Griper Blade: Bush Administration Doesn't Have a Political Strategy, Either

I know it's pretty damned obvious at this point, but the Bush administration seems intent on putting their needs above the needs of the nation. No real groundbreaking, earth shattering revelation there. As the attorney purge scandal spirals out of control, the administration seems intent on digging in and riding it out. But this isn't going to blow over.

Let me give you an idea of just how screwed Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is. Sen. Tom Coburn told Gonzales, "I believe that you ought to suffer the consequences that these [federal prosecutors] have suffered. The best way to put this behind us is your resignation."

Now, Tom Coburn is about as conservative as you can possibly get. In fact, he's completely insane -- in the way that right wing lunatics want people to be insane. He supports a death penalty for abortion providers, is a former physician who once sterilized a woman without her consent, and believes that gays represent a bigger threat to the United States than al Qaeda. In other words, as far as those few religious right crazies who still support Bush are concerned, Coburn is a perfect senator.

Coburn's a canary in a coalmine here. Gonzales's performance before the Senate committee was surprisingly weak -- the AG may know law, but he'd make a lousy trial lawyer. His excuses were incredible -- he said, "I can't recall," over seventy times, at one point denying he remembered a meeting clearly marked on his calendar. He also claimed he couldn't remember a meeting where the president passed on complaints about three of the attorneys. He didn't deny the meeting -- he said he 'understands' he attended -- he just can't remember it. Why this is supposed to give him some sort of pass on it is a mystery to me. There are plenty of drunk drivers who wake up in jail and can't remember how they got there...

[Permalink]