NYTimes Editorial: Sound of Mr. Gonzales Not Being Defended Was Deafening

[Hissyspit]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/13/opinion/13wed1.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/13/opinion/13wed1.html?hp

Editorial
Silence in the Senate

Published: June 13, 2007
The most remarkable thing about the debate on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales this week was what didn’t happen. Barely a word was said in praise him or his management of the Justice Department. The message was clear even though the Republicans prevented a no-confidence vote through the threat of a filibuster — a tactic that until recently they claimed to abhor. The sound of Mr. Gonzales not being defended was deafening.

The senators who rose to speak in favor of the no-confidence vote made a compelling, and by now well-known, case. Sheldon Whitehouse, Democrat of Rhode Island, and Claire McCaskill, Democrat of Missouri, both former prosecutors, were especially eloquent about the way in which Mr. Gonzales has betrayed the ideals of American law.

The senators who defended Mr. Gonzales clearly did not have their heart in it. Mitch McConnell, the minority leader, went off on such a long and belabored attack on Senator Charles Schumer of New York, who has done a commendable job on this matter, that he seemed to think Mr. Schumer, not Mr. Gonzales, was the subject of the resolution.

Kay Bailey Hutchison, Republican of Texas, complained that the Senate was wasting a “whole day” on the vote. Actually, it took just a couple of hours, and anyone who watches C-Span knows how little the Senate can accomplish in two hours.

For Trent Lott, Republican of Mississippi, the issue seemed to be that the vote would not matter. In other words, since the president does not care what Congress thinks about the integrity of the Justice Department, it is a waste of time to tell him.

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[L. Coyote]

1. The tide has turned. Bring on the investigative reporters too!

[hvn_nbr_2]

9. Investigative reporters?

What a quaint thought! Today's investigative reporters won't come up anything more than what Paris Hilton thought of today's prison gruel.

[madrchsod]

2. so why is he still here?

it must be clear to many republicans that bush does`t give to shits about the party. they are all fools.

[Divine Discontent]

3. they definitely know this...

the in-touch repubs do anyhow... they just won't say it too often outside of people like gingrich predicting losses in 08 for repubs because of it...

but I'm still upset I just got wasted $5 on a scratch off ticket thinking I'd get that random luck like beezelbud did and win some cash! a fool and a money are soon parted... hopefully that won't happen to him though.
www.cafepress.com/warisprofitable <<-- top '08 Candidate items

[L. Coyote]

4. Because, he is Bush's lawyer first, the nation's not at all, and they want to avoid jail.

If Gonzales goes, the replacement may act like Fitz, and actually uphold the rule of law and prosecute Bushco crimes. They are going to resist to the bitter end, to avoid going to jail. This is why Libby had to lie, to avoid providing the evidence that would end it all. This is why they stonewall on subpoenas and at hearings.

They are hanging like a bucket of lies held by a thread--hiding all the evidence, lying, evading, having amnesia attacks when Dems ask questions and making speeches when complicitous Rs ask questions. Drip, drip, drip, the investigations are water into the bucket as the thread of falsehoods stretches thin.

[Hissyspit]

5. .

[EFerrari]

6. We did win, we just don't know it yet.

And the NYTs is just stating the obvious. So that means we've won big.

[jazzjunkysue]

11. We won 53 to 38. That's a clear majority, who have no confidence.

The fact that the procedural minimum is 60 doesn't change the fact that lots of important GOP senators voted against the rat.

:popcorn:

[EFerrari]

12. Exactly. Hey, pass that over here.

:)

[radfringe]

7. by blocking the vote - the republics now OWN gonzo

the republics already have one albatross hanging from their necks in the form of bush, now they have two with the addition of gonzo

Schumer did point out - if the Dems wanted to use gonzo to score political points the entire discussion/debate of a no-confidence resolution wouldn't have been introduced. The Dems would have just let things continue as they are and take shots at gonzo until the end of the bush reign.

republic cut and ran from the vote, taking sanctuary by sitting on a fence. I doubt it was from fear of some sort of constituent backlash more likely it the feared the revenge of the rove.

the Dems are now free to point out they tried to pressue bush to dump gonzo, but the republics are still fond of rubberstamping anything the bushies want.

[DemReadingDU]

8. Last sentence in editorial

That so many Senate Republicans supported an attorney general that they cannot bring themselves to defend shows that politics is not behind the drive to force him out. It’s behind the insistence that he stay.

[Supersedeas]

10. nice summation of Repig non-sequitors

[NashVegas]

13. With the New Subpoenas Out

I think they're going to regret that filibuster.