More on Gonzales

Ed Morrissey at Captain’s Quarters points out the biggest problem with the Gonzales situation. Ignore, for just a moment, the fact that Administrations are allowed, and often replace US Attorneys. You can also ignore the fact that it’s rare to do it in a mid-term. Finally, you should ignore the fact that all of those fired were either indicting Republicans or failing to indict Democrats (a strange coincidence, indeed).

Instead, you should focus on this:

When an AG makes statements to Congress, by testimony or official correspondence, as affirmative as his statements on the involvement of the White House were, Congress has a right to expect that the AG has explicitly determined the truth of those statements. Otherwise, the proper form would be to state that he has no knowledge of whatever is at issue.

One of two things must be true: either Gonzales knew of the coordination between Harriet Miers and and his aide Kyle Sampson, or he knew nothing. If the former is true, then he deliberately misled Congress. If the latter is true, then Gonzales has serious issues in management skills, and the White House must know it — because Miers then deliberately bypassed Gonzales.

That’s the biggest problem with Gonzales staying in his post. Either by his incompetence, or by his deliberate misrepresentations to Congress, he has demonstrated a serious deficiency to the American people. He’s either unwilling to take his position seriously and answer Congress truthfully, or he’s clueless.

Neither is a virtue we should embrace or defend in our Attorney General when we’re trying to be ever vigilant against domestic threats in dangerous times.

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