Alberto Again

Alberto Gonzales is the gift that keeps on giving. All one needs to know about the Bushies is encapsulated in this one man. First off the guy is an astounding mediocrity. How can a man this dim be a lawyer never mind the Attorney General of the United States of America? The first question is easily answered he was able to stay in the law because of his one client George W Bush. Gonzo has been W’s personal lawyer going way back. It was Gonzo that got W off jury duty, it was Gonzo who helped W go on an execution spree in Texas. It was Gonzo that provided the extremely thin “justification” for torture. Gonzo has had W’s back for ages. And that gentle reader is profoundly disturbing. For most of his life W (until he was in his 40's) was a frat-boy, partying clown. Like Midas in reverse everything W touched turned into compost. Every one of his business deals was a complete bust. The only person who made out on those deals was W. What kind of man is loyal to such a person? What kind of man sticks with and admires a man like George W Bush?

Gonzo has stuck with W for a long time and he loyal if nothing else. He was loyal enough to be a Mafia-style enforcer hovering over Ashcroft’s sick-bed screaming “sign the papers!” How crass and clueless can a man be? Both he and his boss knew that the no.2 guy wasn’t going to sign on to Warrantless Wiretaps so Gonzo barged into the hospital, into the ICU, to get Ashcroft to scrawl a drug addled signature. But Ashcroft said “no go.” The question that jumps to the fore is how bad was this program that John Ashcroft, a right-wing koolaid drinker of the first order, found it unacceptable. Jesus H Christ on Pogo Stick! The NSA program had to be a complete horror show for Ashcroft to say no to it.

Of course Alberto had no problem, anything his bestest-buddy-in-the-whole-world George W Bush wants he gets. Gonzo firmly believes in the Unitary Executive, that the President of the US is the only political power that matters. He really believes in his heart of hearts that Congress and the courts have no say in governance. This is scary on two levels. First it is scary that so much power be concentrated in just one man. Second it is very scary that all this power be concentrated in the hands of George W Bush. What is appalling is that Congress has not shot Gonzo out of cannon. It is painfully clear that Alberto is not going to go gently into that good night. Even if the vote of no confidence is 98 to 2 against Gonzo the in the Senate he will still be there the next day. Gonzo and his boss don’t care a fig what Congress thinks.

Congress has got to put it’s foot down hard on Gonzo’s neck. There is more than enough to impeach this man. Pick an atrocity any atrocity. Go with the torture memos, go with the NSA Warrantless Wiretaps, go with the Attorneys firings, go with lying to Congress, Republicans used to be dead set against perjury when a Democrat was in the White House. There is an embarrassment of riches to pick from. The Republican cause is dying the death of a thousand cuts with Alberto Gonzales as A.G. If they were smart, instead of good little Germans, they would crush Gonzales, then Cheny and finally give W the boot. But they are too loyal to their dear leader. There is a profound sickness in the Republican party. There is a strong streak of Authoritarianism in the Republican Party especially in the base. Even now the Republicans refuse to lance the horrid boil that is Alberto Gonzales.