Wednesday, June 6, 2007

Omerta





I was wrong about Alberto Gonzales.

Yes, he's a sleazy, arrogant son of a bitch who gleefully signed off on torture and has no conscience. Yes, he's an ass-kissing toady with a mediocre legal mind who doesn't deserve to be the Attorney General of the United States. Yes, he helped Bush become Governor of Texas in a too-close-to-call election by making a DWI go away. Yes, he made himself look like a fool by pretending to be a stuttering, absent-minded Sgt. Schultz while testifying before Congress.

But he isn't a punk.

I think Jon Stewart was closer to the truth when he compared Gonzales to the Henry Hill character in Goodfellas. Henry was a loyal mob mob guy who did whatever he was told and, when it was necessary, went to jail rather than testify against his bosses. Henry shut up and took his punishment like a man. So did Gonzales.

On the other hand, these guys folded like a cheap umbrella when they saw the skies grow dark and storm clouds ominously billow overhead. Think Progress has the word:

Conservatives Who Called For Gonzales’ Resignation Silent On No-Confidence Vote

If the Senate moves ahead with a no-confidence vote on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales next week as planned, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has already made clear he will “tie up the Senate floor with all kinds of procedural mischief and introduce any number of amendments.”

McConnell has also cracked the whip and brought his caucus into line. Roll Call reports today that none of the six conservative senators who have called for Gonzales to resign have said they will vote for the measure.


Remember how tough these senators talked before?

Sen. John Sununu (R-NH): “The president should fire the attorney general and replace him as soon as possible with someone who can provide strong, aggressive leadership.”

Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE): “The American people deserve an Attorney General, the chief law enforcement officer of our country, whose honesty and capability are beyond question. Attorney General Gonzales can no longer meet this standard. He has failed this country. He has lost the moral authority to lead.”

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ): “I think that out of loyalty to the president that that [resignation] would probably be the best thing that he could do.”

Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR)- “For the Justice Department to be effective before the U.S. Senate, it would be helpful.”

Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN): “I don’t believe that Gonzales has the type of leadership that the department needs.“


Now? In a shameless display of cowardice, they will most likely choose loyalty to the party instead of doing the right thing and demand that Gonzales show accountability and resign.

Punks.

But no matter how bad it got, Gonzales kept his mouth shut. He stayed loyal to his boss. The other guys couldn't even take a beating. Once they saw Dad's belt waving around, they blubbered like kids being marched to the back of the woodshed. Incredible isn't it? These senators made Alberto Gonzales look good.

Ain't democracy wonderful?

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

tx for linking to my video :)