Gonzales Ready to Leave the Stage, September 14, 2007

[seafan]

Gonzales Ready to Leave the Stage

By Dan Eggen
Friday, September 14, 2007; A11

After nine months of noisy controversy over his troubled tenure, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales is leaving office quietly today with a low-key farewell address to Justice Department employees in Washington.
Gonzales, who has made only three public appearances since announcing his resignation on Aug. 27, is expected to dwell on his record in combating terrorism, child exploitation and other crimes rather than on the divisive issues that forced him from the job.

During a brief news conference yesterday in Des Moines, Gonzales played down those controversies, including the congressional uproar over the firings of nine U.S. attorneys last year and the Justice Department and congressional investigations into whether he lied in testimony or attempted to influence the testimony of a witness.

.....

One former senior official at the agency said the controversies that dogged Gonzales this year exacerbated his disconnect from the department's core missions. "The AG is just sort of drifting off, but he's been minimizing his activity for a long time," this former official said. "It's been very quiet on the fifth floor," the official added, referring to the location of the attorney general's office suite.

Almost every senior Justice Department official has resigned or announced plans to depart this year, leaving the department under the control of more than a dozen acting officials. More than a quarter of the nation's U.S. attorneys are also temporary appointees, partly because of the mass firings that eventually had repercussions on Gonzales's tenure.

Solicitor General Paul D. Clement will serve as acting attorney general starting next week.

Justice officials and others who have had contact with Gonzales in recent weeks say he appears relieved and happier since announcing his resignation.

.....

Is a medal in his future?












Or, maybe just a quieter retirement, as he strolls away from the shattered, disgraced and dishonored Department of Justice?






Image source



It won't be over for Gonzales, no matter where he hides.

[tanyev]

1. What is it with these long good-byes?

Just get out of there already. Jeez.

[radfringe]

2. heavens to murgatroid...exit stage right