Maybe Gonzales Won't RECALL His Painful Day on Capitol Hill

[DeepModem Mom]

WP: Maybe Gonzales Won't Recall His Painful Day on the Hill
By Dana Milbank
Friday, April 20, 2007; Page A02


One protester counted how many times Alberto Gonzales said "I don't recall." Another, Cindy Sheehan, offered an Iraq body count. (By Melina Mara -- The Washington Post)

....Gonzales had weeks to prepare for yesterday's hearing. But the man who sat at the witness table sounded like the sort of person who forgets where he parked his car.

Explaining his role in the botched firing of federal prosecutors, Gonzales uttered the phrase "I don't recall" and its variants ("I have no recollection," "I have no memory") 64 times. Along the way, his answer became so routine that a Marine in the crowd put down his poster protesting the Iraq war and replaced it with a running "I don't recall" tally.

Take Gonzales's tally along with that of his former chief of staff, who uttered the phrase "I don't remember" 122 times before the same committee three weeks ago, and the Justice Department might want to consider handing out Ginkgo biloba in the employee cafeteria....

***

For much of the very long day, the attorney general responded like a child caught in a lie. He shifted his feet under the table, balled his hands into fists and occasionally pointed at his questioners. He defended his actions: "The decision stands." He denied responsibility: "This was a process that was ongoing that I did not have transparency into." He blamed the victims: "Poor judgment . . . poor management." He blamed his subordinates: "When there are attacks against the department, you're attacking the career professionals."

Mostly, though, he retreated to memory loss. He was asked about the firing of the Arkansas U.S. attorney. "I have no recollection about that." The Nevada prosecutor? "I just don't recall the reason." The western Michigan U.S. attorney? "I don't recall."...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902571.html?hpid=topnews

[soothsayer]

1. yet nothing will happen to him, he'll just go merrily on. now what?

[Old and In the Way]

2. "I don't recall" = "I plead the 5th"

nt

[kirby]

3. Or like Groundhog Day he'll be haunted everyday... n/t

[DeepModem Mom]

4. A.m. kick -- I like this play on words.