The Political Universe 08.28.07
Posted by Jason Easley on 08.28.2007
The big story is that Alberto Gonzales became the latest Bush administration official to resign. I’ll take a look at what Gonzales had to say, and tell you why I think he chose now to step down. Also, the pseudo-campaign of Fred Thompson has had quite a bit of turnover lately. I’ll take a look at the Thompson campaign and tell you why Karl Rove won’t be going there, but how he could still win the GOP nomination. All this and more is inside the Tuesday edition of this column.
Saying goodbye to Alberto Gonzales
Alberto Gonzales finally resigned on Monday morning and the big question on everyone's minds was what took so long? "Yesterday I met with President Bush and informed him of my decision to conclude my government service as attorney general of the United States effective as of September 17th, 2007," Gonzales said. He also spoke about his time as attorney general, "Let me say that it's been one of my greatest privileges to lead the Department of Justice. I have great admiration and respect for the men and women who work here. I have made a point as attorney general to personally meet as many of them as possible, and today I want to again thank them for their service to our nation. It is through their continued work that our country and our communities remain safe, that the rights and civil liberties of our citizens are protected, and the hopes and dreams of all of our children are secured."
Gonzales concluded, "I often remind our fellow citizens that we live in the greatest country in the world and that I have lived the American dream. Even my worst days as attorney general have been better than my father's best days. Public service is honorable and noble. And I am profoundly grateful to President Bush for his friendship and for the many opportunities he has given me to serve the American people."
Of course, the White House and Republican spin on this is that partisan politics on the part of the Democrats forced out a perfectly good attorney general. "Al Gonzales is a man of integrity, decency and principle. And I have reluctantly accepted his resignation, with great appreciation for the service that he has provided for our country. As Attorney General and before that, as White House counsel, Al Gonzales has played a role in shaping our policies in the war on terror, and has worked tirelessly to make this country safer. The Patriot Act, the Military Commissions Act and other important laws bear his imprint. Under his leadership, the Justice Department has made a priority of protecting children from Internet predators, and made enforcement of civil rights laws a top priority. He aggressively and successfully pursued public corruption and effectively combated gang violence," Bush said.
Then the president blamed the Democrats for the downfall of Gonzales, "After months of unfair treatment that has created a harmful distraction at the Justice Department, Judge Gonzales decided to resign his position, and I accept his decision. It's sad that we live in a time when a talented and honorable person like Alberto Gonzales is impeded from doing important work because his good name was dragged through the mud for political reasons." What exactly were these political reasons? Is it because the Democrats had the nerve to investigate the purge of eight U.S. attorneys? Was it because Gonzales then lied to Congress about the firings, and reasoning behind them?
Not every Republican was sad to see Gonzales go. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) said, "Attorney General Gonzales' ability to lead the Department of Justice had been undermined by his serious errors in judgment and conflicting statements. I am hopeful that the President will name a strong successor who will begin to restore confidence in the department." Actually, Gonzales' resignation is a big relief for Republicans who will be battling to keep their seats next year.
Democrats were happy to see Gonzales go. The Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) said, "The obligations of the Justice Department and its leaders are to the Constitution, the rule of law and the American people, not to the political considerations of this or any White House. The Attorney General's resignation reinforces what Congress and the American people already know -- that no Justice Department should be allowed to become a political arm of the White House, whether occupied by a Republican or a Democrat."
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said, "Alberto Gonzales was never the right man for this job. He lacked independence, he lacked judgment, and he lacked the spine to say no to Karl Rove. This resignation is not the end of the story. Congress must get to the bottom of this mess and follow the facts where they lead, into the White House." I think Gonzales' departure had a lot to do with Karl Rove not being there anymore. Rove was a well known defender of Gonzales. He and this president's sense of misguided loyalty to incompetence were the reasons that Gonzales still had a job. He should have been fired long ago. He was lousy attorney general.
The irony of all ironies is that Gonzales would still be AG today if he just would have went before Congress and told the truth. He always had the power to make this go away, but instead he kept lying and making the situation worse. The White House is going to continue to stonewall the investigation into the U.S. attorney firings, so we will probably never know what really happened. Gonzales' legacy will be a destruction of the civil rights of American citizens with the domestic spying program, the legalization of torture for detainees, and the politicization of the Department of Justice.
Gonzales destroyed the credibility of the DOJ. At best, he was an inept manager of his department. At worst, he is a liar who placed his loyalty to President Bush ahead of his duty to the American people. I have come to the conclusion that the same traits that made George W. Bush a failure in business have also wrecked his administration. He has no idea for detail. He rewards loyalty over competence. He puts the wrong people in the wrong positions, and, when a person loyal to him fails, he stands by them and won't make a change even when it is obvious that one must be made. All of this combined with a hands off leadership style, is a recipe for presidential disaster. Gonzales played a role in the sad shape of this administration, but you shouldn't confuse the symptom with the disease.
This week's radio show
This week's show focused on the NIE, and asked the question what if George W. Bush ran the History Channel, and plenty more. You can listen to the show by going here, or you can use the media player below.
More trouble for Team Thompson
Yesterday, soon to be Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson lost another top aide to his soon to be launched campaign. Linda Rozett, who is a longtime veteran of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, left the Thompson campaign, and as with much of the staff overturn, a clear explanation was not given as to why. There seems to be a power struggle going on within the Thompson campaign, however to me what is clear is that he is having trouble putting an organization together.
Thompson has also been underwhelming on the campaign trail so far. While campaigning in Iowa he let it be known that he wouldn't rule out raising taxes. He also took the moderate view on Alberto Gonzales. "It was mishandled," Thompson said. "He doesn't have a monopoly on that in Washington." The problem for Fred Thompson is that those who are looking at supporting him are building him up as the next Ronald Reagan, but in reality, he is a lot closer to John McCain on the political spectrum. However in a year where the GOP frontrunner is a Northeastern moderate, and there is no strong Southern Christian candidate, Thompson may not have to be Ronald Reagan to win. He can win just by being a bit further to the right than Giuliani.
Fred Thompson is getting into the race late, so he doesn't have much of a margin for error. He fell short of his fundraising goal in June, and let go of his campaign manager in July, which also led to the departure of a few other aides. There are persistent rumors that Thompson's wife Jeri is the most powerful person in the campaign, and all in all things are a mess. All of what I have just pointed out is exactly why this dumb rumor about Karl Rove going to the Thompson campaign needs to be squashed. Rove is a strategist who isn't going to go to a campaign that doesn't have their act together.
The reason why Thompson could still win the GOP nomination is because this field of candidates is terrible. It might not take much to beat them. Republican voters are very disappointed with their choices, and if anyone can emerge as a credible conservative alternative the nomination is there for the taking. Conservative Southern Christians would be more comfortable voting for Thompson instead of Giuliani or Romney, but first he needs to build an organization and live up to the expectations that have grown around his campaign. I think Thompson is dull, and fairly bland. He would give Hillary a run for her money, but any Republican would. My own opinion is that Thompson doesn't have what it takes to be president.
That's it for me, the political dog days of August are almost over and we are heading into a busy September. Have a great work week, or first week of school, and I'll be back here on Friday.
"We know Washington, DC, was very shaken last week when news that Karl Rove, the man whose mouthful advisory teets have fed so many Beltway insiders these past six and a half years, was capping the spigot and moving on. ... But before leaving for good -- and I use the term literally -- last week, Rove went on his farewell tour to defend himself and his president [on screen: Rove saying that Bush's critics are 'elite, effete snobs']. Yeah! Who are these effete, elite snobs who criticize Bush, these snobs with their Ivy League degrees, entertaining French guests at their family estates on the New England coast [on screen: a photo of Bush and French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Kennebunkport]... oh, right." --Jon Stewart
"One of the president's daughters, the lovely Jenna Bush, is getting married. Now they're thinking, if they can just marry off Condoleezza Rice. Yea, it looks pretty good that Jenna's getting married, but first the guy has to be confirmed by Congress. ... It's going to be an expensive wedding. I guess it's no surprise, the $3 billion contract went to Halliburton." --David Letterman
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