More of the same - more nothing

Senate Democrats today are holding hearings. Surprise anyone? Are they going to be dealing with American poverty, AIDS in Africa, immigration, job creation, education, balancing the budget, closing the gap between taxes owed and taxes paid, third-world infrastructure development, or trying to deal with the problems in either health care or social security? Of course not. No, instead they're going to spend their time questioning the Attorney General about alleged "improper" firings. Why bother dealing with a real issue when you can hammer an Administration official over something that maybe, might have been "improper." Not illegal, mind you, but rather just "improper."

Gonzales Faces More Senate Questioning
ABC News

The return of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to the Senate Judiciary Committee is in some ways the story of Democratic failure to drum up enough pressure to force President Bush's hand.

Not so long ago, Republicans as well as Democrats thought they'd seen Gonzales sit before them for the last time as attorney general. There was no way Gonzales could survive the controversy over the prosecutor firings, nor the exposure of other missteps, they said. Certainly he could not resist the widespread calls for his resignation one, from a Republican to his face as the proceedings were broadcast live.

They were wrong. Gonzales was called to testify again Tuesday. A Senate vote of no confidence in Gonzales has failed, and Bush has noted that the U.S. attorneys probe did not uncover any clear wrongdoing. And, armed with the president's support, Gonzales has made clear that he does not intend to leave office before Bush does.

Democrats say the wrongdoing is Gonzales' broader failure of leadership that extends to the FBI's abuse of so-called National Security letters and a withered tradition of independence from the political interests of the White House.

"This attorney general has a severe credibility problem," Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said in remarks prepared for Tuesday's hearing. "It is time for the attorney general to fully answer these questions and to acknowledge and begin taking responsibility for the acute crisis of leadership that has gripped the department under his watch."

Gonzales' statement to the committee was full of regret for his agency's troubles and included a commitment to repair the damage. He made no reference to the fired U.S. attorneys. Only briefly, Gonzales mentioned the controversy that has sunk morale at the Justice Department and has called the fairness of its attorneys into question.

"I will not tolerate any improper politicization of this department," Gonzales said in remarks prepared for his Senate testimony. "I will continue to make efforts to ensure that my staff and others within the department have the appropriate experience and judgment so that previous mistakes will not be repeated.