Gonzales' 'actionable' mendacity
Subscription-only Roll Call reports that there may be consequences for Alberto Gonzales' dishonesty.
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales may have put himself in legal jeopardy with his testimony Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senators of both parties warned, as Members cast doubt on the truthfulness of his answers and suggested he may have improperly released classified information in his own defense.
Judiciary ranking member Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) told Gonzales at one point, “I do not find your testimony credible.”
He suggested the committee would “review your testimony to see whether your credibility has been breached to the point of being actionable,” an apparent threat to consider charges against the attorney general for lying to Congress. (emphasis added)
Impeach him, charge him with perjury, hold him in contempt ... just do something to give us a real Attorney General.
For God's sake, will they actually DO something besides whine?!?!
Even though he was given many of the questions before testifying this time, he still couldn’t get it right. A lying incompetent whose main job was doing the dirty deeds of this administration and whose main job now is running interference for any future investigations of the Chimp.
Please be smart enough to NOT allow a recess appointment of AG by W upon AGAG resigning. Dear Jesus, we went from second rate (Ashcroft) to even worse (Gonzo); who could be continue this trend (Miers!!!?) Also, prevent any other third rate appointments (read: Bolton to UN) as well.
Oh jesus, MikeSZ. You have placed an idea in my head I hadn't even thought of. That scares me and sadly is probable.
No matter what happens to gonzo, bush will pardon him and he'll just go away. I just realized this morning that if any of this should go all the way to the supreme court, we know how the vote will be. When you can't trust justice, you are pretty much up shit creek.
But if we had a real AG we'd have to get a real President.........
We'll never get a "real" AG under Bush. Never get anything else real from this administration, except a real deterioration of our democracy and our infrastructure.
If it were up to Sen. Rubber-Stamp alone, nothing would be done.
Let's hope the Democrats grow a backbone...
Give him "the Gonzales justice".
Just waterboard him to get the truth.
....and ALL the A.G.'s horses, and ALL the A.G.'s men, could not
put the D.O.J. image back together again.
Send his ass to Gitmo.
Republican ruled Government...
"Government is bad, it doesn't work" "Watch, we'll show you it doesn't work"
There is a difference when the GOP puts yes men, apologists, unqualified puppets into important positions...to make government operations look bad, disorganized, whatever they're 'trying to prove'
Then there is government where a party tries to do the rights things with qualified people and sometimes it fails, many times it doesn't. This is the anti-GOP government.
I don't know about you...but I'll take the latter one over the former...
Dems, please grow a backbone an return some integrity back to our lost Country. Impeach the criminal NOW!
pissed off patricia @ 4:
Let the Supremes decide. Sure they'll probably get behind Bush on this, but you never know. More important is keeping the story -- is the Attorney General a corrupt liar? -- in the news. The case is far too complicated for most people to grasp, but they do understand that where there's smoke, there's fire. Regardless of the outcome, this looks bad for Bush and, by extension, his party of enablers. One more nail in this administration's coffin. It's all good.
Give him a break. It's not like he knew he was lying. He had just finished a meeting with KKKarl and Darth Cheney. His sense of right and wrong were understandably impaired. Besides, the dem's don't have a set of balls between the 49 of them. Maybe they can cross the isle and ask to borrow a cup of balls from their mafia neighbors.
Oh, I forgot,
IMPEACH! IMPEACH! IMPEACH the fuckers NOW!
Or.....just do something of consequence......anything.
I am a little fuzzy on how this would work. If congress were to charge the A.G. with contempt or perjury wouldn't it fall on the D.O.J. to prosecute? Setting aside the almost guaranteed Bush commutation/pardon, would/how would the D.O.J handle this? Congressional appointment of a special prosecutor?
'Gonzalesing' is a new verb for the times meaning to lie with contempt.
More boooooolshit! Empty threats and whining rhetoric is the reason the dems get no respect whatsoever and why the Whore House laughs it ass off! If they wanted to hang Gonzo by now they would have-----its that simple. Screw them all!!!!
SpankyTheMonkey @ 19:
PRECISELY. let's see action.
Alberto Gonzales has sold out his duty to his country for a piece of the Bushco pie. His actions are illegal and he should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
If JUST ONCE, the Democratic Congress could work together to put these traitors' feet to the fire- And we could get one of these bastards convicted and thrown in jail for what they deserve (A LONG, LONG time) then Bushco would fold. As long as Cheney can prevent his storm trooper cronies from being held accountable, this bullshit will be continue and EVEN GET WORSE.
The whole lot of them are traitors. It's not the left that desire to forcibly overthrow the government- We just want to take the govt back from the bastards who have already forcibly overthrown it. These traitors WILL be forever remembered in infamy. But first, we have save our nation from their predations.
Alberto "everybody is lying but me" and memory impaired Gonzales gave the committee all they need to impeach. If they don't do it now, they are unmanly weaklings and should be made to run around the Senate wearing bow ties.
He's been up there three times.
Will there be a fourth, fifth, or sixth time?
It's put up or shut up time.
Do something now or stop this charade, Congress.
Did you hear him trying to explain how he and his goons tried their best to arm-twist the semi-conscious Ashcroft as he lay in a hospital bed? He sounded like Tony Soprano, “What?! What’s wrong wit da way we handled dat?”
Does he have kids? What he did with Ashcroft in that hospital room would be like asking his birthing wife - in the middle of a contraction – to co-sign some loan papers for the addition they put on their house. What a lying idiot.
Our nightmare:
Gonzales gets prosecuted.
We send up whoops of joy and relief.
Bush nominates another slimebag from his endless supply.
The senate approves.
We're as dead as ever.
This is a good place for the repubs who want to break away from bush to actually do it. Some of them feel afraid to break with him on the war, so this is a much safer place to hit back. Specter already did. I know, I know, Specter always threatens but seldom if ever actually does it. He's gone a bit farther on this than on things in the past.
Why doesn't the committee ask Ms Ashcroft to testify to what happened that night? As I understand it, she was there.
It's always "May have" or "Might have" or "Could have". Dammit, the Dems need to quit dancing around like some cowardly bullfighter circling a moribund bull; the b*****d lied. Nail him, fer Chrissake!
Am I the only one who is tempted to feel sorry for Gonzales when he's getting ripped to shreads when lying to Congress? If so what snaps you out of it? With me, I just remind myself how smug he was when testifying about the warrantless wire tapping program.
"To the extent that Congress wants to suggest legislation, the president is willing to listen to your ideas". We need a real AG not the president's b!tch.
Wake up America alberto allegence is not to the united states it,s mexico that is why he dont give a dam at about america, look at immigration and drugs comeing in he is the person in charge. he and bush are destroying America and are armeys.
pissed off patricia @ 4:
Yup. The only way they could have had the balls to make all those appointments of partisan Republican US Attorneys was to have already appointed partisan Supreme Court Justices. I won't even go into how many so-called Democrats occupy seats in the House and Senate who were financed by and are controlled by the Republicans. All three branches of government are in their grasp.
The fix is in, and I doubt if there is anything short of a second American Revolution that will correct it.
Just now getting it, geniuses!? Absolutely jack-shit is going to happen to Gonzo the Clown! Why are we even debating this point?
When cabinet members are picked, I often think to myself who gives a damn. These political hacks do nothing but sit at the head of some bureaucracy, hold press conferences, glad hand big donors and keep congress happy - who cares. Alberto Gonzales is living proof that installing one moron can bring an entire department to its knees. In relatively short order Mr. Gonzales has destroyed (like dresden destroyed) this once proud institution.
I will pay much closer attention to cabinet choices from know on.
It is time to impeach Mr. Gonzales.
Who would have thought that the Country would miss that right wing nut job John Ashcroft so much?
Impeach? AIN'T NEVER gonna happen with Democowards.
Chuck @ 34:
Chuck knows what he's talking about!
“Reinforcing public confidence in the department is also critical, and will be one of my top priorities as attorney general for the remainder of my term,” Gonzales said in the prepared statement.
He's trying to tell us that if he's removed, his replacement will be worse.
ANOTHER GONZO BOMBSHELL: ALBERTO BYPASSED A SICK ASHCROFT FOR JOHN MITCHELL: http://satiricalpolitical.com/?p=942
He's a lying SOB...and the more he's allowed to continue the lower he takes the entire political process. This spinning of every word has got to end for the sake of the country. Get Gonzales out of there. Make your voice heard about this: http://www.youpolls.com/details.asp?pid=227
You can vote on whatever issue matters to you, and if it's not there, you can create one in less than a minutes. Check it out...http://www.youpolls.com
"Actionable?"
What action are they going to take?
Draw another line in the sand and dare him to cross it...again?
BFD!
Unfortunately, when push comes to shove, Specter is a catcher in this administration, not a pitcher. And as catchers go, he hasn't managed to throw anyone out stealing second in a long, long time.
Gonzo is a full blown blackshirt but the media gives him moderate treatment
Gonzo is just a meat puppet.
Steve Benen is right on the mark: "Impeach him, charge him with perjury, hold him in contempt … just do something to give us a real Attorney General."
Our Senators and Representatives are great at expressing outrage and including their comments in the record to be quoted on their websites and in newsletters, but THEY DO NOTHING. Beyond the capacity to write laws, The Constitution gives Congress the power of the purse and the power to impeach. We have a president and his cronies violating the Constitution, politicizing every government function, ignoring Congress, the judiciary and international treaties. Congress must ACT NOW.
JustSickOfIt @ 14:
Satire, sarcasm AND irony. With more than enough truth to keep me livid for a few days.
In the immortal words of Mike Malloy: Have I told you today how much I hate these people?
steve davis @ 40:
arlen sphincter is a plant. as such, he has been, and always will be, ALL TALK!
I'd suggest having Al Neri take Fredo fishing but I'd be accused of hate-mongering or advocating the violent overthrow of our guv'mint or something.
Goodness! Such nasty comments.
YES - Bush will pardon Gonzales - even if he went on a mass killing spree!
Because that's what makes America so great. If Karl Rove raped a woman - he'd be pardoned too! If Rumsfield murdered someone in Iraq - well pardon him too!!! And if Bush's daughters went the same way as Linday Lohan and were drunk. disorderly and sniffing their daddy's cocaine stash - well pardon them too!!!!
Mind you - if any of the above were black and dirt-poor - well throw the book at them and "god willing" STRING THEM UP!!!!!
Yeehah - America is sure the bestest place to be!!!!!!
I really hope that, when Gonzo finally is out of office, some lawyers will seek to have him disbarred rather than allowed to ever practise law in Texas or any other state he chooses to practise law in. Surely you can seek to disbar someone who has brought the legal profession in so much disrepute, right? I sure hope that's right.
myiq2xu @ 46:
Don't let that little hitler Bill'O intimidate you, he is the biggest punk to ever slither across dry land. Did you hear that Bill?
NotLRon @ 48:
You must be living in some sort of Alice in Wonderland! Not only will Bush pardon Gonzales - but he will reward him with a cushy Ambassador job in France or Monaco!!!!
Damned C-SPAN didn't update their website ALL NIGHT LONG !! So there was no way to see when/if the hearing would be replayed. . .
Nothing will come of Gonzo's mendacity. Them Dems. are all talk, Hatch loves anything Republican and Spector always backs down
Check out CSPAN-3 on line and watch the dog and pony show...Conyers, as Chairman
of the House Judiciary Committee in once again acting like a whimp...indicating that
tho Harriett Meirs and J. Bolton have ignored the duly issued subpeonas to testify
before his Committee, he is willing to talk w/WH and others in order to reach a
compromise....BIG disappointment, as usual, with Dems
bettestreep @ 50:
Thanks for pointing out my tenuous grasp on reality. But Bush won't be in office for much longer (barring a coup) and Gonzo will, presumably, pursue a career of some sort after Bush's term is over. That's when I was thinking disbarment is might be a good idea. So, does anyone know if that's a possibility?
holycrap @ 1:
No.
If they did impeach Gonzales or force Harriet to testify, they'd find a yellow brick road all the way to the White House. Then they could impeach the whole cabal and it would be up to Pelosi to pick the new AG.
Sorry it isn't gonna happen, but wish it would.
Enjoy.
Liberal AND Proud @ 8:
Great idea. It could even improve his memoy.
Weaseldog @ 36:
This is Bushspeak for "waaaaah...I won't do it no more...pweeease wet me keep my job...I don't wanna bad wegacy...pwwweeease."
SadbutTrue@31,
"The fix is in, and I doubt if there is anything short of a second American Revolution that will correct it."
Got that right. Our gov't has an untreatable case of syphilis gone into it's final stages of derangement. It's terminal and that's not an exaggeration or egotistical display of vitriol.
Doesn't matter which aspect of functioning we look at. It doesn't function period.
We are being absolutely pushed to reclaim our country as is our right and duty.
Either way, our accustomed way of life and comforts are gone anyway. Time to be real men and women.
Doggiebobo @ 53:
It is not a disappointment if they are doing it intentionally and only putting on a show. The following question begs to be asked what does karl rove have on the members of the committee the only excuse for outrage without action is they are being blackmailed and are doing only what they can get away with without exposing themselves to the same mind blowing corruption.
holycrap @ 1:
Unfortunately, I doubt it. I don't know what it's going to take for the democratic leadership to act in our behalf.
Where's Ralph Byrd when we need him?
http://www.moderntimes.com/palace/b/40_image/tracy.jpg
Ed @ 59:
i meant exposing themselves as complicit in the whole fiasco after all they did not fillibuster bush's supreme court nominees indefinitely. They should have force the corruplicans to do the nuclear option.
Doggiebobo @ 53:
What's the compromise? It sounds like the conversation you had at 19 in the back seat of your car? "Ok, I promise...I'll only put the head in".
Ed @ 59:
Yep. Impeach, convict and imprison. But if anybody thinks that going to lead to a "real" Attorney General, that's wishful thinking. Bush is pathologically spiteful. He'll replace Gonzo with a hot swappable, plug-and-play Gonzo V2.0.
The Senate knew that Gonzoles was perjuring himself during his confirmation testimony yet approved him regardless. You want a "real" AG, the Senate is going to have to do its job.
Liberal AND Proud @ 63:
Who knows what the compromise is? But, based upon his(Conyers) statments, it sounds
like he is willing to "talk" to the witnesses "off the record and w/no transcript" in order
to obtain some information...
Doggiebobo @ 64:
The complicity of the Congress is pure self preservation. They may not know EVERYTHING that this Administration has done to undermine the country to enrich the rich and powerful, but every member of every committee has some knowledge and is directly or indirectly involved.
There is enough SHIT that has gone down over the last 6 years to not only destroy this Presidency, but to destroy the government itself. We have been sold out...SO BIG TIME...that it is RIDICULOUS. And if ALL of it comes out, this country is going to EXPLODE. And the thiefs, charlatans and contemptuous lowlifes in our government know it.
The real problem is you can't unring the bell. The Congress sold out the American people early in this game, and they can't go back. Unfortunately, by selling out they empowered this Administration to such an extent, enabled them to such an extent, and exposed themselves (the Congress) to such criticism and perhaps criminal prosecution...that the neocon nuts now have them by the shorthairs and will not back off.
We are in REAL TROUBLE. We are headed for a constitutional crisis if all this shit really does come out. WHY do you think the media was conscripted? Why do you think that all avenues for investigation by the 4th Estate have been cut off? Because, if the REAL STINK in this is uncovered by some reporter...again...this country will EXPLODE.
More BS occurring in the House Judiciary Committee.."Resolutions, Reports, Amendments,and Procedures" are terms being used in order to delay a vote by the Committee members...and if only represenatives were NOT lawyers and instead laypersons, we the public may better
understand the crapola being expressed by these idiots. Just vote and get on w/it.
The politicization of the Justice Department is beyond contempt. The Justice Department IS the backbone of our entire Constitution. The independence of the Justice Department is key to all 3 branches of our government being accountable to THE PEOPLE.
Without independent justice, there is no accountability. Without accountability to the people, there is no democracy.
There is only tyranny.
‘actionable’ mendacity
yeah, why not drag out twenty or thirty different words and phrases to say...
The Nations Top Cop can't testify to Congress without Lying!
The French sent their entire government to the guillotine for less than has been done by these criminals.
Repig Rep. Sensenbrenner is now proposing that "case" be sent to D.C. District
Court for a civil lawsuit...Just more delaying tactics in order for the Judiciary
Committee to vote on the "contempt" matter.
Should I hold my breath waiting for Fredo to be charged? For Meirs and Bolten to be charged with Inherent Contempt? Sadly I think NOT.
A CIVIL lawsuit?!?!?
Got my passport. On to stage two.
When the "president" declares that he and his staff (current and former) are not subject to answer Congressional subpoenas (sp?) once he declares "executive privilege" and the MSM (basically) ignores this -- we are truly doomed as a nation.
Dr. Acula @ 75:
Doc: You are, once again, absolutely and completely correct. ONLY on CSPAN can
we, who are truly interested, watch/listen to these proceeding...NONE of the MSM
will give this the detailed/comprehensive coverage needed. What is really galling is
the executive privilige claim being made by bush as to a "former" employee.
This is classic second term bulls***.
Democrats ought to initiate Impeachment Proceedings just because .... they can. Afterall, that's exactly what Republicans did, and they didn't need "cause" either. Democrats have a little more to go on than Republicans did.
Not only that, it would take our minds off the War in Iraq.
Rep. Lungren....you are an idiot. Sure an offer has been made to have Miers/Bolton
give "off the record, no transcript" statments, but such are NOT subject to being
sworn in, put under oath, soooooo as usual they would, like ALL others in this
admin., answer with LIES or "I don't remember". YOU Lungren are a fool.
Gort @ 24:
You mean like Gingrich did on his wife's cancer bed?
Repig Rep. Forbes you tooooo are an idiot. Using "fear/terror/scare/threat" tactics
is a typical of you bunch of fools. Stick to the subject(contempt of Meirs/Bolton)
and stop trying to introduce amendments that have NO place in the debate taking
place.
Here's an oversimplistic point, a complaint to the State Bar Association of Texas against AG for providing false testimony to congress. This would presumably violate any number of ethical rules, cannons, etc. Could Bush direct the Bar Association of Texas to not act on the complain, one asks oneself? Nevertheless, this man has no business holding a license to practice law, which may not disqualify him from being Bush's AG, but regardless it would make for an interesting approach to the problem. I mean, can anyone doubt he has perjured himself to the point of qualifying for habitual offender status.
notice how smug these fuckers seem in the face of their dismal approval ratings. they've got something in the works and all the executive orders in place to impose martial law and suspend elections in the event of another "terrorist" attack. congress won't act because it is complicit.
Gort @ 24:
Why not? It'll be like a contractual agreement.
Repig Rep. Lamar Smith from Texas...join the group of fools/idiots on your side of the
aisle. YOU, the Repigs are the ones responsible for not getting to "other more important
legislative issues" because YOU are the ones delaying a vote on the contempt issue.
Another stupid Texas Rep...Gohmert....
The Rude Pundit (rudepundit.blogspot.com) rocks today with rant on Gonzales and Miers.
You are watching the overthrow of the U.S. government live and in color...and not shot is being fired.
jondoe @ 81:
Thanks, jondoe, that touches on what I was asking about - whether it's feasible for some lawyers to have Gonzo disbarred. He deserves it.
right wing hater @ 11:
Grover Norquist - (something like) - "We want to get government down to a size where we can drown it in a bathtub."
NotLRon @ 86:
Hell yeah!
House Judiciary Committee voted 22 to 17 to send "contempt" case to Full House.
Yeah....
pissed off patricia @ 27:
I wonder the same thing. And interview the person who took the call. Sombody answered the damned phone, Ms Ashcroft had already specified no phone calls, but somone (Bush?) got through and demanded that Gonzo and Andy Card get in to see Ashcroft.
Impeach him, charge him with perjury, hold him in contempt … just do something
My guess. They won't do a damn thing except piss and moan a bit. Especially the whiney Arlen Specter. Bushco won't let him do anything. He'll bitch a bit, make a few empty threats, and.....do nothing. We've seen all this before.
Impeach? AIN’T NEVER gonna happen with Democowards.
Chuck knows what he’s talking about!
Yes he does.
Actionable mendacity? Why not call it what it is: lying to congress.
I hope you guys are wrong. Gonzo has perjured himself 6 ways from Sunday since the Democrats took office. Time to impeach and convict!!
" ... to the point of being actionable,”
It was " ... to the point of being actionable,” months, if not years ago.
Get with it and just arrest the guy already.
One thing that seems very clear to me is that we need a constitutional amendment limiting the president's power to pardon. The only clear way to prevent this sort of nonsense in the future is to amend the constitution so that no president can pardon or commute the sentence of anyone in his administration (including himself). The reason these loyal Bushies are so smug is because they know, come the day after election day 2008, they will be pardoned for any and all crimes they've committed on behalf of this corrupt administration.
Alert! To all of the Beat the Dead Horse Brigade: Gonzolez won't resign. There are no proven charges against him! He provides essential cover for President Bush much like Reno did for President Clinton. He is necessary. Please move on to your next lost cause, thank you very much.
Do you think it is possible we might be able to get a real Attorney General instead?
Nah, I thought not.
Thucy @98:
As much as I revile the commutation of Libby's sentence and consider it a gross misuse of the presidential pardon, I disagree with this statement. I think the position of the president does need to have some overarching powers. I wholeheartedly disagree with everything this administration seems to be doing with those powers, and I couldn't disagree more with power-mad myopic zealots like Yoo, Cheney, Addington, and their ilk within the admin about the actual scope of those powers - but I think there are certain things that, by design, should be "out of the loop."
Just because I hate this president, doesn't mean I hate the office. The problem, IMHO, is not in the design of the office, but in the design of the system used to select who is sitting in there. ** How we, as an electorate, could not decide on anyone better than this pack of hyenas is an indictment of us as the polity, not them as the jackals that they have always been.
**What the fuck sense does an electoral college make in this day and age, anyways?
Hang him by his ankles in front of the Supreme Court and let the buzzards dine on his fatty rotten flesh in Mussolini like fashion, or maybe not.
Is this sweet little bitch married?
i thought "truthiness" was the new legal code
Gonzo's mendacity:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWwyjmSbJPs
Dean @ 93:
That does sound like claptrap.
Liberal AND Proud @ 87:
I dunno, if we threw back shots everytime boosh mentioned Al Qaeda in a speech, we'd be drunk in less than 15 minutes.
Even if Gonzales goes, Bush will probably just appoint another AG who is just as subservient and evil.
106 Guy Fawkes
So Guy, after that bomb scare about a month ago, are they canceling Guy Fawkes day this year?
This Just in Hot Off the Wires !!!
Grover Norquist, conservative icon, in freak bathroom accident and dies, ironically, by drowning in his own bathtub.
Tom Delay claims that this is a left wing murder conspiracy and the Clintons are behind it all.
Fade @ 21:
The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
-Thomas Jefferson.
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