I'm having trouble getting my head wrapped around this one. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announced his resignation this morning. I just don't get it. This guy has already burned through any last shred of reputation or dignity he had left (along with any chance of ever getting that Supreme Court nomination) with his farcical appearances before Congress. When he wasn't refusing to answer or claiming not to recall the events in question, he was quite obviously lying his fool ass off, and every American paying any attention knew it. But all that obfuscation seemed to pay off. The investigations into the US Attorney firings all appeared to crash into the wall of stupidity Gonzo threw up. So why is he resigning now, just when it looked like he had weathered the storm and successfully shielded Karl Rove and dubya from those investigations? I think there's another shoe getting ready to drop here, and it must have some doggy poo on it.

Meanwhile the preznit and various sycophants are blaming the Democrats and their partisanship for Gonzo's demise.

President Bush on Monday said he reluctantly accepted the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, whose "good name was dragged through the mud for political reasons."

Bush said it's "sad that we live in a time when a talented and honorable person" is impeded "from doing important work."

Riiiiight. The important work of turning the Justice Department into a powerful and dangerous arm of the Republican Party. I am so sick of the bullshit whining about partisan witch hunts and how "there's no evidence of any wrongdoing" at the Justice Department. If that's true, why is Gonzo now joining a rather large list* of senior Justice Department officials resigning in the face of these investigations? Astonishingly enough, the same tough guys who illegally wiretap pretty much the entire country while assuring the public that they have nothing to worry about if they have nothing to hide are being chased out of town by Congressional investigations even though they are entirely innocent! I guess it's all for the best though. After all, how can we expect them to protect Amurka from terrorists if they can't stand up to those mean old Democrats?



* Here are some I've seen in the news. I'd bet there are plenty more below my radar: Paul McNulty, Deputy Attorney General; Michael Elston, Chief of Staff and Counselor to McNulty; Kyle Sampson, Chief of Staff and Counselor to Gonzales; Wan Kim, Assistant Attorney General Civil Rights Division; William Mercer, Acting Associate Attorney General; Bradley Schlozman, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Civil Rights Division; and of course Monica Goodling, Director of Public Affairs and White House liaison.