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You are here: Home / Meanwhile, On Another Planet

Meanwhile, On Another Planet

by John Cole|  August 27, 20071:35 pm| 27 Comments

This post is in: General Stupidity

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When something important happens on the political scene, I believe it is always useful to see what the Powerline thinks. Not because I will actually learn anything, or they will have anything interesting to say, but because I get a kind of perverse pleasure seeing what the crazy bastards actually think (and I use that term loosely). In today’s installment, we learn that Abu Gonzales is a victim:

I’ve never been a fan of Gonzales, but I can’t help feeling sorry for him. The “scandal” that led to his demise — the firing of the U.S. attorneys — appears to involve no wrongdoing on his part. Moreover, the underlying decisions and process appear to have been the product of the White House, not Gonzales. His defense of the decisions was hardly stellar, but if I’m correct, he was handicapped by the fact that they were not really his decisions.

Gonzales’s only real offense seems to have been mediocrity. But mediocrity in an Attorney General is nothing new (think Janet Reno), and any blame for this occurrence properly attaches to the White House.

Andrew Cohen summarizes the “mediocrity”:

When historians look back upon the disastrous tenure of Alberto R. Gonzales as Attorney General of the United States they will ask not only why he merited the job in the first place but why he lasted in it as long as he did. By any reasonable standard, the Gonzales Era at the Justice Department is void of almost all redemptive qualities. He brought shame and disgrace to the Department because of his lack of independent judgment on some of the most vital legal issues of our time. And he brought chaos and confusion to the department because of his lack of respectable leadership over a cabinet-level department among the most important in the nation.

He neither served the longstanding role as “the people’s attorney” nor fully met and tamed his duties and responsibilities to the Constitution. He was a man who got the job not because he was supremely qualified or notably well-respected among the leading legal lights of our time, but because he had faithfully and with blind obedience served President George W. Bush for years in Texas (where he botched clemency memos in death penalty cases) and then as White House counsel (where he botched the nation’s legal policy on torture).

For an administration known for its cronyism, and alas for an alarmingly incompetent group of cronies, Gonzales was the granddaddy of them all. He lacked the integrity, the intellect and the independence to perform his duties in a manner befitting the job for which he was chosen. And when he and his colleagues got caught in the act, his rationales and explanations for the purge of the U.S. Attorneys were so empty and shallow and incoherent that even the staunchest Republicans could not turn them into steeled spin. Devoid of any credibility, Gonzales in the end was a sad joke when he came to Capitol Hill.

If that is what passes for mediocrity, it is no wonder the Powerline thinks things are going well in Iraq.

*** Update ***

As always, Red State delights:

With the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales the President has an opportunity to do something with the justice department. The President needs to appoint someone who believes strongly in the foreign surveillance program, he needs to appoint someone who will go into the justice department, not with a new tone, but someone that will clean house of the endless career bureaucrats that been undermining the administration.

Why didn’t I think of that? The solution to the problems at Justice is clearly to insert more “yes-men” and some more cronyism. Nevermind, I know why I didn’t think of that. I’m not a blithering idiot.

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27Comments

  1. 1.

    Dreggas

    August 27, 2007 at 2:38 pm

    With the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales the President has an opportunity to do something with the justice department. The President needs to appoint someone who believes strongly in the foreign surveillance program, he needs to appoint someone who will go into the justice department, not with a new tone, but someone that will clean house of the endless career bureaucrats that been undermining the administration.

    Shorter red state:

    We need someone who wets the bed even more than we do, oh and who will give dick good head, better than we do.

  2. 2.

    myiq2xu

    August 27, 2007 at 2:45 pm

    I would love to see some more mediocre appointees in this administration.

    That would be a big improvement over what we have now.

  3. 3.

    Mr Furious

    August 27, 2007 at 2:48 pm

    Yeah, because the big problem at Justice is all the people who uphold their oath to the Constitution rather than the President. Better “clean house.”

  4. 4.

    Pb

    August 27, 2007 at 2:56 pm

    This is actually an interesting (and perhaps even correct?!) admission from Powerline:

    the underlying decisions and process appear to have been the product of the White House, not Gonzales

    So you’re saying that the Democrats should be investigating the White House instead? Works for me…

    Also:

    someone that will clean house of the endless career bureaucrats that been undermining the administration

    Who is even left in Justice? Didn’t a ton of the hacks already resign?

  5. 5.

    28 Percent

    August 27, 2007 at 2:58 pm

    They are right you do not see you lack the “vision thing” TYPICAL FOR DEFEATOCRATS. The problem is not that we have invaded countries and tortured suspects like you think. The problem is that you HAND WRINGERS keep us from doing the right thing so we “torture” so called and invade but it does not work because you can not just invade and torture some one a little bit you have to go all the way. We do it because we have to but it is all for nothing because YOU stop us before it is done it is all YOUR FAULT.

  6. 6.

    Zifnab

    August 27, 2007 at 3:00 pm

    With the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales the President has an opportunity to do something with the justice department. The President needs to appoint someone who believes strongly in the foreign surveillance program, he needs to appoint someone who will go into the justice department, not with a new tone, but someone that will clean house of the endless career bureaucrats that been undermining the administration.

    Yeah! It’s those damn career bureaucrats! Those dirty fucking hippies who are all about “following regulations” and “obeying the law” that have really gummed the works, here. The Emperor needs some new clothes, people. Something form fitting to provide strong support, but loose and flowing enough to allow our President to breath.

    Gonzales’s only real offense seems to have been mediocrity. But mediocrity in an Attorney General is nothing new (think Janet Reno), and any blame for this occurrence properly attaches to the White House.

    *cough* ihatebiggovernment, forrealzies *cough*
    democratsareworse *hack* *sneeze*

    Because, its important to remember that while we may not support the Bush cronies who break the law, we’ll keyboard furiously for their right to break it.

  7. 7.

    magisterludi

    August 27, 2007 at 3:11 pm

    I’ve been reading (and adopting) the use of the term” bed-wetters” a lot more recently to describe redstaters and their ilk. Deliciously succint and perfectly apt. A great label to counter the WH’s ‘defeatocrats”. The Party of Bed-Wetters-SWEET!

  8. 8.

    Dreggas

    August 27, 2007 at 3:21 pm

    magisterludi Says:

    I’ve been reading (and adopting) the use of the term” bed-wetters” a lot more recently to describe redstaters and their ilk. Deliciously succint and perfectly apt. A great label to counter the WH’s ‘defeatocrats”. The Party of Bed-Wetters-SWEET!

    Hey maybe some of em can take a cue from bob dole but instead of pimping viagra they can start pimping depends? I hear they are extra absorbant. We already know astronuts trust them.

  9. 9.

    conumbdrum

    August 27, 2007 at 3:35 pm

    My first thought, after reading of the Gonzalez resignation, was “What the fuck are they up to now…?”

    I can’t decide whether that’s a scathing indictment of this administration or my own paranoia.

  10. 10.

    The Other Steve

    August 27, 2007 at 3:37 pm

    I love the first comment in that redstate thread…

    Maybe we get someone who can reopen the Sandy Berger fiasco, NYT and WashPost leakers case. The AG office has got to gain some type of creditability to be successful. Right now…they are a laughing stock with a clowns running the front desk. I want someone with a backbone to fight for this nation.

    Sadly it’s obviously a spoof. A real freeper would have said ‘Sandy Burglar’ to demonstrate their superior intelligence.

  11. 11.

    The Other Steve

    August 27, 2007 at 3:42 pm

    Hey maybe some of em can take a cue from bob dole but instead of pimping viagra they can start pimping depends? I hear they are extra absorbant. We already know astronuts trust them.

    Imagine how those of us in Minnesota feel about the GOP convention next year…

    We had to start to dig for a whole new landfill, just to handle all the Depends these guys are going to be disposing of in the hotel garbage.

  12. 12.

    Zifnab

    August 27, 2007 at 3:45 pm

    My first thought, after reading of the Gonzalez resignation, was “What the fuck are they up to now…?”

    I can’t decide whether that’s a scathing indictment of this administration or my own paranoia.

    Hey, I’m right there with you. I mean I tried to get a reading on if their shields were up or down when I realized they were jamming us. And then I thought, how could they be jamming us if they didn’t know we were coming?

  13. 13.

    Jake

    August 27, 2007 at 3:49 pm

    Am I the only one who thinks that if you took 28% and shot him/her up with speed, you’d get BIRDZILLA?

  14. 14.

    myiq2xu

    August 27, 2007 at 3:55 pm

    . . .someone that will clean house of the endless career bureaucrats that been undermining the administration.

    Shorter Red Bedwetter State:

    “It’s Clinton’s fault!”

  15. 15.

    Wilfred

    August 27, 2007 at 4:02 pm

    Rove and Gonzo both gone within a few days of each other? If the Dems hadn’t gone after them by now, why would they ever have done so? Something’s fishy. I think the Iranians better start running for cover.

  16. 16.

    Andrew

    August 27, 2007 at 4:32 pm

    Larry Craig (R-Lewd Conduct, Men’s Restroom, Plead Guilty) should have an interesting re-election campaign.

  17. 17.

    S.W. Anderson

    August 27, 2007 at 4:45 pm

    The remedy DOJ, the Bush administration and the country need could be realized by appointing Charles Swift to replace Gonzales. Which is why Bush won’t give Swift of anyone like him a moment’s consideration.

  18. 18.

    Bruce Moomaw

    August 27, 2007 at 4:59 pm

    How long is it going to take for the word to get around here that (by his own statement) “28 Percent” is a spoof? (Granted that I was the very first one to fall for him.)

    As for Gonzales’ replacement: we’re already seeing tentative signs that the Senate will roll over eagerly and confirm Chertoff if he’s nominated. I’m SURE he’ll be a massive improvement.

  19. 19.

    S.W. Anderson

    August 27, 2007 at 5:28 pm

    Maybe not Chertoff, but Federalist Society poobah and right-wing extremist Ted Olson.

    After losing another favorite crony, Bush is probably in the mood for a “serves ’em right” A.G. nomination. Olson fills that bill perfectly.

  20. 20.

    SPIIDERWEB™

    August 27, 2007 at 5:55 pm

    Hmmm.

    Moreover, the underlying decisions and process appear to have been the product of the White House, not Gonzales.

    So Powerline’s response is to blame the big guy? What does that buy them?

  21. 21.

    The Other Steve

    August 27, 2007 at 6:01 pm

    How about Jonah Goldberg?

    Or Erick the Red?

    What’s K Lo up to these days?

  22. 22.

    nabalzbbfr

    August 27, 2007 at 6:42 pm

    The correct followup for President Bush is to nominate John Yoo as recess appointment for AG.

  23. 23.

    The Other Steve

    August 27, 2007 at 7:56 pm

    The correct followup for President Bush is to nominate John Yoo as recess appointment for AG.

    John Woo would be a better choice. Then we’d at least have some decent fight scenes.

  24. 24.

    cs

    August 28, 2007 at 1:50 am

    I went to RedState this morning to see what they had to say. I remember that in a rare outbreak of integrity over there they once called for the AG’s resignation, so was curious about the reaction.

    I found out they were even more clueless and wimpy than I thought. Several people there thought the resignation had been masterminded by the incredibly competent and unrelenting Democrats. They honestly seemed scared of the Democrats and they thought of the Democrats as an group of ravenous xenomorphs and themselves as sweet, juicy redshirts with targets painted on their backs.

    Let me repeat that: RedState is scared of the mealy-mouthed party that makes a lot of noise and gets pretty much nothing accomplished and has earned the hatred of their own rank-and-file.

    But I guess this bit of fear explains their bedwetting over bearded guys in caves and random piles of white flour. The answer is simple: Republicans are afraid of everything.

  25. 25.

    rachel

    August 28, 2007 at 3:00 am

    Several people there thought the resignation had been masterminded by the incredibly competent and unrelenting Democrats.

    ROTFLMAO!

Comments are closed.

Trackbacks

  1. Masson’s Blog - A Citizen’s Guide to Indiana » Kicking him while he’s down says:
    August 27, 2007 at 7:46 pm

    […] Kicking him while he’s down By Doug Not that I’m complaining, but John Cole at Balloon Juice quotes a severe critique by Andrew Cohen of former Attorney General Alberto “Abu” Gonzales. By any reasonable standard, the Gonzales Era at the Justice Department is void of almost all redemptive qualities. He brought shame and disgrace to the Department because of his lack of independent judgment on some of the most vital legal issues of our time. And he brought chaos and confusion to the department because of his lack of respectable leadership over a cabinet-level department among the most important in the nation. […]

  2. Masson’s Blog - A Citizen’s Guide to Indiana » Kicking him while he’s down says:
    August 27, 2007 at 7:46 pm

    […] Kicking him while he’s down By Doug Not that I’m complaining, but John Cole at Balloon Juice quotes a severe critique by Andrew Cohen of former Attorney General Alberto “Abu” Gonzales. By any reasonable standard, the Gonzales Era at the Justice Department is void of almost all redemptive qualities. He brought shame and disgrace to the Department because of his lack of independent judgment on some of the most vital legal issues of our time. And he brought chaos and confusion to the department because of his lack of respectable leadership over a cabinet-level department among the most important in the nation. […]

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