until the harm is done.
April 19, 2007 7:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Schumer replied: "Our standard is not a criminal standard -- it's higher than that." Because Gonzales had fired the U.S. attorneys, Schumer said, the burden is on him to give a full and complete explanation for the firings. He hadn't done that, he said."
precisely.
it seems to me, if i were to fire an employee, the burden would indeed be on me to prove they weren't fired for improper reasons. in fact there are instances in which gonzales' own DOJ could put my ass in a sling if i fired employees in the manner gonzales fired the USAs and then had the same audacity as gonzales to plead ignorance about why they were fired. (but given the way gonzales has gutted the civil rights division i guess i only have to be concerned about how i fire white employees.)
April 19, 2007 7:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
My favorite unasked question is, "Why wasn't this important enough to you to remember?"
April 19, 2007 8:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
whoa. Did the gallery really chant, or do you just mean THIS peanut gallery?
Posted by: tekel
No, there were people there who immediately started chanting, "Nah-Nah-Nah-Nah, Nah-Nah-Nah-Nah, Gonzales Goodbye". Something like that. It was pretty funny.
April 19, 2007 9:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Perhaps the house should re-think the idea of impeachment of Bush and instead send a signal to the administration by impeaching Gonzo! I suspect that they could get enough Republican Senators to go along with that! What do you folks think about that idea?? Would this not work to tie the administration up in the process and out of mischief?
April 19, 2007 10:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
I have yet to hear a single compelling reason for Bush to fire Gonzo or for Gonzo to resign. Don't get me wrong, I know they are both corrupt as hell. But neither has any shame or decency or sense of a higher purpose for our government than to serve their own ends. And look what happened when Bush fired Rummy. He got Gates. Why would Bush risk having to appoint someone with a backbone as AG? Unless Gonzo is impeached or otherwise directly connected with a criminal act, they can stonewall this thing til kingdom come.
April 19, 2007 11:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
As long as Gonzales stays on the job he remains the lightning rod for the fired USAs'. He is the last person before this thing goes to Rove then Bush himself.
30 years ago the last to go were Halderman and Ehrlichman, then Nixon.
April 20, 2007 12:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
Lots of questions got asked about HOW and WHEN "the list" was compiled. Lots of questions got asked about why certain names were included in (or excluded from) "the list". But I wish just one Senator had asked straight out:
"WHY was there a list in the first place?"
If Gonzales assigned Kyle Sampson the job of compiling "the list", we must suppose that someone, somewhere, sometime, decided that a list was needed. Doubtless, Gonzo cannot recall who told him to make a list, or when, or why. But the question should have been asked.
-- TP
April 20, 2007 12:43 AM | Reply | Permalink
Hey phil, Gates - former CIA chief he is, IS better than Rummy!
Lord, can't you understand? We're Americans! We'd rather have the competent CIA and US Army who are for America (which is the point) than the C- students who are just for Halliburton and the Repblicans,
Those people gave us 9/11 and all this....shit.
Prescott Bush and Averil Harriman are spinning in their graves.
This is America vs. the Tories. Now get a clue and IMPEACH THE TRAITORS!
April 20, 2007 1:07 AM | Reply | Permalink
I read Phil's comment to say Bush wouldn't wan't to replace the AG with someone like Gates, who has a backbone.
April 20, 2007 1:17 AM | Reply | Permalink
Its sad to see an educated person prostitute himself like that.
April 20, 2007 11:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
Chuck Schumer in Summary:
Attorney General, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
April 20, 2007 5:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Do you think waterboarding would help Gonzo's memory
April 20, 2007 8:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
The more I reflect on it, the more convinced I become that Gonzo's job yesterday was to be a "tar-baby." The Senators are meant to get so stuck on his absurd dissembling performance that they will have difficulty ungluing themselves and getting the big prizes in the bag. That's Rove and Miers.
"It wasn't me, but the buck stops with me, and I can't recall exactly why that is so. I am pathetic, incompetent, ... and entirely to blame, even if I can't recall why I did what I did."
April 20, 2007 9:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Woodhall Hollow,
I believe that Gone-lawless is not Wormtongue. He is Scroto Bagman the Bad Habit.
XOXOXOX :/)
Any-which-way . . . Schumer was right to declare into the record that further questions were unless cuz Fredo is a lying sack o' crap. All Fredo's protests were so much bluster and everyone grokked that . . .
April 21, 2007 8:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Both Alberto G. and P. Wolfowitz should concede that their continued presence hinders their respective organizations effectiveness. They should resign because holding on to their jobs should be secondary to the effectiveness of their organizations. Alas, if only they had the integrity to act accordingly.
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