David Iglesias is the prototype twenty first century Republican: charismatic, Hispanic, an evangelical Christian and a captain in the Navy Reserve who served for many years in the Navy's Judge Advocate General Corps ("JAG"). In 1998, Iglesias campaigned to become Attorney General of New Mexico against the heavily favored Patricia Madrid. He nearly pulled off an upset and the Republican Party took notice. In 2000, Iglesias paid his party dues and worked for George W. Bush's election.
Today's Washington Post reports that New York Senator Chuck Schumer has sent President Bush a list of potential replacements for disgraced Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.
Several influential Democrats urged the White House to pick a consensus candidate to replace Gonzales, who announced on Monday his decision to resign after seven months of bitter confrontation with Congress. Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), a prominent member of the Senate Judiciary Committee who was the first lawmaker to call for Gonzales's resignation early this year, said he was heartened by a courtesy call on Monday from White House counsel Fred F. Fielding. Schumer said he shared a list of potential candidates with the White House.
"We understand that we're not going to have the same ideological views as they do," Schumer said, referring to whomever is nominated by Bush. "But there are lots of people who would meet the requirements we have, which is to adhere to the rule of law above politics. . . . I think the majority of Democrats are interested in looking forward and solving things."
I can't imagine that the decider guy will give all that much credence to Schumer's picks, but I'm curious to know who the more lawyerly TAP readers might think is on that list. The one name I've heard more than any other is that of Michael Mukasey, the former chief judge for the Southern District of New York.
The good folks over at Talking Points Memo, who are as responsible as anyone for sending Gonzo packing, have put together this awesome "Top 10" package of Gonzo's Greatest Hits. It's both hilarious and somewhat sobering. One day we'll have to explain just how this incompetent, lying boob became the nation's chief law enforcement officer.
Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, whose tenure has been marred by controversy and accusations of perjury before Congress, has resigned. A senior administration official said he would announce the decision later this morning in Washington.
Mr. Gonzales, who had rebuffed calls for his resignation, submitted his to President Bush by telephone on Friday, the official said. His decision was not announced immediately announced, the official added, until after the president invited him and his wife to lunch at his ranch near here.
The Bush "administration" has just lost it's chief spear catcher and the confirmation hearings for Gonzo's replacement should be very, very interesting indeed. Does Bush dare nominate someone who might, ya know, actually enforce the law? Can he and Cheney afford to?
Senator Chuck Schumer seems pretty convinced that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales perjured himself in testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. New evidence would suggest that he's absolutely correct.
New York City Congressman Jerry Nadler today called for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the Attorney General and called on him to resign saying that, "The Attorney General's resignation is the only step that can help restore our confidence in the Department of Justice." Nadler made his demands after today's revelations in the Washington Post that Gonzales most likely lied to Congress (again) during his testimony in April 2005 about the USA PATRIOT Act.
A Democratic Congressman called for Alberto Gonzalez's resignation and said he wants an independent prosecutor to investigate reports that the attorney general misled Congress in denying knowledge of civil rights abuses by the FBI.
"Attorney General Gonzales has shown an apparent reckless disregard for the rule of law and a fundamental lack of respect for the oversight responsibilities of Congress," said Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y. "The man entrusted with enforcing our nation's laws must also abide by them - and Mr. Gonzales has apparently failed in that duty."
Tuesday's Washington Post reports that Gonzales was given at least a half-dozen reports detailing FBI abuses of power in the three months before testifying to Congress where he sought to renew the Patriot Act. In front of the Senate Intelligence Committee, on April 27, 2005, he claimed he knew of no wrongdoing or abuse of power, and that the Patriot Act was free of problems, despite the reports of numerous violations of the law and FBI protocol.
...
"The Attorney General's resignation is the only step that can help restore our confidence in the Department of Justice," Nadler added. "Our democracy is harmed when the Executive so blatantly violates our fundamental freedoms. However, if the Attorney General resigns, the Bush Administration is not absolved of its sins. ... It's clear now that this Justice Department is unable to even abide by the wide latitudes of the Patriot Act and serious change - both in the law and the leadership - is needed."
Gonzales absolutely has to go, which is why I'm pretty sure he won't.
Today, Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) announced that a vote of no confidence in Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will be held this Monday.
“If all senators who have actually lost confidence in Attorney General Gonzales voted their conscience, this vote would be unanimous,” said Schumer. “However, the President will certainly exert pressure to support the Attorney General, his longtime friend. We will soon see where people’s loyalties lie.”
In 2006, Markos Moulitsas of Daily Kos and Jerome Armstrong of MyDD published Crashing The Gate: Netroots, Grassroots, and the Rise of People-Powered Politics. Ostensibly, they advocated for taking over the Democratic Party from inside the beltway K-Street corporate elitists who perpetually sell out their constituents for the almighty dollar. To the extent that ordinary citizens through the blogosphere or progressive "netroots" are more plugged into politics and empowered to become activists is all to the good.
