Gonzo A-Go-Go

by digby

So Gonzales and Rove ride off into the sunset together. How convenient. They can run out the clock from the comfort of their Texas mansions, at which point they will expect that the Democrats, if they win, will opt to "move forward" and "heal the nation's wounds."

There is a lot of chatter on the cable shows about who is going to replace Gonzales and whether there will be a confirmation fight. The gossip is that it will be Clement continuing to stonewall as acting AG for as long as they can get away with it and then Chertoff. Or maybe a member of the Senate club, Cornyn or Hatch. Jane even thinks they might put up Lieberman! (Personally, I think that might be the best thing that could happen. He'd be out of government entirely in 18 months.)

Either way, it won't be surprising if the Dems opt to quickly pass through anyone Bush puts up because Bush is such a lame duck. That would be a terrible mistake. They should fight tooth and nail and use the opportunity to highlight the fact that the entire upper echelon of the Department of Justice has resigned under a cloud of scandal. Part of being held accountable is being held accountable by the voters and the congress must make that case using every tool at their disposal. If we want to drive the stake through the GOP zombie, the modern Republican party must be thoroughly discredited in the eyes of the public. Any chance they get to keep this on the public stage, with hearings and press conferences and constitutional challenges is another chance to pound it into the electorate that these people are authoritarian crooks.

Gonzo and Rove going now is another delaying tactic. The Democrats should ratchet up the pressure instead of ratcheting it down, which is clearly what the white house is going to be attempting to do.

And, naturally, the press is eating it up. The Politico's Mike Allen on C-Span this morning:

"Someone else that I think you'll be hearing a lot about this week is the White House counsel, Fred Fielding, who as you know goes back to the Reagan administration, and is known for being able to, willing to cut a deal. He's not from that mindset or mold that Senator Chuck Schumer was talking about, of constant confrontation.

So I think what you see here from the White House is an effort to ratchet down the confrontation, partly because these were fights that, many of them, they were going to lose. And that's why I think that you're unlikely -- it's clear that you're unlikely -- to see a real confrontational replacement choice."


Fred Fielding is a Village elder. I'm sure that the likes of David Broder and Tim Russert all think he is an honest broker, kind of like Howard Baker, who came in to save the Reagan administration after Iran Contra. The truth is that Howard Baker was conspiring with the Nixon white house during the Watergate hearings and Fred Fielding has been a professional GOP scandal fixer for more than two decades. Hacks R Us.

But he's a very calm a reassuring fellow to the Village because he isn't shrill and partisan like the DFH's. I have little doubt that the elders all believe that he must be given a chance to rescue Junior's reputation for the good of the country.

Those of us scruffy know-nothings from outside the Village beg to differ and we should make sure that the Democrats understand that we will be very, very, very unhappy if they take a pass on this. Harry Reid must be held to his word:

“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.“


.