Gonzales Guilty Until Proven Innocent

There's really nothing Alberto Gonzales can do when testifying today that will satisfy the smug, arrogant Charles Schumer, an ideological hack if ever there was one.

Schumer is pathologically obsessed with Karl Rove, and there no doubt this charade will veer off into conspiracy theories spun by a fevered mind filled with hatred.

Thursday's blockbuster hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee will put Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to the test as he defends his botched handling of the news that eight U.S. attorneys were removed from duty last December.

Gonzales has already told the committee that he has nothing to hide, but committee member Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y, said no fewer than three times on Wednesday that the "burden of proof is on the attorney general" to explain why the prosecutors were fired.

In a preview of his testimony, released Sunday, Gonzales concedes that the Justice Department's handling of the dismissals ended up creating an "unfortunate and undignified public spectacle," but at no time were any of the prosecutors' fates decided based on political considerations aimed at encouraging or killing partisan prosecutions.

Say what you want about Gonzales and the job he's done, but this partisan witch-hunt conducted by Schumer and his cronies is petty and vindictive.

"The attorney general and his supporters seem to think that simply denying U.S. attorneys were fired for political reasons exonerates him. That just wont wash," Schumer said.

Schumer, chairman of the Judiciary panel's courts subcommittee, which has oversight of U.S. attorneys, said Gonzales needs to reveal who made the initial complaints, who investigated the complaints and why some attorneys were fired while others were not.

Gonzales Approved Firings

Am I the only one who finds this fact wholly unremarkable?

Documents show Gonzales approved firings

Last week, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said he was not involved in any discussions about the impending dismissals of U.S. attorneys.

On Friday night, however, the Justice Department revealed Gonzales' participation in a Nov. 27 meeting where such plans were discussed.

The firings of eight prosecutors has since led to a political firestorm and calls for his ouster.

At that meeting, the attorney general and at least five top Justice Department officials discussed a five-step plan for carrying out the firings of the prosecutors, Gonzales' aides said late Friday.

There, Gonzales signed off on the plan, which was drafted by his chief of staff, Kyle Sampson. Sampson resigned last week.

He's the Attorney General of the United States. It only makes sense he signs off on the dismissal of those who report to him.

This theater of the absurd has gotten way out of hand.

Senate Panel OKs Subpoenas

Shameless political whores Charles Schumer and Patrick Leahy know when they have a good thing going, and they plan to milk this nonscandal for all it's worth. Schumer, in particular, is obsessed with Karl Rove, his intellectual superior, and just hates the fact he's never been able to nail him for anything.

Senate Panel OKs Subpoenas for Key Aides

A Senate panel, following the House's lead, authorized subpoenas Thursday for White House political adviser Karl Rove and other top aides involved in the firing of federal prosecutors.

The Senate Judiciary Committee decided by voice vote to approve the subpoenas as Republicans and Democrats sparred over whether to press a showdown with President Bush over the ousters of eight U.S. attorneys.

Democrats angrily rejected Bush's offer to grant a limited number of lawmakers private interviews with the aides with no transcript and without swearing them in. Republicans counseled restraint, but at least one, Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, backed the action.

A House Judiciary subcommittee authorized subpoenas in the matter Wednesday, but none has been issued.

Democrats said the move would give them more bargaining power in negotiating with the White House to hear from Bush's closest advisers.

"We're authorizing that ability but we're not issuing them," Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said of the subpoenas. "It'll only strengthen our hand in getting to the bottom of this."

Republicans countered, however, that subpoenas were premature.

"I counsel my colleagues, both Democrats and Republicans, to work hard to avoid an impasse. We don't need a constitutional confrontation," said Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, the panel's top Republican.

Still, in the end, I think the truculent, childlike behavior by these buffoons will backfire. The White House needs to stick to their guns, however, and cannot fold under the relentless pressure from the drive-by media.

Clinton and Schumer's Rank Hypocrisy

New York's two senators are flapping their gums wildly this week about the dismissal of eight U.S. attorneys, but the stench of hypocrisy runs deep and wide. Not that these two shameless political whores care one bit about double standards when it comes time to preen for the cameras.

In the Opinion Journal today, we're reminded that Mrs. Clinton knows all about firing U.S. attorneys, as we take a trip down memory lane to 1993.

Congressional Democrats are in full cry over the news this week that the Administration's decision to fire eight U.S. Attorneys originated from--gasp--the White House. Senator Hillary Clinton joined the fun yesterday, blaming President Bush for "the politicization of our prosecutorial system." Oh, my.

As it happens, Mrs. Clinton is just the Senator to walk point on this issue of dismissing U.S. attorneys because she has direct personal experience. In any Congressional probe of the matter, we'd suggest she call herself as the first witness--and bring along Webster Hubbell as her chief counsel.

As everyone once knew but has tried to forget, Mr. Hubbell was a former partner of Mrs. Clinton at the Rose Law Firm in Little Rock who later went to jail for mail fraud and tax evasion. He was also Bill and Hillary Clinton's choice as Associate Attorney General in the Justice Department when Janet Reno, his nominal superior, simultaneously fired all 93 U.S. Attorneys in March 1993. Ms. Reno--or Mr. Hubbell--gave them 10 days to move out of their offices.

Ah yes, Webster Hubbell, convicted felon and old pal of the Clintons. Do we really want to go there? Apparently, The Pantsuit loves reminiscing about the 1990's, as just yesterday she again brought up the absurd vast right-wing conspiracy. If she really wants to go there, we'll be happy to oblige and recall those glory days of missing billing records, grand jury testimony and convenient amnesia. By the way, how is Susan McDougal doing these days?

Then there's Charles Schumer, the pompous windbag who apparently doesn't understand what separation of powers is all about. The New York Post offers him some advice, not that he'll listen.

And surely Schumer remembers when President Bill Clinton and his attorney general, Janet Reno, ordered all 93 prosecutors to resign in one fell swoop.

Democrats had no problem with that. Nor did any of them complain when it became clear that that decision had been made with White House input.

Indeed, suspicion quickly focused on the fact that among those dismissed was the U.S. attorney who had just advised Reno that he was within 30 days of making the "critical decision" of whether to indict a powerful key Clinton ally, Rep. Dan Rostenkowski of Illinois.

Speculation was widespread that firing the rest of the prosecutors was simply cover, that the White House wanted to buy time for Rostenkowski - who eventually served 15 months in prison - to help push the Clinton agenda through Congress.

Yet did Democrats threaten to hold high-drama hearings then?

No.

Schumer needs to give it a rest now.

Of course, Schumer is incapable of shutting up. Once this non-scandal blows over, he'll move on to another non-issue.