GOP support for attorney general erodes(Feinstein calls for Attorney General to resign)

[maddezmom]

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Republican support for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales eroded Sunday as two key senators sharply questioned his truthfulness and a Democrat joined the list of lawmakers who want him to resign over the firing of eight federal prosecutors.

"We have to have an attorney general who is candid and truthful. And if we find out he's not been candid and truthful, that's a very compelling reason for him not to stay on," said Sen. Arlen Specter (news, bio, voting record), the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which oversees the Justice Department.

Specter, R-Pa., said he would wait until Gonzales' scheduled testimony next month to the committee on the dismissals before deciding whether he could continue to support the attorney general. He called it a "make or break" appearance.

~snip~

Hagel cited changing stories from the Justice Department about the circumstances for firing the eight U.S. attorneys. "I don't know if he got bad advice or if he was not involved in the day-to-day management. I don't know what the problem is, but he's got a problem. You cannot have the nation's chief law enforcement officer with a cloud hanging over his credibility," Hagel said.

Additionally, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif., called for Gonzales to step down over his conflicting statements on how involved he was in the dismissals last fall. Democrats contend the prosecutors' firings were politically motivated.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070325/ap_on_go_co/fired_prosecutors

---

Feinstein calls for Attorney General to resign

Sunday, March 25, 2007
(03-25) 06:29 PDT WASHINGTON, (AP) --


Sen. Dianne Feinstein said for the first time Sunday that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales should resign over the botched firings of eight U.S. attorneys last year.


"I believe he should step down," Feinstein, D-Calif. and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said on Fox News. "I don't like saying this. This is not my natural personality at all. The nation is not well served by this."


Feinstein said that she had held off calling for Gonzales' resignation even as many leading Democrats did so along with some Republicans, but concluded that he wasn't telling the truth.


more:http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/25/politics/p062913D63.DTL&feed=rss.news

[natrat]

1. what a charade-this whole admin is based on endless lies

and these senators now conclude that the ag was untruthful only after one of the crooks is caught-what weak people

[sam sarrha]

2. Forcing 'Torture Boy' to resign is appeasing us by just cutting some of the tail off the Snake

the snake has to go.. and all his venimous Flying monkey's.. sparead salt throughout the White House and sweep it out the back door and pray this never happens again and pray this doesnt destroy us entirely before we can fix it.

[rodeodance]

3. Specter sat on the Fence and Trent Lott repeated WH talking points during

the sun. am. talk shows.

[PSPS]

4. That's Hagel's motto: "I don't know."

"I don't know if he got bad advice or if he was not involved in the day-to-day management. I don't know what the problem is, but he's got a problem."

Why wait until "next month" for "Gonzales' scheduled testimony lies?" What's next? A non-binding resolution giving a suggested departure date for Torture Boy around the time of the next election?

[TwilightGardener]

5. The rats are scurrying off the sinking ship in record numbers! Is there

any 'Pug in the House or Senate who supports Gonzo at this point? Why does Chimpy continue to prop him up when the political damage to the GOP continues as long as Gonzo rmains a lightning rod? Here's why--pure selfishness and self-protection: if Chimpy cuts him loose, he might squeal, just like a lot of other former cabinet/admin folks.

[rodeodance]

7. even David Brooks and Bill Krystal is am. were not on board.

[rodeodance]

6. Congress is going a week of spring break (after this Friday)------so this issue

is going to drag and drag.

Specter, R-Pa., said he would wait until Gonzales' scheduled testimony next month to the committee on the dismissals before deciding whether he could continue to support the attorney general. He called it a "make or break" appearance.

[TwilightGardener]

8. Again, I don't think the "dragging on" is a bad thing--I don't want

Gonzales to resign just yet. Just keeps the controversy in the news--that's why the GOP wants him to quietly go away until his testimony.

[rodeodance]

13. too much--makes it look like Dems just want dirt--They need to be governing

[TwilightGardener]

14. True, they need to keep their legislative business moving, and I think they will--but

if you consider that the average American Joe only pays attention to or understands about 1/4 of what we obsess over on the internet, it's doubtful to me that it could get overplayed. They just need to stress the overall point of this scandal: that the Judicial Branch is being misused by the exec branch for political gain. If Dems make the inquiries and investigations relevant to that main point, it would be hard to paint them as just looking for dirt.

[IWantAChange]

9. The 'break' gives legislators opportunity to call for Gonzo's head in front of the home crowd

@ this point I would think many Repukes are terrified of '08 and are in desperate need of appearing on the side of defending the Constitution and NOT a Chimp rubber stamper.

[drm604]

10. I have NO faith in Specter on this.

He has a bad habit of saying one thing and then doing another.

[texpatriot2004]

11. Gonzo must go! He clearly broke the law and should go to

prison.

[NV Whino]

12. Do I remembr correctly

that DiFi voted to confirm Gonzales?

[Eugene]

15. Republicans urge Bush to avoid fight with Congress

Source: Reuters

Republicans urge Bush to avoid fight with Congress
Sun Mar 25, 2007 1:37PM EDT

By Donna Smith

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Key Senate Republicans on Sunday
urged President George W. Bush to compromise with Congress
over White House aides' testimony as support for U.S. Attorney
General Alberto Gonzales eroded further.

Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, the top Republican on the
Senate Judiciary Committee, said Gonzales would have to step
down if he did not tell the truth when he told Congress that
he was not involved in discussions about a group of fired U.S.
prosecutors at the center of the Washington controversy.

-snip-

Sen. Chuck Hagel, a Nebraska Republican and possible
presidential candidate, told ABC's "This Week" that Gonzales
lost credibility and Bush should "fix the problem" and avoid
a court fight with Congress.

-snip-

Specter also suggested Bush compromise over the issue of Karl
Rove, Bush's chief political strategist, and other aides providing
testimony to Congress.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN2332411420070325