Bush Pick for No. 3 at Justice Withdraws

[Newsjock]

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush's pick to be the No. 3 official in the Justice Department asked to have his nomination withdrawn Friday, four days before he was to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Bill Mercer sent a letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales saying it was unlikely that the Senate would confirm him to a post he has held on an interim basis since September. He will leave Washington and turn his full attention to his work as U.S. attorney for Montana.

"With no clear end in sight with respect to my nomination, it is untenable for me to pursue both responsibilities and provide proper attention to my family," Mercer wrote.

... "The White House has found many ways to keep sunlight from reaching some of the darker corners of the Bush Justice Department, but this is a new one," Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said in a statement. "With a confirmation hearing looming next Tuesday, they have withdrawn this nomination to avoid having to answer more questions under oath."

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FIRED_PROSECUTORS?SITE=WSPATV&SECTION=NATIONAL&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-06-22-16-51-56

[Stop Cornyn]

1. How many boats will sink off the bow of the SS Abu Gonzales before he abandons ship?

[opihimoimoi]

2. Arrogance stifles Common Sense and Good Decisions....

It even allows BAD DECISIONs

[sueh]

13. LOL

:rofl: Thanks. I needed that.

[thereismore]

3. Probably a good idea... let them croak of gonzotitis, all of them. nt

[BikeWriter]

4. Send him a subpoena anyway, and hold someone accountable today!

[maddezmom]

5. Good

K&R

[Ian David]

6. No! No! No! We should INSIST he stand before congress and face an inquiry.

Congress should pass a law that says they can have a "confirmation" hearing on any nominee, even if they have withdrawn their candidacy.

The public may have a compelling interesting in knowing precisely why the pResident would nominate someone who feels they are not capable of withstanding the nomination process.

[rodeodance]

15. I wonder if Leahy will bring in sometime?

[rpannier]

7. I think the Senators from Montana used the best tact with this

Sen Baucus, was statesman like, "Max respects Mr. Mercer's decision," said Baucus spokesman Barrett Kaiser. "Montanans deserve a full-time U.S. attorney."

Senator Tester was more blunt:
A spokesman for Tester said Mercer's request for withdrawal "was too little, too late and something doesn't smell right."

"He decided to sneak out the back door only days before having to face, under oath, tough questions that he's been avoiding for months," said the spokesman, Matt McKenna.

I give two-thumbs up to the Montana Senators.

[rodeodance]

10. yup--Tester hit it on the nail

[Canuckistanian]

8. A possible pre-emptive resignation?

This seems suspicious. Why would anyone withdraw their nomination before most ever knew of his nomination?

He obviously had the backing of higher-ups in the Justice Dept.

A sudden attack of conscience? Some investigations getting a little too close?

What do we know of Bill Mercer?

[rodeodance]

9. That is what Leahy said in the IP

[whistle]

11. Like GOP rats jumping off the Titanic

[Canuckistanian]

12. Here's the skinny on Mercer

Bush’s Scandal-Ridden DoJ Nominee Withdraws Over Fear Of Senate Fight
http://imgred.com/

William Mercer, the Acting Associate Attorney General, asked President Bush today to withdraw his nomination to be the permanent No. 3 official in the Justice Department, “saying it was unlikely that the Senate would confirm him to a post he has held on an interim basis since September.”

~snip

In a statement, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) said Mercer withdrew his name to avoid testifying under oath:

The White House has found many ways to keep sunlight from reaching some of the darker corners of the Bush Justice Department, but this is a new one. They have withdrawn this nomination to avoid having to answer more questions under oath.

Gonzales said in a statement today that he is “very pleased that the department will continue to benefit from his leadership, talent and experience through his role as U.S. attorney in Montana.”

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/06/22/mercer-resigns/

[rodeodance]

14. Read ALL of this article. This is NOT a kind man!!

---but right up the Buschco mentality!

http://www.epluribusmedia.org/features/2007/us_attorney_william_mercer.html

[rodeodance]

16. .....Expansion of Federal Powers (was involved in Patriot II)

.....Expansion of Federal Powers

Mercer has apparently also been instrumental in furthering a key policy of the Bush administration: the unprecedented expansion of federal authority.

Upon taking office as U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana, Mr. Mercer immediately announced that his top priority would be identical to that of the Justice Department -- namely, the investigation and prosecution of "terrorism." He identified himself as a strong proponent of the Patriot Act (which many believe greatly expanded federal authority to intrude on the lives of private citizens), believing it would aid in the DOJ's fight against "terror."11

Mercer served on the U.S. Attorney General's Advisory Committee (AGAC), a group of 15 U.S. Attorneys who advised former Attorney General John Ashcroft on policy matters, in 2002 and 2003.12 In 2003, Ashcroft was deeply embarrassed when a draft of Patriot 2, or the "Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003," was leaked to the press. The document was secretly developed by the Department of Justice with the approval of then Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert, and Vice President Dick Cheney.13

The draft proposed huge expansions of powers for the Attorney General, including:

[Orsino]

17. That's GOP efficiency for you.

Don't wait to be caught in corruption. Resign before even being confirmed!