Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' resignation was long overdue. He was, perhaps, the last person along the Beltway to recognize what an impediment he had become to the Bush administration and the work of the Justice Department. Over lunch at President Bush's Crawford, Texas, ranch on Sunday, Bush accepted Gonzales' resignation.
In announcing Gonzales' departure, Bush said Monday that "Al Gonzales is a man of integrity, decency and principle ... After months of unfair treatment that has created a harmful distraction at the Justice Department, Judge Gonzales decided to resign his position and I accept his decision. It's sad that ... his good name was dragged through the mud for political reasons."
Words are one thing and action another. Bush, after all, didn't summon Gonzales to the ranch for a pep talk. Even Gonzales' staunchest defenders have acknowledged that he has become an anemic attorney general after a string of legal missteps including the firing of federal prosecutors, the wiretapping of suspected terrorists and using a political litmus test in the hiring of career Justice Department employees.
As White House counsel, Gonzales waited 12 hours to tell anyone, aside from chief of staff Andy Card, that the Justice Department had opened an investigation to determine who had revealed a CIA agent's identity. Critics have charged the gap could have enabled aides to cover their tracks.
Even more bizarre was Gonzales' controversial visit to then-Attorney General John Ashcroft's hospital bedside in 2004, purportedly to pressure him to endorse Bush's secret surveillance program. Fortunately, his efforts were thwarted by Ashcroft's deputy and the FBI director.
While some may dismiss the cloud over Gonzales' tenure as attorney general as political theater, the fact remains that Gonzales sacrificed the careers of subordinates during the investigation into his office. Utahn D. Kyle Sampson, Gonzales' former chief of staff, was forced to resign so Gonzales could avoid taking responsibility. Sampson was among a number of key Justice attorneys who were effectively forced out.
Despite frequent criticism and attempts by Democratic congressional leaders to push for a no-confidence vote against Gonzales, Bush remained intensely loyal to his longtime adviser and associate. In recent weeks, surely, Bush has had to concede that his attorney general was not ready for prime-time politics.
The best example of that was the firing of federal prosecutors. The president was well within his rights to ask for their resignations. But Gonzales' handling of the firings was construed as political. So are lingering allegations that he pursued vote fraud cases selectively, presumably to alter the outcomes to benefit Republicans. This from the nation's top prosecutor?
The American people deserve better. It defies understanding why Gonzales didn't resign sooner. Bush should make the most of this opportunity to appoint an attorney general who can restore confidence in the position and enhance his relationship with Congress and the American people.