Comments (26)

AnneW wrote on April 24, 2007 1:14 PM:

I'd love to see good ole' tough talking Arlen put on the spot....

Anonymous wrote on April 24, 2007 1:27 PM:

Yawn.

profmarcus wrote on April 24, 2007 1:35 PM:

a vote of no confidence notwithstanding, i hope the committee keeps on digging... if they do, they will eventually strike a vein of shit so rich, it will bring a quick end to this 6 year-old coup d'etat...

http://takeitpersonally.blogspot.com/#2363245722713893823

Reggae Bass wrote on April 24, 2007 1:36 PM:

Brilliant. Put them all on the spot. Then if Bush still doesn't budge bring up articles of Impeachment. You'll know if you have the 67 votes by the way this vote comes down.

Anonymous wrote on April 24, 2007 1:36 PM:

The only action congress can take that would matter to the WH is impeachment.

drock wrote on April 24, 2007 2:04 PM:

not a bad move by the dems, but don’t want them spending too much time on it - it seems that bush wants to keep the ag around as a lightening rod/ punching bag. Let Republican members express bs "independence" at an approved target

freepatriot wrote on April 24, 2007 2:06 PM:

it would be news if Congress were thinking of voting "Confidence" in abu gonzo

phil james wrote on April 24, 2007 2:07 PM:

Picture this. Dubya and turdblossom sitting down each evening in the darker, cooler recesses of the White House, talking over which of their latest gambits is currently leading to higher and higher levels of frustration in the bottomless futility that constitutes the Democratic Congress, and giggling away to the point of shedding tears at the sheer hopelessness of Reid and Pelosi in the face of the power of the unitary executive. Vote of no confidence indeed. They will be giggling for the better part of two hours over this one.

Ivory wrote on April 24, 2007 2:08 PM:

Another non-binding vote… Way to go guys. You’re really doing a bang-up job holding these criminals to account. What’s next, a vote on whether Cheney is a “big meanie?” Neo-cons aren’t the only politicians up for re-electing in ’08. I hope the dems realize that. I also hope they realize that Bush/Cheney aren’t destroying our county all by themselves. The wimps in the majority are helping, by standing by and watching—and casting votes that don’t mean a thing.

Mrs Panstreppon wrote on April 24, 2007 2:16 PM:

O.T. but someone told me that Bush is in NY today. Anyone know why?

JoyceH wrote on April 24, 2007 2:17 PM:

A vote of 'no confidence'? What the heck is this, Parliament?

Congress has the power to impeach and it's loooooong past time for them to start USING it! Gonzales has blatantly lied to them on numerous occasions, the paper trail proving that is massive. They don't have to try to 'pressure' Bush to get rid of Gonzales, something that will only make him dig his heels in like the stubborn stupid mule that he is, they can get rid of Gonzales themselves, and that's the only way it's going to happen.

And we need to remind them that Gonzales is nowhere NEAR the end of the story - this trail leads right into the White House, and they'd better keep following it.

Nawshus wrote on April 24, 2007 2:34 PM:

Impeach Gonzales -- follow the trail of political prosecutions for voting, the failure to prosecute other voting irregularities, then try checking into why Republican web servers, software designers, etc are the vote counters in Ohio. (see comment by Larry under this website's report on Rove investigation) Much, much more beneath the surface, we just need to get the ball rolling and get people under oath, so that the American people will be demanding accountability and calling for the resignation of Bush and Company.

Poggy wrote on April 24, 2007 2:52 PM:

The only thing worse than this corrupt and criminal administration is congress' lack of courage to impeach and arrest them. I agree with other posters: W and his cabal will laugh at another non-binding vote. The only thing they might pay attention to is impeachment. They are even ignoring subpoenas, and congress is wimping out. Argggggh.

Crust wrote on April 24, 2007 3:31 PM:

Good move. Re non-binding: If this doesn't get Gonzales resigned/fired, impeaching him would be a logical next step. Indeed even if all you care about is impeachment, doing a non-binding vote first probably improves your odds (assuming AGAG isn't out first).

The Totalizer wrote on April 24, 2007 3:46 PM:

This is a great first move (if it doesn't get bogged down like the non-binding vote against the surge). Immediate impeachment would feel good, but the reasons must be made clear before the procedure starts. Laying the groundwork is critical.

Crust wrote on April 24, 2007 4:05 PM:

A reminder to commenters re impeachment: Conviction in the Senate requires a two thirds majority (67 votes). The Democrats currently have 49 seats in the Senate not counting Lieberman, so you need 18 Republicans/Lieberman. (Impeachment in the House -- the analog of indictment in a regular case -- only requires a simple majority.)

westcoast wrote on April 24, 2007 5:48 PM:

How about IMPEACH the whole lot of Bush criminals?

Anonymous wrote on April 24, 2007 6:22 PM:

Stop considering and DO IT ALREADY!
Code word: blood
As in "I smell blood in the water."

Poggy wrote on April 24, 2007 7:48 PM:

If this does indeed happen, despite Specter's strong criticism of Gonzo, I bet that he doesn't vote against Gonzo. He's incredibly sharp, but I don't trust him. He talks a big game, but when it comes down to voting or taking real actions against republicans, it (almost) never happens. He's a snake.

DF wrote on April 24, 2007 9:33 PM:

Vote of no confidence? Big deal. Who came up with this limp wristed idea, Harry Reid? Investigate till something that can be prosecuted turns up. Then name a special prosecutor. Then move on to the next scandal till summer ends and Iraq comes center stage.

Impeach Bush? For what… being incompetent? Remember folks, its high crimes and misdemeanors. The Republicans got away with impeaching Clinton because he told a bold face lie about HIS OWN BEHAVIOR while under oath. Anybody have something like that on W? Get over it and move on. The real fight is coming this fall over Iraq.

Jane wrote on April 24, 2007 10:10 PM:

To DF: You mean you don't believe that Bush lying us into the Iraq War was a high crime and misdemeanor? How about Bush stealing his first election?

Iraq which is deeply tragic is a sideshow compared to the destruction of democracy in this country and its potential future effects including more imperial wars on a larger scale -- See Iran.

phil james wrote on April 24, 2007 11:40 PM:

The high crime of which we speak is not the mindless engagement and pursuit of the Iraq war. The crime is obstruction of justice on the part of the White House. In particular, by firing US Attorneys who were pursuing corrupt Republican politicians and in general, by undermining the neutrality of the Department of Justice by conspiring to replace competent USA's with political cronies who would seek justice of a different sort...the kind of fair and balanced justice that Fox News would be proud of. This goes all the way to the top and is an impeachable offense. But since impeachment is a political process, you can rest assured that Specter and company will do all they can to keep it from happening.

Michael Stevens wrote on April 25, 2007 12:16 AM:

A vote of no confidence is the logical precursor to impeachment. This vote serves the purpose of putting all congressional Republicans on the record. If enough Republicans turn on Gonzo, the Democrats might then consider introducing impeachment.

If impeachment is introduced, the House will easily pass the measure and send the proceedings to the Senate. The House impeachment vote only requires a simple majority, while the Senate vote requires a 2/3rd majority.

If Gonzo has not resigned by the time impeachment reaches the Senate, Republican Senators will put Massive pressure on him to get the hell out. If Gonzo stubbornly stays on, the Senate impeachment hearings will go forward. These hearings would cause much pain, embarrassment, and damage to the administration and perhaps Republicans in general.

The odds are very much against Gonzo hanging around long enough for the Senate to actually *vote* on impeachment. But if it did get that far, the vote could be a close run thing. Only 6 or 7 Republicans would be needed for the 2/3rds majority.

If a vote were to occur, Gonzo would survive it. This is because the Republicans would take a head count prior to the vote. If Gonzo were set to lose, they'd give him a chance to resign first.

Of course, this process would do tremendous damage to the administration and the Republican party. So personally, I hope Bush holds onto Gonzo until the indictments drop. Alas, I suspect even pig headed George W Bush would sack Gonzo rather than put his administration through impeachment hearings. Here's hoping I'm wrong

ohiomeister wrote on April 25, 2007 1:14 PM:

The votes just aren't there for impeachment and the GOP Senators will block it. I think a losing impeachment vote is even more symbolic than a vote of no confidence.

The difference between the two is that a vote of no confidence will likely pass and will force vulnerable GOP Senators like Norm Coleman of Minnesota, Susan Collins of Maine, Gordon Smith of Oregon and John Sununu of New Hampshire to go on the record, giving their Democratic opponents a good issue.

phil james wrote on April 25, 2007 4:24 PM:

Excerpt from Bush's upcoming speech from the Oval Office, to be broadcast Friday at 8PM EDT:
"Tonight I am speaking to you from the White House to assure you that your government and the nation are functioning smoothly and efficiently, as they should be, and will continue to do so to make our nation secure today and for the future. But I have come to you with a heavy heart because of the measures I have been forced to take. Today I have officially disbanded the Congress and have asked all members of the House and Senate to leave the Capitol and return home or be placed under house arrest here. As Commander-in-chief of our nation in this time of war I have found it impossible to pursue the interests of our nation's security and a true victory in our struggle with terrorists with the constant pressure of Congressional investigations, subpoenas, and defeatism in the face of our enemies, all of which distract us from our one true and God-given task--to defeat terrorists. Please understand that the functions of our government will continue without interruption. Thank you, good night, and God bless America.

chuckles wrote on April 25, 2007 8:55 PM:

Monkey-Boy looked good dancing for Malaria today. So sad....do you think anyone ever thought he could be this stupid?...chuckle chuckle