Beyond Death

Alberto Gonzales in a place beyond political death. By any reasonable poltical calculation, he should have resigned in complete disgrace weeks, if not months ago.

And yet here he is, being put the wringer of still yet another Congressional hearing. Dahlia Lithwick shows the scene. My favorite bit:

Robert Wexler, D-Fla., finally loses his temper and starts hollering: "You did not select Iglesias for the list." (No). "Did Sampson select him?" (No). "Did Comey?" (No.) "Did McNulty?" (No.) Did the president? (No.) "Did the vice president? (No)." Then Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., follows up with one of the best queries of the day: "If you don't know who put Iglesias on the list, how do you know the president or the vice president didn't?"

Long silence. Pause. "They wouldn't do that," hems Gonzales. "The White House has said publicly that it was not involved in adding or deleting people from the list."

Oh please. Eight US attorneys just were fired spontaneously and no one actually made the decision to fire them. A list just appeared? This has got to be the weakest cover story in the history of weak cover stories. A four year old, caught stealing cookies, would have the sense to blame his younger sister. Alberto Gonzales doesn't even have the sense to make up a fall-guy. Hell, just make up a name. "I beleive thatRolo Tomasi fired all those attorneys, Congressman." Make up something, just don't sit there. Gonzales doesn't even have enough respect for Congress to lie to them properly.