Former Justice Official Blasts Gonzales

[struggle4progress]

Source: Austin American-Statesman

By Rebecca Carr | Saturday, June 9, 2007, 02:39 PM

As Senate Democrats press Republicans to support a no-confidence resolution against Attorney General Alberto Gonzales tomorrow, a former senior Justice Department official says the attorney general ran the department like “a political arm of the White House.”

Daniel J. Metcalfe, the former director of the Justice Department’s Office of Information and Privacy, said he resigned in January because he could no longer tolerate the “sheer political expediency, avoidance of individual responsibility, defensive personal aggrandizement, irresponsible ‘consensus’ decisionmaking (and) disregard for longstanding practices and principles.” ~snip~

Metcalfe, who worked for the department during the the Nixon administration’s infamous “Saturday night massacre,” said the dismissals had been handled like nothing he has ever seen before.

“I think the way in which the firings themselves were handled was abominable, the way in which the ensuing controversy was handled was abysmal, and the way in which Gonzales has handled himself is absolutely appalling,” Metcalfe said. “As a long-term Justice Department official, I am embarrassed and increasingly incensed that he is still in there.” ~snip~

Read more: http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/washington/washington/entries/2007/06/09/former_justice.html

[MannyGoldstein]

1. Don't Worry! The Battlin' Congressional Dems Are On Top Of This!!!

They won't let these criminals get away with this!

Honest.

:rofl:

[libodem]

3. Hanna, bar the door...

they will stop at nothing...

[here_is_to_hope]

9. *snicker!* n/t

[kurth]

2. How does the Gonzales Justice Department compare to that of fellow conservative John Ashcroft?

Q.: How does the Gonzales Justice Department compare to that of fellow conservative John Ashcroft? How does Gonzales compare to other attorney generals?

A.: To those of us who worked in the Justice Department under both Ashcroft and Gonzales, the contrasts were more striking than we ever could have imagined.

To be sure, Ashcroft ran the Department with a much more pronounced career/non-career divide than other attorneys general (especially his immediate predecessor Janet Reno) by importing the management model that had worked for him as a senator — and this was far from ideal.

But notice that I said he "ran" the Department; he wasn't just an "empty suit." He also was a man of no small integrity; whether you agreed with him or not, at least there was a basis for thinking that he was trying his best to do the right thing, particularly in the aftermath of 9/11. That certainly showed when he staunchly rebuffed Gonzales, on multiple grounds, from his hospital bed.

And in comparison to Gonzales, the fact that both are conservatives has become meaningless. The key contrast is their standing as individuals and as respectable holders of public trust, or not. Gonzales has now shown himself to be so lacking as to defy complete description; words seem inadequate in the face of such blithe noncompetence. Suffice to say that his standing relative to other attorneys general comports with how this president compares with his own predecessors.

http://www.coxwashington.com/hp/content/reporters/stories/2007/06/10/METCALFE_QA_WEB.html

[badgervan]

11. The Ultimate Test

If we survive the next year and a half, we'll have met the toughest test for representative democracy in our country's history. Thanks so much, bushies.

[sutz12]

13. Geez, you have to be a real ASSHOLE to make Ashcroft look good.

I mean, what kind of a fucked up suckup must Gonzalez be?

[L. Coyote]

4. American history has no adequate parallel for the current situation, TTBOMK

Even Nixon's obstructions of justice pale to the current situation. Banana Republicans comes to mind, albeit I hate to offend a good food.

[MannyGoldstein]

12. Yes, You Are Right On

Nobody has attacked our government as Bush has. It is almost as disturbing that the "Fightin' Congressional Dems" are doing noting to stop it.

Shame!

[L. Coyote]

14. Also unparalleled, 36 investigations, several hundred hearings, many resignations

and a few on the top left to go. Hooray for the oversight efforts and their intensity and perserverence.

I like the idea of keeping impeachment under the table. It deters a lot of rhetoric, since they are not inclined to hurl charges like, "This is an impeachment." Besides, the top of the table is too crowded!! When it appears that the People demand impeachment, the Rs can only harangue against the People. Ya gotta love it.

[calimary]

17. I'll start loving it when I see IMPEACHMENT squarely ON the table.

FINALLY.

Makes you wonder what the hell it's going to take...

[Grandrose]

5. K&R

Pathetic...what took him so long?:grr: :kick:

[pinto]

6. I don't know what the tipping point will be, but the litany of dissent is deafening.

Metcalfe is right. For those of us who remember the Nixon Administration this shit is much more pervasive. Built from the bottom up, led by the Rove/Bushco coterie, it is nothing less than an insurgency on the federal bureaucracy.

I look forward to tomorrow's no confidence vote in the Senate, for what it's worth. I hope for a resounding No!.

[Wesin04]

7. As I understood about the vote,

It's not a vote of No Confidence, but rather a vote to have the vote...:shrug:

[pinto]

8. No, I think the proposal is a simple one line 'sense of the Senate" thing.

Symbolic. But it would be a good statement to make, politically.

I could be wrong, 'course, about the specifics. We'll see tomorrow.

:kick:

[0007]

10. It'll be interesting to see which GOP member will hold his mud

after lambasting that sneaky rat Gonzonlas......I'm thinking especially about Norm Coleman, John Cornyn, Jeff Sessions,....and many others.,

[autorank]

15. You think any Dems will give him a pass?

[knight_of_the_star]

16. Probably not

But that also depends on if you count LIEberman as a Dem.

[autorank]

21. You mean this LIEberman...nah, he's a neo-con-artist;)

[0007]

19. NO!!

[mod mom]

18. Why is this process of removal and correction taking so long? Each day this

criminal crowd remains, it further erodes the DOJ and undermines the basis of justice in the US. We no longer have ANY moral authority in the eyes of the world thanks to this criminal cabal.

INDICT
IMPEACH
IMPRISON
NOW!

[SleeplessinSoCal]

22. Censure!!!

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200705u/gonzales-censure

[Supersedeas]

20. finally, someone is speaking out....we need to hear more honesty from DoJ attorneys