Senate Democrats Plan to Seek No-Confidence Vote on Attorney General Gonzales

[240 is Back]

He isn't impacting things here.

The Attorney General of the US isn't "impacting" things?

Wow.  Here I was, believing he was one of the most powerful men in the nation by virtue of his position.  Thank goodness we have you to tell us he isn't "impacting" things.

[egj13]

The Attorney General of the US isn't "impacting" things?

Wow.  Here I was, believing he was one of the most powerful men in the nation by virtue of his position.  Thank goodness we have you to tell us he isn't "impacting" things.

Once again you fail to show anything because there is nothing. There are no stories of his "lying" affecting the US. Here is the thing, he had every right to fire those attorneys so he never should have been asked any questions in the first place. If it wasn't for a witch hunt we wouldn't even be talking about gonzalez. I didn't see people running around before this started complaining about him. He had no impact and there have been no stories prior to this that said he was impacting the US.

[gcb]

Once again you fail to show anything because there is nothing. There are no stories of his "lying" affecting the US. Here is the thing, he had every right to fire those attorneys so he never should have been asked any questions in the first place. If it wasn't for a witch hunt we wouldn't even be talking about gonzalez. I didn't see people running around before this started complaining about him. He had no impact and there have been no stories prior to this that said he was impacting the US.

I bet if he had fired a bunch of conservatives you wouldn't be singing the same tune.

[240 is Back]

Once again you fail to show anything because there is nothing. There are no stories of his "lying" affecting the US.

He had no impact and there have been no stories prior to this that said he was impacting the US.

Right.  Because the White house and AG would be the FIRST to announce any security failings due to their forgetfulness?

Dude, they control the flow of info.  You ever wonder why we've heard nothing but good news from them for 6 years?  Because they release good news and classify bad news. 

I guess I cannot understand why you, a fairly bright man, can actually believe the AG is an office which doesn't have much "impact".  You should use WIKI and look at the man's duties an reponsibilities.  He supervises a pretty important branch of the govt.  You excuse what seems to be glaring incompetence... do you have such low standards in all aspects of your life?  Or just those who keep us safe?

[egj13]

Right.  Because the White house and AG would be the FIRST to announce any security failings due to their forgetfulness?

Dude, they control the flow of info.  You ever wonder why we've heard nothing but good news from them for 6 years?  Because they release good news and classify bad news. 

I guess I cannot understand why you, a fairly bright man, can actually believe the AG is an office which doesn't have much "impact".  You should use WIKI and look at the man's duties an reponsibilities.  He supervises a pretty important branch of the govt.  You excuse what seems to be glaring incompetence... do you have such low standards in all aspects of your life?  Or just those who keep us safe?

Nothing shows he ever used a lie to impact the US. Until I see other wise I don't care. I would like to see him goen for other reasons however.

[BayGBM]

What is left to defend about Alberto Gonzalez? 

16 democrats and 13 republicans have explicitely called for his resignation and many more have been critical of his tenure in office.  Does this man have to commit murder right before your eyes before you clue in? 

[egj13]

What is left to defend about Alberto Gonzalez? 

16 democrats and 13 republicans have explicitely called for his resignation and many more have been critical of his tenure in office.  Does this man have to commit murder right before your eyes before you clue in? 

I'm not defending him, I think he is an idiot that needs to go and now. He should have said "I fired them, it was my right, now bite me with your questions". But he had to try and be weasly about it, so because of his lack of balls he needs to go. All I am saying is that if we never would have heard anything about him our lives would have went on just like they were and nothing ever would have changed. Again I want him gone, but for diferent reasons than you.

[240 is Back]

I'm not defending him, I think he is an idiot that needs to go and now. He should have said "I fired them, it was my right, now bite me with your questions". But he had to try and be weasly about it, so because of his lack of balls he needs to go. All I am saying is that if we never would have heard anything about him our lives would have went on just like they were and nothing ever would have changed. Again I want him gone, but for diferent reasons than you.

Cool.  IMO, our great country should have great leaders.  I just don't see Gonzales as a great leader, or even a mediocre leader.  He's a poor leader who lied to Congress.  He has a lot of power to allocate justice dept resources and control justice dept direction, objectives, and investigations.  If he uses govt resources to his political advantage (as he did with the firings), then there is clear abuse going on in what SHOULD be a non-partisan entity, the justice dept.

[Dos Equis]

Uh oh.  The fat lady may be clearing her throat.  Democrats may get their wish.
 

Several in GOP May Back No-Confidence Vote on Attorney General Alberto GonzalesSunday, May 20, 2007

WASHINGTON —  The top Republican on the Senate committee investigating Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Sunday he believes Gonzales could step down before a no-confidence vote sought this week by Senate Democrats.

Gonzales failed to draw a public statement of support from Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell. Asked whether Gonzales effectively can lead the Justice Department, McConnell said "that's for the president to decide." The senator suggested there may be several resolutions introduced to dilute a no-confidence vote.

"In the Senate, nobody gets a clear shot," said McConnell, R-Ky.

Yet Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he believed a "sizable number" of GOP lawmakers would join Democrats in expressing their lack of confidence in the attorney general.

Five Republicans have urged Gonzales to resign over his firing of federal prosecutors, while several other Republicans have expressed criticism of his actions.

"Votes of no confidence are very rare," Specter said. "Historically, that is something which Attorney General Gonzales would like to avoid. I think that if and when he sees that coming, he would prefer to avoid that kind of a historical black mark."

White House Calls Upcoming Senate No-Confidence Vote for Attorney General 'Political Stunt' Senate Democrats Plan to Seek No-Confidence Vote on Attorney General Gonzales Republicans Wither Under Weight of Democratic Investigations The White House has called the upcoming vote a "political stunt" and said Gonzales retains President Bush's confidence.

Specter long has made it clear he believed the Justice Department no longer functioned well because of Gonzales' handling of the prosecutor firings and that as a result Gonzales would step down.

But Specter's comments Sunday raised the pressure on Gonzales and Bush, who has indicated Gonzales would not be leaving anytime soon.

Democratic Sens. Chuck Schumer of New York and Dianne Feinstein of California said they will seek a vote on a nonbinding resolution as early as this week to express what senators of both parties have said for weeks: that Gonzales has become too weakened to run the department.

Department spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said Gonzales was concentrating on doing his job. "As we work to ensure Congress has all the information it needs on this matter, the attorney general remains focused on the important work that the American people expect him to do," Roehrkasse said Sunday.

A no-confidence vote, though symbolic, probably would create trouble for Gonzales. Any attorney general needs to work with Congress on legislation, as well as nominees who require Senate confirmation. Gonzales would need to confirm a new deputy attorney general because his current one, Paul McNulty, is leaving over the firings of federal prosecutors.

Gonzales will be in Washington on Monday and part of Tuesday before heading to Europe, visiting counterparts in Hungary and Switzerland and then joining a conference of leading industrial nations Thursday in Germany. He will be back in Washington on Friday -- before the long Memorial Day weekend and a planned congressional vacation.

Specter and other senators said they were particularly troubled by testimony last week that Gonzales, when he was Bush's White House counsel, pressured then-Attorney General John Ashcroft to certify the legality of Bush's controversial eavesdropping program while Ashcroft was in intensive care.

In his testimony, former deputy attorney general James Comey said he thought the no-warrant program was questionable and violated the law. Gonzales and White House chief of staff Andy Card then headed to Ashcroft's sick bed at George Washington University Hospital in an unsuccessful bid to convince Ashcroft otherwise. The program was eventually certified after it was modified.

On Sunday, Schumer sent a letter to Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Cheney's chief of staff, David Addington, asking if they personally ordered Gonzales to Ashcroft's hospital room. When asked twice by reporters last week, Bush refused to answer.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, who is on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he did not believe that Gonzales acted illegally. If Bush chooses to support Gonzales, then senators should work on passing legislation such as immigration reform rather than playing "gotcha" games, said Graham, R-S.C.

"I want to focus on that, rather than pass a resolution, that's never been done in the history of the Congress, to play 'gotcha' politics with the attorney general," he said.

Specter appeared on CBS' "Face the Nation," McConnell spoke on ABC's "This Week," and Graham was on "Fox News Sunday."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,274096,00.html

[240 is Back]

BB,

Do you have confidence in Gonzalez?

[Decker]

So basically you have nothing to show that he had had a negative impact on the US. That my friend is why I don't care about him. He isn't impacting things here. You show me he has and I will criticize right behind you.

It is manifestly evident that Gonzales is affecting how the government is run.

Gonzales has shown that he understands little about the US constitution.

He advised the president that FISA could be ignored and americans could be spied on without a warrant.

He doesn't understand the concept of 'habeus corpus' and advised the president that we can deny that right to anyone under the circumstances.

He authored a memo telling the president that the Geneva Convention Rules were "quaint" opening the door for torture in the name of the US.

He is politically maladroit.  He completely mishandled the firings of US attornies creating a big deal where a more seasoned and capable man would have exercised better discretion.

He is a company man.

[egj13]

It is manifestly evident that Gonzales is affecting how the government is run.

Gonzales has shown that he understands little about the US constitution.

He advised the president that FISA could be ignored and americans could be spied on without a warrant.

He doesn't understand the concept of 'habeus corpus' and advised the president that we can deny that right to anyone under the circumstances.

He authored a memo telling the president that the Geneva Convention Rules were "quaint" opening the door for torture in the name of the US.

He is politically maladroit.  He completely mishandled the firings of US attornies creating a big deal where a more seasoned and capable man would have exercised better discretion.

He is a company man.

What you fail to see is that I haven't defended him in any instance. I agree he needs to go. But if the Democrats hadn't wasted all this time on him we never would have heard about him and we all would have gone on with life like it was. They need to focus on more pertinent issues like coming up with a viable solution to immigration rather than this BS one they put forth last week.

[Decker]

What you fail to see is that I haven't defended him in any instance. I agree he needs to go. But if the Democrats hadn't wasted all this time on him we never would have heard about him and we all would have gone on with life like it was. They need to focus on more pertinent issues like coming up with a viable solution to immigration rather than this BS one they put forth last week.

Our government is "By and For the People."

In that vein, we want a transparent government.  We want to know our servants in the government are competent.

"life like it was..."

For god's sake, the man (the top lawyer in the country) gave Bush a green light on torture, spying, forgoing the geneva convention rules...

That is not how the country operated before Bush/Gonzales.

He's got to go.

[Dos Equis]

Our government is "By and For the People."

In that vein, we want a transparent government.  We want to know our servants in the government are competent.

"life like it was..."

For god's sake, the man (the top lawyer in the country) gave Bush a green light on torture, spying, forgoing the geneva convention rules...

That is not how the country operated before Bush/Gonzales.

He's got to go.

This is the reason why Democrats manufactured this controversy.  It was all the "other stuff" they were upset about.  I bet the "no confidence" resolution, if they're able to pass one, focuses on the "torture memo," etc. 

[Decker]

This is the reason why Democrats manufactured this controversy.  It was all the "other stuff" they were upset about.  I bet the "no confidence" resolution, if they're able to pass one, focuses on the "torture memo," etc. 

Gonzale's immoral and subpar performance created this controversy.  The democrats are just calling him on it since the republican party has dropped the ball on oversight for the past six years.

The president hasn't explained why he gives Gonzales his full support.

The atty. gen.'s judgment has been a disgrace.  Torture, spying on americans, habeus corpus...come on.  We can do a whole lot better than this yes-man.

It is a nice thing about our government that it can redress past errors.

[240 is Back]

sometimes you gotta bust the capones on tax evasion because they're insulated thru corrpution in the gangster arena.

sometimes you gotta bust the albertos on firings because he's insulated on the really dangerous stuff by the executive branch.

[Dos Equis]

Gonzale's immoral and subpar performance created this controversy.  The democrats are just calling him on it since the republican party has dropped the ball on oversight for the past six years.

The president hasn't explained why he gives Gonzales his full support.

The atty. gen.'s judgment has been a disgrace.  Torture, spying on americans, habeus corpus...come on.  We can do a whole lot better than this yes-man.

It is a nice thing about our government that it can redress past errors.

Actually, it's more like they invented a controversy to take down someone who has a different political philosophy.  They are now trying to justify those absurd Congressional hearings and the waste of my money. 

[240 is Back]

someone who has a different political philosophy. 

His philosophy wipes its ass with the constitution and geneva.

if you are cool with this, you are the fvcking terrorist.   now ya know.

[Decker]

Actually, it's more like they invented a controversy to take down someone who has a different political philosophy.  They are now trying to justify those absurd Congressional hearings and the waste of my money. 

Governmental spying on americans without a warrant is UnAmerican.

Torture is UnAmerican.

Those are not different political philosophies.

Gonzales advocates things wholly UnAmerican.

I say it's about damn time someone does something about this man.

[egj13]

His philosophy wipes its ass with the constitution and geneva.

if you are cool with this, you are the fvcking terrorist.   now ya know.

You should thank Decker for giving you something to Parrot on this thread because you didn't mention any of this until he did.

[Dos Equis]

Governmental spying on americans without a warrant is UnAmerican.

Torture is UnAmerican.

Those are not different political philosophies.

Gonzales advocates things wholly UnAmerican.

I say it's about damn time someone does something about this man.

Decker you're just confirming that this investigation and hearings had nothing to do with Gonzales firing these U.S. Attorneys. 

[Decker]

Decker you're just confirming that this investigation and hearings had nothing to do with Gonzales firing these U.S. Attorneys. 

No, I'm pointing out that this man is not and has never been fit for his job.  The attorney firing scandal concerns improper political pressure as the impetus for firing attornies working in a non-partisan position:  Congress is trying to determine if the firings are politically motivated.

That's a rather serious allegation.  Is it illegal?  Probably not.  Those perpetrating the act are impeachable though.

Gonzales has been shown to make inconsistent and contradictory statements to Congress.  Now that can still be construed as a crime.

The larger issue is that something is wrong with the Justice Department and the head of that department has been evasive and contradictory regarding the operations of his own department.

Is that the type of behavior we want from the Nation's top lawyer?

[Dos Equis]

No, I'm pointing out that this man is not and has never been fit for his job.  The attorney firing scandal concerns improper political pressure as the impetus for firing attornies working in a non-partisan position:  Congress is trying to determine if the firings are politically motivated.

That's a rather serious allegation.  Is it illegal?  Probably not.  Those perpetrating the act are impeachable though.

Gonzales has been shown to make inconsistent and contradictory statements to Congress.  Now that can still be construed as a crime.

The larger issue is that something is wrong with the Justice Department and the head of that department has been evasive and contradictory regarding the operations of his own department.

Is that the type of behavior we want from the Nation's top lawyer?

What behavior?  These hearings were about investigating a crime.  Where is the evidence of this crime?  This other stuff is completely irrelevant to whether or not he committed a crime.  They struck out and are using this as a vehicle to hang the man for all of his prior political disagreements.  I'm just appalled at what I see is an abuse of Congressional authority and a waste of my money.

I had lunch with several of my liberal colleagues right after the Senate hearings and when I brought up the fact that there was no evidence of any wrongdoing, all they talked about was the "torture memo," "habeas corpus," etc.  Nothing about whether or not he fired U.S. Attorneys in violation of the law.  This is an attempt to divert attention away from the fact that the hearings were a farce.

I wouldn't be as bothered if they convened these hearings to assess whether or not the AG is effective, etc.  But they didn't.  Completely disingenuous on their part. 
   

[Decker]

What behavior?  These hearings were about investigating a crime.  Where is the evidence of this crime?  This other stuff is completely irrelevant to whether or not he committed a crime.  They struck out and are using this as a vehicle to hang the man for all of his prior political disagreements.  I'm just appalled at what I see is an abuse of Congressional authority and a waste of my money.

I had lunch with several of my liberal colleagues right after the Senate hearings and when I brought up the fact that there was no evidence of any wrongdoing, all they talked about was the "torture memo," "habeas corpus," etc.  Nothing about whether or not he fired U.S. Attorneys in violation of the law.  This is an attempt to divert attention away from the fact that the hearings were a farce.

I wouldn't be as bothered if they convened these hearings to assess whether or not the AG is effective, etc.  But they didn't.  Completely disingenuous on their part. 
   

Congress has the constitutional right to investigate governmental matters. 

Now I know that Congress' oversight powers were inert under the Republican majority for almost 7 years, but Congress has the authority and right to look into whatever the hell it wants to concerning the executive branch and any federal agency.

You find the current investigation a waste of time.  That's your right to hold that opinion.  Congress would and does disagree with you

Congress does not have to have a finding of criminal liability to investigate someone.  It can simply claim 'no faith' in the person/department and from there it starts.

Congress sensed that something is rotten in Denmark and Gonzales' testimony, wrought with evasions, contradictions, and omissions, certainly did not help dispel that notion.

[240 is Back]

You should thank Decker for giving you something to Parrot on this thread because you didn't mention any of this until he did.

so you accept his point as valid?

I see you've moved on to insulting my knowledge of the matter.  Once a debater starts insulting the messenger, not the message, we usually see he's shooting blanks.