Breaking-- AP: Senate OKs Limits on Gonzales' Authority

[npincus]

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8O00U400&show_article=1

"Thursday" (first line) must be a typo-- it should be "Tuesday".


WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate voted overwhelmingly Thursday to end the Bush administration's ability to unilaterally fill U.S. attorney vacancies as a backlash to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' firing of eight federal prosecutors.

Amid calls from lawmakers in both parties to resign, Gonzales got a morale boost with an early-morning call from President Bush, their first conversation since a week ago, when the president said he was unhappy with how the Justice Department handled the firings.

With a 94-2 vote, the Senate passed a bill that canceled a Justice Department-authored provision in the Patriot Act that had allowed the attorney general to appoint U.S. attorneys without Senate confirmation. Democrats say the Bush administration abused that authority when it fired the eight prosecutors and proposed replacing some with White House loyalists.

"If you politicize the prosecutors, you politicize everybody in the whole chain of law enforcement," said Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.

[grasswire]

1. I wonder who the 8 holdouts were.

I look forward to seeing that list.

[wakeme2008]

4. Only 2 that voted against it...

other non-votes like our Sen. Johnson (hospital)

[wakeme2008]

2. Let's see the Monkey veto this

:bounce: :bounce:

[wryter2000]

7. That'd be pretty funny

He's in a bit of a bind, isn't he?

[npincus]

9. maybe they'll send it up in a coloring book

that'll distract him.

[loudsue]

3. Got a link? n/t

:kick:

[npincus]

5. oops, sorry

I added it above. Where did I leave my brain?

[EST]

10. Watching victory after victory for truth, justice and freedom is

apt to leave one's brain frazzled and unconscious of details.
I commend the senate, but am still disappointed at the lack of an investigation of by whose hand this unnoticed clause was slipped into the act and why it is that the attempt by the republickers to achieve a fascist dictatorship is not noticed.

[wryter2000]

6. 94-2?

The repugs voted for this? :wow:

[notadmblnd]

8. sure they voted for it.

they dont want the next elected democratic president having this power.

[wryter2000]

11. That's what a normal person does

They usually don't show that much foresight. Remember how they raged against the Special Prosecutor law under Raygun/Bush? Seems they had no idea it could be used against a Democrat until they used it against a Democrat.

[Mass]

12. Hagel : NO. This should tell us all we need to know about Hagel.

He was one of the two GOPers to vote NO, with Kit Bond.

McCain, courageous as always, was not there (neither was Biden).

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00081

[renate]

13. maybe he won't be running for President after all

:shrug:

Being one of two senators who voted No, when this scandal is still at the pre-boiling stage, wouldn't seem to be a very good career move if he wanted the nomination.