Bill Moyers Journal: Alberto Gonzales Resigns; Why Now?

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Alberto Gonzales Resigns; Why Now?

Alberto Gonzales announced today that effective September 17, he would step down as Attorney General. THE NEW YORK TIMES writes that his "tenure has been marred by controversy and accusations of perjury before Congress," and THE WALL STREET JOURNAL remarks that his resignation ended "a monthslong standoff over his honesty and competence at the helm of the Justice Department...Republicans and Democrats alike had demanded his resignation over the botched handling of FBI terror investigations and the firings of U.S. attorneys."

For more information about Gonzales and the U.S. Attorney controversy, watch this piece from BILL MOYERS JOURNAL featuring Josh Marshall from talkingpointsmemo.com, which aired April 27, 2007.

Why do you think Attorney General Gonzales resigned at this juncture?

What implications, if any, does the resignation have on the remainder of the Bush Presidency and the upcoming presidential election?

Tag(s): Congress , government
Posted by Bill Moyers Journal on August 27, 2007 2:41 PM | Permalink

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Comments

That was a defining moment for the Bush administration. But the battle continues..

Posted by: Reflexology london | August 12, 2008 4:27 PM

I think Alberto is stepping down is the same reason a submarine skipper would deploy a decoy when an active torpedo is hot on his trail. The hope is the torpedo goes for the decoy. That is what going on here. The problem is the Dems think they got the sub. Idiots and weak!

Posted by: Frank | September 8, 2007 2:00 AM

Posted by: Frank | September 8, 2007 1:59 AM

I think gonzalez resigned because there's something else that they think might come out, something so obviously incriminating that even Bush wouldn't be able to protect him.

Posted by: Ellyn | August 31, 2007 5:31 AM

I'm surprised to see so many references to Mr. Gonzales having resigned. Canadian and British papers (online) often refer to his having been fired! Of course, fired employees are often allowed to submit a letter of resignation as if it had been their choice to go. Picking up on Michael J Ahles' reference to a sinking ship, you might be interested in a British paper's reference to: "sinking ship leaves rat".

Posted by: brendab | August 30, 2007 9:47 PM

Hey, Jon Stewart's on vacation for what, 2 weeks? Perfect time to make a retreat. But seriously won't he be helping Rove fix the next election? Excuse me, that's "work on" the next election, no, no wait, not that either, "work toward" the next ... oh never mind.

Posted by: Jan | August 30, 2007 8:13 PM

The W.H. and congress have spent 6 yrs. instigating,committing,and depleting our financial resources for war,building weaponns of war, and propagating war in other countries.Therefore it hardly has time to concern itself with those domestic and catastrophic problems that effect this country. Bush & Chaney cannot be impeached because of time constraints. And I fear for the amount of damage they can do in this coming year. I understand that the investigations into Rove,Gonzales, and Miers will be on-going. Kucinich said the money just allocated for the war should be used to bring all the troops home. It will take 4mos..Congress does not have to submit a bill. They simply have to notappropriate any more war funds.Of course this based on a congress that will represent the people and country. Don't hold your breaath!!!!

Posted by: Janice Pound | August 30, 2007 5:49 PM

I think President Bush will make a recess appointment. Recall, he appointed John Bolton to the UN. A recess appointment does not require congressional approval.

Posted by: glenn warciski | August 30, 2007 12:52 PM

They are jumping ship because Georgie is getting ready to declare marshall law. The retired vets from Iraq are going to Washington DC 9/15, and GB has already recalled specific troups to guard the white house. He is a rat (GB) and they don't run away easy when they have something to gnaw on. He wants to be king, don'cha know. Just like his grandpaw. He makes a horrible president, what makes him think he could be a king? ARROGANCE. But like Georgie just said...."The fundamental question is will the government respond to the demands of the people? And if the government doesn't ....respond to the demands of the people, they will replace the government." Course, he said it about Maliki..not himself....he should listen to his self more often!!!LOL

Posted by: Aj | August 29, 2007 11:09 PM

The Republicans are finally not playing the party line to protect their own. And on such a burning issue as . . . a harmless misdemeanor involving sex. http://rawstory.com//news/2007/No_mercy_for_Craig_from_fellow_0829.html Yes there is hypocrisy involved. But really. This the thing Republicans choose to jump ship on their own on??? What about the war. They still huddle around the Fox Republican leadership on the war, torture, secret spying and so many other issues that cost American LIVES, hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars, and our values and civil liberties. Where are their priorities? Why are they turning on this guy? Because Craig didn't turn to them before blowing up this scandal. In other words, he screwed me so I'm screwing him. That's how the Fox Republicans think. It's all about them. Not about the good of America. So sad. So darn sad.

Posted by: JD21 | August 29, 2007 10:05 PM

RumsFeld, Rove, and now Gonzalez, you can throw Libby into that pool as well. What you got here is delicate operation of attempt to move Key Players in this administration out of harms way (politically). Since even muttering the word impeachment sends the Democrat Leaders in congress running for cover. The Executive branch knows that it will have the sufficient time to make out like bandits. The way this administration has handled them selves is quite impressive indeed. I sometimes don't understand why some many people get upset. We live in a world of "allegedly" not "certainly". Couple that with the fact that most American don't know nor understand their constitutional rights. Therefore they cannot properly impose the types of checks and balances that keep governments in line with the publics’ interest and you end up with a society doomed to just another notch on the list of once great.

Posted by: Alberto Francis | August 29, 2007 11:27 AM

These Fox Republicans are all BS. Pure and simple. Here is a common criticism of non-Fox Republican skepticism over the war: "Well, maybe you just always see the glass as half empty. But it seems that no matter what kind of positive news is presented you’re always there to shoot it down." And here’s what I say in response. You've got to be kidding me. It's been over four years already with no end in sight. Our current plan to stabilize the situation militarily to enable Iraq to constitute a government is a total failure. Putting aside the debatable "progress" of the military operation, which hardly seems worth the cost, their government is falling apart. Falling apart. The plan is failing. I don't say it to be negative algernon. I say it because we need a NEW PLAN already. Not more of the same. If we can't come up with a new clear path to success that involves staying in Iraq, guess what? We should leave. Harsh I know. Not what you want to hear. I know. A real bummer. Absolutely. But sometimes life is a real downer. Sometimes our plans, whatever their merits (personally I think nearly all of...

Posted by: JD21 | August 28, 2007 9:42 PM

Gonzales managed to stay long enough in his position that the people of this country have not been able to maintain the same level of outrage that they we felt after his irredeemable performances last spring meant. The country's opinion of him hasn't gotten any higher, but at this point there's something of an outrage fatigue. Gonzales leaving has been met with sighs of relief, where last spring it would have felt like a victory for those that the administration insists on viewing as "the other side." If Gonzales had left after his repeated public humiliations, it would have galvanized the Democratic majority to perform more investigations and maybe start prosecuting those subpoenas they've been issuing. In the most positive possible interpretation, Gonzales was dangerously incompetent, at worst he lied repeatedly in front of Congress about a concerted effort to politicize the Justice Department and serve the interests of the Republican party and its leaders over those of the American people. The damage he did to the justice system will take years to fix in the hands of a politically neutral, competent successor. The amazing thing about Gonzales was how obvious all this was - nobody except the most stridently...

Posted by: Adam | August 28, 2007 6:48 PM

The only reason a crew would ever jump ship, is if it were sinkin!

Posted by: Michael J Ahles | August 28, 2007 5:26 PM

I immediately recalled the recent Bill Moyers Journal guests talking about impeachment and wondered if Gonzales's resignation was part of a larger distraction tactic away from any move in that direction.

Posted by: A curious meteorologist | August 28, 2007 5:25 PM

Interesting question. If we assume that there is some logic attached to this, I offer the following speculation; Gonzales was ordered to provide zero information to Congress and to block any legislative advance to keep the hounds at bay from the next person in line - Karl Rove. This comes right out of the Libby/Cheney playbook. Once Rove resigns for specious "family" reasons, then Gonzales is allowed to be put out of his misery. Any further inquiries into lying, lost emails and partisan manipulation are then just foisted back on those "punitive and petty" Democrats.

Posted by: Jim Dorst | August 28, 2007 5:11 PM

I believe that the departures of Rove and Gonzales are an attempt by the Bush administration to appease those crying for impeachment. Hopefully, the public will not fall for these political maneuvers and continue calling for a full investigation into the actions of Bush, Cheney, Rice and Rumsfeld.

Posted by: Pamela Lyn | August 28, 2007 5:05 PM

Rumsfeld, Miers, Bartlett, Snow, Rove, Gonzalez . . . throw 'em all OUT!!! Next to go should be Rice, Cheney, and then of course ol' Bushy Boy. Then, of course, we have to reround them all up and ship them off to the Hague to stand trial for Crimes Against Humanity. Or has the Police State fully congealed already?

Posted by: Tarik | August 28, 2007 1:44 PM

I knew as soon as Congress went on Recess that Gonzo would resign in as slow a news cycle as possible. His Job is finished, all the crony US Attorneys are in place. Congress doesn't even have a USA to file a contempt of Congress charge, much less investigate bribery or Election Fraud. And if Bush decides to install himself as "Decider for life" there will be nobody to say he can't.

Posted by: FreeDem | August 28, 2007 12:39 PM

I suspect that Gonzales would have liked to resign sooner, but felt obliged to stay until Bush let him loose. His loyalty to Bush has been well documented, to the apparent exclusion of all other interests. So, perhaps the better question is, "why did the President allow Gonzales to resign?"

Posted by: Stephanie | August 28, 2007 11:10 AM

I think that staying where he was created a distraction. The question is whether any of the positions that were filled on the basis of partisanship in the DOJ can be re-evaluated. I had to laugh when Bush said that Alberto was the victim of politics. If that is the case, he fell on his own sword.

Posted by: Margaret Washburne | August 27, 2007 11:48 PM

I think Mr. Gonzales resigned to take the pressure off Mr. Bush. He knew that he was going to get subpeoned and wanted to make a run for the border as soon as he can. He's done the dirty work and now he can step aside.

Posted by: Hank Bro | August 27, 2007 9:40 PM