Over at MyDD.com, is this piece on the efforts to set up Alberto Gonzalez as the designated fall-guy for the US Attorney purge. One of the points made is that, as each scandal uncovered in recent weeks moves closer to the White House, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find someone expendable to throw to the wolves; Gonzalez is a long-time Bush aide, and served as White House counsel before becoming AG (Attorney General, not Alberto Gonzalez, which has always been his name . . . as far as we know; with this crew, they might even lie about that). The problem, of course, is that there is now a paper-and-electronic trail that leads to Karl "Turdblossom" Rove, and with the Senate Judiciary Committee making noises about subpoenas for Rove, having Gonzalez' head served on a platter will in all likelihood not suffice. There are too many of Rove's fat, dirty fingerprints all over this entire falderol to satisfy anyone but hardcore Bush-backers with a shuffling of the deck chairs on the Titanic. Acquiescing to a change in the PATRIOT Act reauthorization to rescind the ability of the AG to appoint USA's without Senate approval will not be enough. Indeed, little short of Rove doing a perp walk will, I believe, shut down our criminal-in-chief.
Like most bullies, the Bush Administration thought it could toss a bone or two if trouble arose, getting rid of obvious deadwood when the fire got really hot. That worked with a supine Congress and a press dedicated to preserving all things Bush. The evidence, however, is mounting that these folks are not just criminally incompetent, but purposely, positively corrupt, with Rove being the chief instigator behind so much of what is wrong. Ultimate responsibility, of course, rests with the doofus in the Oval Office, but never underestimate Rove's uniquely foul stamp on pretty much everything that has been awful about the past five-plus years.
When Gonzalez goes, I have serious doubts he will go quietly; I expect things may just get interesting in the next few days and weeks, as first the Senate demands Rove testify, and second as Gonzalez leaves office, Sampson-like pulling the entire temple down around him as he is cut loose by the President he has served so faithfully - even authoring a memo supporting torture, calling the Geneva accords "quaint" - for all these years. While I hate to make predictions, that is mine: Gonzalez will bring down Rove, who in turn will turn fed's evidence against BushCo. Then, things might get REALLY interesting.
Virtual Tin Cup
