Alberto Gonzales in WaPo OpEd: "I Did Nothing Improper"

[Tin Man]

Nothing Improper

By Alberto R. Gonzales
Sunday, April 15, 2007; Page B07

My decision some months ago to privately seek the resignations of a small number of U.S. attorneys has erupted into a public firestorm. First and foremost, I appreciate the public service of these fine lawyers and dedicated professionals, each of whom served his or her full four-year term as U.S. attorney. I apologize to them, their families and the thousands of dedicated professionals at the Justice Department for my role in allowing this matter to spin into an undignified Washington spectacle.

What began as a well-intentioned management effort to identify where, among the 93 U.S. attorneys, changes in leadership might benefit the department, and therefore the American people, has become an unintended public controversy. While I accept responsibility for my role in commissioning this management review process, I want to make some fundamental points abundantly clear.

I know that I did not -- and would not -- ask for the resignation of any U.S. attorney for an improper reason. Furthermore, I have no basis to believe that anyone involved in this process sought the removal of a U.S. attorney for an improper reason.

-snip-

In part because of my own experience, I know the real strength of America. It lies in our Constitution, our people and our collective unyielding commitment to equal opportunity, equal justice, common decency and fairness. With this same commitment in my mind, I very much look forward to answering Congress's questions about this matter on Tuesday.

...full letter at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/14/AR2007041401010.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

[SoCalDem]

1. Alberto M. Nixon?

[karlrschneider]

2. I have serious doubts that sonofabitch has ever even READ the Constitution.

:grr:

[babylonsister]

3. Preemptive innocence? Ha! nt

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

4. The sort of understanding of corruption and the law...

One might expect from a real estate lawyer. Which The Original Abu G was.

[rug]

5. He is not a crook.

[ClassWarrior]

6. My first thought exactly.

:D

NGU.

[marmar]

7. Look behind you, Alberto, there's a bus....

and you're about to be shoved in front of it. :nopity:

[aquart]

8. Oh, dear Lord.

Think Gonzales and DeLay will open up a business together in Texas one day? When they both get out of jail?

[Hailtothechimp]

9. This story has moved far beyond the US Attorneys by now.

The Presidential Records Act and the loss of millions of emails is front and center now, Al.

But thanks for your attempts to 'splain.

[durtee librul]

10. Hmmm and lil al sez

he did nothing improper - - - problem is, he didn't do anything PROPER either!

[Spazito]

11. Geez, he better hire a new PR person, the one who wrote this

stinks, REALLY stinks! Gotta love this little gem:

"During those conversations, TO MY KNOWLEDGE, I did not make decisions about who should or should not be asked to resign."

(Capitalization of "to my knowledge" is mine, for emphasis)

When you see that phrase "to my knowledge"used in this way, you just KNOW they really mean "unless you have evidence that says otherwise.... I know nothing and, if it turns out you DO have evidence, well, I did say "to my knowledge" so I didn't lie.

All I have to add to this is



(credit for this goes to Ghost in the Machine)

[Tin Man]

16. LOL - perfect application of that graphic!

:rofl:

[Spazito]

20. Given the crap that is flying from the bush admin ...

I suspect I will be "showcasing" the talents of Ghost in The Machine on more than a few occasions, lol!

[jaysunb]

21. How appropriate !

:thumbsup:

[MannyGoldstein]

12. A Dimension Not Only of Sight and Sound...

but of mindlessness.

Actually, this isn't funny anymore. These people are truely insane.

[opihimoimoi]

13. Just when I think It COULDN'T...IT DOES......For the Bushies/GOP/ Alberto/etc

it get WORSE by the DAY....

This is the price America pays for:

Violating the Voting Code: Vote Smart...Get Smart...Vote Stupid...get Bush

[DURHAM D]

14. On a slightly different subject - All the leaks this past week

about how poorly Alberto is doing in his training sessions for testimony before the Senate seems like the same setup Rove did before the Bush presidential debates. And, we have also been told what a poor memory Alberto has. This seems like an obvious concerted effort to lower the bar and I am sure it will work once again because of our idiot rip and read media.

I am sure the script has already been written for Tuesday evening press coverage and if he stops short of sucking his thumb he will have hit the ball out of the park in his testimony. I just wonder what time the talking points will begin to arrive at the msm. Hell, it might already be on their desks. Hell, they might tell us on the Sunday shows tomorrow how well he did.

[Tin Man]

15. Huh... 14 replies, and not a single spewing emoticon?

I was certain the final paragraph...

"In part because of my own experience, I know the real strength of America. It lies in our Constitution, our people and our collective unyielding commitment to equal opportunity, equal justice, common decency and fairness."

...would trigger waves of :spray: in the replies. Or maybe elicit a :puke: or two. That was my response, anyway.

[aquart]

17. The comments are hysterical.

<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/comments/display>

[quiet.american]

24. Thanks for pointing that out -- they are scathingly funny. My fave so far:

It*s official: The Washington Post will publish anything, regardless of its basis in fact. Coming next week: The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

[ClassWarrior]

28. Corrected link - there's FOUR PAGES of comments

Welcome back America: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/comments/display?contentID=AR2007041401010

NGU.

[aquart]

34. 10 pages now.

[bleever]

57. Forty two pages now!

:hi: bro!


NGU! (The non-painful kind.)

[Tin Man]

59. Up to 46 pages now.

and looks to be about 97% negative...

[Judi Lynn]

36. Wow, they are WONDERFUL, with few exceptions. What about this one?

Hey, Great job you*re doing there, Mr Torture is good, the Geneva Conventions are quaint and we only spy on the US public because we in the Administration can*t be sure everyone on in the US is not an al-Qaeda sympathizer Gonzales..........I sure hope that youre going to actually tell the truth, it sure would be a nice change of pace from the lies you peddle to protect the most Corrupt, Arrogant, Ideological and Incompetent President and Administration in history..........And you would be right at the top of that same list as it relates to overly self-important Govt officials as well..........You still havent explained why those US attorneys were fired, you lied when you said you weren*t involved in this affair when documents and e-mails showed you played a VERY active role in this completely self-inflicted political fiasco..........Why do you have to hold practice sessions if all you have to do is tell the truth, or is it that you*re hiding something illegal from it*s rightful public knowledge..........And why do you think ``I don*t recall`` or ``I can*t recall`` is going to somehow get people to rally around your side, or help you keep the job you are so obviously unqualified to hold?..........And why on earth do you let W actually call you ``Fredo``, don*t you know that*s a mocking reference to Fredo Corleone, the weakest brother in The Godfather, and that everyone who hears or reads about W calling you Fredo means we`re all laughing at you as well..........Maybe you best cut a deal with someone and turn ratfink on Rove, after all, he`s not exactly rushing to YOUR defense now, is he?..........I just want to say that I am so thoroughly enjoying watching the collapse of an amoral, lawless Administration, one which YOU, Alberto Gonzales have helped do so much damage to this country and our Constitution.........If there*s any REAL justice, you and the rest of the Administration will end up facing the same legal restrictions you`ve been so enthusiastic to cut back on for everyone else

By kingcranky | Apr 15, 2007 12:55:14 AM |

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

Thanks, also to ClassWarrior for providing the corrected link.

[Kagemusha]

18. Where is the Attorney General given the power to request resignations?

I thought only the President has that power. What the hell is this "private" business?

[grannylib]

19. The Constitution?? Since when has ANYONE in this misadministration

given a rat's ass about the Constitution?? They've been trashing the Constitution since the day they took oaths of office to preserve, protect and defend it.

[bobthedrummer]

22. i.e. "those who are about to die salute you, Decider" n/t

[fooj]

23. STFU Abu. It's over.

CHECKMATE.

[hang a left]

25. Have I told you lately how much I hate this bastage?? Check the last paragraph...

"In part because of my own experience, I know the real strength of America. It lies in our Constitution, our people and our collective unyielding commitment to equal opportunity, equal justice, common decency and fairness. With this same commitment in my mind, I very much look forward to answering Congress's questions about this matter on Tuesday."

Que the barf bag

[durtee librul]

27. Yeah well, 'his' people

and our people aren't the same ones.....if you read his comment, <,snip>"our people"

Says it all to me.

[Patsy Stone]

26. Oy vey...

[ClassWarrior]

31. Cute.

:rofl:

:hi: Pats dalling...

NGU.

[Judi Lynn]

37. Oh, no! I tried to look up "NGU," which you posted to PatsyStone,since I've seen other DU'ers use it

and google says it can mean either:

Nongonococcal Urethritis (NGU) - Minnesota Dept. of HealthNongonococcal urethritis, or NGU, is an infection of the urethra caused by various organisms other than gonorrhea. NGU is most often caused by chlamydia.....

or:

North Greenville University - "Where Christ Makes the Difference"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, I'm going to have to ponder this for awhile!

[druidity33]

41. Never Give Up! n/t

[Judi Lynn]

42. Great! Sure glad to know this. Was feeling really ignorant after seeing it so many times.

Thanks for taking the time to enlighten. :hi:

[bleever]

53. Nongonococcal urethritis actually fits

this piss-poor explanation of Alberto's!

:rofl:

[Patsy Stone]

58. Nongowannahaleh what?

:hi:

[Occulus]

29. "I am not a crook." n/t

[tiptoe]

30. Can't wait til Tuesday -- GRILLLLLL him!

[Oilwellian]

32. I'll bring the spit

:D

[tiptoe]

60. bring both kinds

:spray:

[WinkyDink]

33. He can so testify under oath. Equivocating won't sit well with the Big Boys.

[kurth]

35. "Equal opportunity, equal justice, common decency and fairness"

Trying to play the Hispanic card when he's in trouble...

[Judi Lynn]

38. Whoever knew he grew a mustache once?

Always the adoring Igor

[blogslut]

39. Note the use of the word "improper"

You know why he uses that word instead of illegal? Dissociation for one. He's trying to avoid Nixon's "I am not a crook" statement. Those words haunted Dick for the rest of his life. Second, "improper" is an ambiguous word. Propriety is relative. One man's proper behavior is another man's abominable crime.

John Conyers is going to destroy Gonzales on Tuesday, that is, if Gonzales makes it to Tuesday.

[Tin Man]

44. Good point - "nothing improper" sounds soooo much better than "nothing illegal"

It's a carefully crafted letter alright, but somehow he forgot to include a mention of his dog, Checkers...

[WinkyDink]

47. And a good Republican cloth coat.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

40. And this is from someone who believes torture is proper. Amoral thug. eom

[barbtries]

43. makes me crazy

the way the SOB's "take responsibility" and then sashay on down as if just saying that somehow absolved them of blame or constituted some kind of consequence for their fuckup. like bush was "responsible" for the tragicomedy that was the response to katrina. like cheney accepted the blame for shooting his buddy in the face. now this son of a bitch, who just LIES and LIED and HIES, says out of the one side of his mouth that he is responsible for this debacle, and why isn't he stepping down???!!!
and why doesn't the boss make him?

more and more and more i think that gw bush's whores and henchmen remain in their position solely because they know too much - they know where the bodies are buried, they have been witness to too many crimes.

i just can't imagine, otherwise. and will someone please tell me what it will take for congress to take steps to rid this nation of this murderous, rogue, fascistic, criminal administration? has every politician in this country sold their soul to feed their greed?

i dunno, they all make me sick.

[Raksha]

45. I never will understand it: They seem to think just SAYING

they "take responsibility" for something ABSOLVES them of responsibility. They don't actually have to *DO* anything to make amends, or even make sure it doesn't happen again, all they have to do is say they "take responsibility" for it!

I don't get it, but then I've never been very good at neocon doublethink (don't want to be either).

[Theduckno2]

46. That is typical Bushco.

Seeking the resignations of "fine lawyers and dedicated professionals".

Heckuva job, Alberto, heckuva job.

It makes me shudder.

[Vinca]

48. Well, that settles it. Cancel the hearing.

:sarcasm:

[tiptoe]

51. Agree! Just heard on Face the Nation "He's a good man..."

...per draft-dodging, Treasonous (9/11 LIHOP), LYING, murderous war criminal, Dirtbag-DICK Cheney on CBS with Bob Schieffer.
:sarcasm:

[Solly Mack]

49. Lies. Lies. Lies. All lies. Lap it up America. Spread it on bread and

choke it down.

That's what you're expected to do.

Fuck off, Torture Czar

[w4rma]

50. Gov. Richardson: "I'm rooting for him, I like the guy, I know him. I hope he survives"

Gov. Bill Richardson on Tavis Smiley March 21, 2007

Tavis: Alberto Gonzalez happens to be a member of your community. Is this guy gonna survive? He's the first Hispanic to have that job.

Richardson: Yeah, I know. I'm rooting for him, I like the guy, I know him. I hope he survives, but he's got to clean up his act and at least know what's happening in his department. He, at that press conference, said "Well, I didn't know anything about this." When you're heading a Cabinet agency—I did at the Department of Energy—and it's very hard to do that, 'cause you got thousands of people working for you.

But you gotta know what is happening with U.S. attorneys, because these are the top Justice Department attorneys in every state. So, he's gotta get more engaged, he's gotta clean up his act, he's gotta be forthcoming. I think the Congress needs to really investigate, but if I were the White House, I'd say "I'm gonna let Karl Rove testify, I'm gonna put everything on the table, I'm gonna let Harriet Miers, the former legal counsel.

I'm gonna have Alberto Gonzalez. They shouldn't be testifying in private. They should do it openly before the American people. That's a separation of powers. We should do that.

Tavis: It occurs to me now, listening to you talk about your friend who you know, Mr. Gonzalez, it draws a stark contrast between—I haven't checked where all the other candidates are, but I know Obama is on record very clearly saying Gonzalez should step down. I suspect other Democrats running for president are maybe saying the same thing. That's a contrast between you and others on whether or not this guy should step down.

Richardson: That's right. I do believe that it's up to a president to make those decisions about Cabinet members. Obviously, Alberto's very damaged, and he's gotta be frank and testify and do what has to happen. But I think that's up to the president.

Tavis: So you would not call for his stepping down right now.

Richardson: No, no. And you know what? Part of it maybe is because he's the highest-ranking Hispanic ever.

Tavis: But wrongdoing is wrongdoing, though. If he did wrong.

Richardson: Well, I think it's more a lack of attention, lack of a plan, lack of being thorough. He's too much the president's lawyer. He's too much of a political person. And I recognize that.
http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/archive/200703/20070321_richardson.html

I don't support corrupt white people, it is my understanding that Sen. Obama doesn't support corrupt African-American people and neither should Gov. Richardson be supporting corrupt Hispanic people.

[cal04]

52. Gonzales says he has "nothing to hide"

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Sunday he has done nothing improper in the firings of eight federal prosecutors in testimony prepared for his appearance before a Senate panel widely viewed as a last chance to save his job.

"I have nothing to hide," Gonzales said in a statement released Sunday.

But two Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee said Gonzales has an uphill battle in convincing the public he can lead the Justice Department.

Two days before Gonzales is to make a showdown appearance before Congress, Sen. Arlen Specter, said none of Gonzales' public statements so far has convinced him that the department's ouster of eight U.S. attorneys was justified.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070415/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/fired_prosecutors

[bleever]

54. "During those conversations, to my knowledge, I did not make decisions

about who should or should not be asked to resign."

That clears it all up!

:rofl:

[debbierlus]

55. What a dolt - I thought he knew nothing about it & wasn't involved

I thought he didn't have anything to do with it...

Oh.

He was briefed.

Oh, he attended meetings.

Oh, he approved the firings.

Oh, HE IS A HUGE LIAR.

Bye, bye.

[debbierlus]

56. No wonder they wanted to move the date up of his testimony

Now, he has to answer questions about the lost e-mails, in addition to his attorney firings