Hotline After Dark: Cool Under Fire
Lots of good interviews on TV last night:
AG Alberto Gonzales sat down with NBC's Pete Williams:
Gonzales: "I was not involved in the deliberations during the process as to who should or should not be asked to resign. I depended on the people who knew about how these United States attorneys were performing, people within the department who would have personal knowledge about these individuals."
More: "I know the reasons why I asked these United States attorneys to leave, and it was not for improper reasons, it was not to interfere with a public corruption case, it was not for partisan reasons. I also, we also know that there is nothing in the documents that indicates that they were asked to leave for improper reasons."
On if he'll resign: "I think that every Cabinet official has to ask themselves -- every day - Is it still appropriate for me to lead a Cabinet department? It's something that I've been asking myself more lately than perhaps others. Because at the end of the day, it's not about Alberto Gonzales. It's about this great Department of Justice. .. I'm confident that ... we can still move forward and still continue to do great things for the American people. And as long as I have the confidence of the president, I intend to do just that."
THE ABCs OF CAMPAIGNING
ABC's Terry Moran joined John McCain on the Straight Talk Express:
Asked if being tied to Bush is a liability for him, McCain: "Sure. But one, you've got to do what's right. Second, there is a little irony that I was the greatest critic of the way the war was mismanaged. But life isn't fair. There's so much at stake here, in this conflict that, you know, I really must do what's right.. ... I have no choice. Nor would I consider any other choice."
On not being the frontrunner when everyone expected him to be: "Yeah. You know, we're a little concerned, obviously. I mean, to say that, you know, sounds great. But I think this is the beginning of the campaign. I'm glad where we are, financially, politically, every other way. I'm happy. In these early states, we are either tied or ahead with all of our competitors. So I'm happy about that. But do we have a lot of work to do? Sure."
Asked if he's moving to the right: "If you look at my positions on literally every issue, I haven't changed. I'm no different from what I was. And that's a tiny bit frustrating to me that this portrayal, well, he's pandered to this or done that. I don't know" ("Nightline," ABC, 3/26).
ANOTHER CALL FOR GONZALES TO STEP DOWN
Chris Dodd was in the "Situation Room":
On Gonzales: "The time has come based on the information over the weekend and this kind of information that the attorney general really needs to step aside. The president ought to be asking for his resignation. This story is only going to get worse."
On Hagel saying Bush could be impeached: "I don't want to see us jump to this right now. It seems to me this is getting ahead of ourselves. There have been calls already. Various people have raised that as a suggestion here. I'd rather see us try and resolve some of these outstanding issues we have here."
More: "I've been down this road -- that foolish effort to impeach Bill Clinton, that took so much time and effort here, I would be very cautious about jumping to that procedure here of impeachment having been through it once already" (CNN, 3/26).
AND NOW, THE REST OF THE STORY
And here are some updates on yesterday's big stories:
Tom Vilsack, asked if he was looking at the VP mansion: "The key is just for Senator Clinton to do well in Iowa and begin this campaign. Honestly that's the focus. We have got to focus on Iowa. We have got a tough fight ahead of us" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 3/26).
FNC's Angle: "We know that this was a Senator Webb's gun, that it was brought in by one of his aides. Apparently Senator Webb went to the airport at some point in the last couple of days, and the aide took the bag with the loaded weapon in it. ... It was in some bag the senator had, but he was getting on a plane, and could not take it with him, obviously. Now, the interesting thing here ... is that if a senator goes through security, you don't have to put your things on the belt. You don't have to go through metal detector. You just walk around it. And you can also waive an aide around if you wish. So, he could have done this many times and it never have come to the attention of anyone" ("Special Report," 3/26). [EMILY GOODIN]
The more I read of what Gonzo says, the more I'm astounded this clown made it through law school. He's as articulate as a 3 year old.
Actually, let me amend that. My oldest son at 3 years old was more articulate and much better at logic. So let's make that a 2 year old.
Gonzales is Bush's slave who does not have even one ounce of functioning brain. No wonder he is a perfect match for Bush. The president should be ashamed of himself. He has made such a mess of this wonderful country.
Bush --> The worst president EVER.
Anyone notice that Gonzales referred to himself in the third person?
If Gonzales was only required in the meeting to sign off and not participate in any deliberations, Nay, not even hear any deliberations; what were they doing for the other 59 minutes after the signings were done.
If you took the time to actually read the memos and the dates on them you would see that the decisions on who to fire had already been made weeks before this meeting was held. Your partisanship is really tiresome. And cheap,personal insults against the president and anyone who says anything positive about him are the hallmarks of a small mind. I thought Hotline was a legitimate political blog. It seems the commenters should be on Democratic Underground.