Daily Kos tells us that Gonzales is in so deep, even "Faux" News Network won't defend him any more. This morning Newt Gingrich refused to defend him against charges of lying to Congress, saying, "It's very damaging. We badly need an attorney general who is above any question. Both the president and country are better served if the attorney general is a figure of competence. Sadly, the current attorney general is not seen as any of those things. I think it's a liability for the president. More importantly, it's a liability for the United States of America."
(True, but notice the spin: He not "competent". No mention of Gonzales deliberately perjuring himself. "Incompetence" has become the GOP buzz word. Sounds better than "law breaker" and "liar".)
Later on the show host Chris Wallace revealed that no conservative would willingly defend Gonzales on Fox: "By the way, we invited White House officials and Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee to defend Attorney General Gonzales. We had no takers."
And here's an example of why no one but Bush will defend him. From Gonzales' testimony last week before the Senate Judiciary Committee:
SCHUMER: I'll let you speak in a minute, but this is serious, because you're getting right close to the edge right here. You just said there was just one program -- just one. So the letter, which was, sort of, intended to deceive, but doesn't directly do so, because there are other intelligence activities, gets you off the hook, but you just put yourself right back on here.
GONZALES: I clarified my statement two days later with the reporter.
SCHUMER: What did you say to the reporter?
GONZALES: I did not speak directly to the reporter.
SCHUMER: Oh, wait a second -- you did not.
(LAUGHTER)
OK. What did your spokesperson say to the reporter?
GONZALES: I don't know. But I told the spokesperson to go back and clarify my statement...
SCHUMER: Well, wait a minute, sir. Sir, with all due respect -- and if I could have some order here, Mr. Chairman -- in all due respect, you're just saying, "Well, it was clarified with the reporter," and you don't even know what he said. You don't even know what the clarification is. Sir, how can you say that you should stay on as attorney general when we go through exercise like this, where you're bobbing and weaving and ducking to avoid admitting that you deceived the committee? And now you don't even know. I'll give you another chance: You're hanging your hat on the fact that you clarified the statement two days later. You're now telling us that is was a spokesperson who did it. What did that spokesperson say? Tell me now, how do you clarify this?
GONZALES: I don't know, but I'll find out and get back to you.
AI
