Gonzales Resigns as Attorney General

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I Don't Recall - Alberto Gonzales Hearing

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Gonzales Resigns as Attorney General

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UPDATE: AP's got a great collection of initial reactions:

[q
url="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/gonzales_quotes;_ylt=AiTLFg05yqrUFLmDKO_zXtOs0NUE"]"Alberto
Gonzales was never the right man for this job. He lacked independence,
he lacked judgment, and he lacked the spine to say no to Karl Rove.
This resignation is not the end of the story. Congress must get to the
bottom of this mess and follow the facts where they lead, into the
White House." — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.
___

"I
thank Alberto Gonzales for his public service and wish him well in his
future endeavors. It is my hope that whomever President Bush selects as
the next attorney general, he or she is not subjected to the same
poisonous partisanship that we've sadly grown accustomed to over the
past eight months." — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

___

"It
has been a long and difficult struggle but at last, the attorney
general has done the right thing and stepped down." _Sen. Charles
Schumer, D-N.Y.

___

"The life of Alberto Gonzales has
been defined by his devotion to family and deep commitment to public
service. ... I appreciate his hard work in defense of our country and
look forward to his future contributions." — House Republican Whip Roy
Blunt.

___

"As we wish Mr. Gonzales the best in his
departure, we should also take a moment to welcome Paul Clement as his
interim replacement at the Department of Justice. As a former counsel
to Sen. John Ashcroft, Paul has proven himself over the years to be in
possession of a sophisticated and thoughtful legal mind. And as the
current solicitor general of the United States, he knows what it takes
to be an effective advocate on behalf of the people of this country. "

___

The
Justice Department under Gonzales "suffered a severe crisis of
leadership that allowed our justice system to be corrupted by political
influence." Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.

___

"It
is a sad day when the attorney general of the United States resigns
amid a cloud of suspicion that the system of justice has been
manipulated for political purposes. More than accountability, we need
answers. ....If the power of the prosecutor has been misused in the
name of partisanship, we deserve a full airing of the facts." — Rep.
John Conyers, D-Mich., House Judiciary chairman.

___

"He
has exhibited a lack of candor with Congress and the American people
and a disdain for the rule of law and our constitutional system. I
strongly urge President Bush to nominate a new attorney general who
will respect our laws and restore the integrity of the office." — Sen.
Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.

___

"Long overdue. The president
must nominate an attorney general who is a lawyer for the American
people, not a political arm of the White House." — New Mexico governor
and Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson.

___

"Better late than never." — Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards.

___

"It's
about time ... Gonzales now joins a long list of Republican officials
resigning under a cloud of scandal, but these resignations cannot purge
the Bush administration of its problems. The true problem rests with
the Bush White House itself, which continues to put what's best for the
Republican Party ahead of what's best for America." — Democratic
National Committee Chairman Howard Dean.[/q]

And they're dropping like flies... can't really say I'll miss this one. But why's he leaving now? Post your thoughts on this -- or anything else Gonzalian -- in the Comments section below. Invective, story updates, blog links, you name it! Consider this story opened up.

And the politico-bloggers are starting to ask the exact same question. From TPMCafe:

[q
url="http://www.tpmcafe.com/blog/coffeehouse/2007/aug/27/fredo_open_thread"]Fredo
has finally gone fishing.  The "why?" is fairly obvious.  The "why
now?" is frankly baffling to me.  One of my colleagues compared it to
Rumsfeld's departure, saying "after they'd completely lost credibility
and all hope of regaining it... only then does the person in question
go."[/q]