Breaking: Alberto Gonzales Has Resigned as Attorney General!
In addition to a story on the Nixon Peabody song controversy -- which we'll do a full post on later, so save your comments until then -- the New York Times has this big scoop:
Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, whose tenure has been marred by controversy and accusations of perjury before Congress, has resigned. A senior administration official said he would announce the decision later this morning in Washington.Mr. Gonzales, who had rebuffed calls for his resignation, submitted his to President Bush by telephone on Friday, the official said. His decision was not immediately announced, the official added, until after the president invited him and his wife to lunch at his ranch near here.
Any thoughts on a successor?
Update: We liveblogged the (extremely short) press conference by Alberto Gonzales announcing his resignation. See here.
Gonzales Resigns as Attorney General [New York Times]
Comments
About freaking time.
Posted by: Anonymous | August 27, 2007 08:24 AM
Nice!
Posted by: Happy Monday | August 27, 2007 08:28 AM
Yay, I guess. What does this change?
Posted by: Anonymous | August 27, 2007 08:32 AM
Check this non-sense:
The official who disclosed the resignation today said that the decision was Mr. Gonzales’s and that the president accepted it grudgingly. At the same time, the official acknowledged that the turmoil over Mr. Gonzales had made his continuing as attorney general difficult.
"The unfair treatment that he’s been on the receiving end of has been a distraction for the department," the official said.
Ha! The guy was a mealy mouthed little toad. Good riddance.
There's only one guy Bush can call on to set things right:
US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Patty Fitz!
Haha, I know, never in a million years. Fitzy's got a terrible case of integrity which disqualifies him from being Bush's AG.
Whoever takes the role for the remainder of the term is gonna be hating it. Good luck finding a sucker.
Posted by: Anon | August 27, 2007 08:41 AM
L2L for AG!
Posted by: Anonymous | August 27, 2007 08:43 AM
Does FAGAG have a moustache in that photo? Hilarious.
Posted by: Anonymous | August 27, 2007 08:46 AM
it's gonna be chertoff.
Posted by: Anonymous | August 27, 2007 08:48 AM
Look out for CT Attorney General Kevin J. O'Connor.
It's been coming for months.
Posted by: anon | August 27, 2007 08:54 AM
Does this mean we can't talk about the Nixon Peabody-its-NOT-our-theme-song rock of ages?
Don't let the long overdue departure of FAGAG make anyone forget:
Everyone's a winner at Nixon Peabody! Whoooo!! Yeah yeah yeah....
Posted by: Anon | August 27, 2007 08:58 AM
He's actually the CT US Attorney. And CNN is saying Mike Chertoff. Good move, Bush. I'm sure you'd love to have the Judiciary panel grill him over how he fucked up the Katrina response.
Posted by: Anonymous | August 27, 2007 08:58 AM
What was wrong with the Katrina response besides people ignoring warnings to evacuate a disaster area?
Posted by: Anonymous | August 27, 2007 09:01 AM
Supposedly it's Chertoff.
Posted by: Anonymous | August 27, 2007 09:07 AM
Karl Rove's free . . .
Posted by: Anonymous | August 27, 2007 09:08 AM
Announced on the same day that the Michael Vick plea deal/court appearance will dominate the day's news...brilliant!
Posted by: Anonymous | August 27, 2007 09:10 AM
Ahhh, 9:01, you agitator you!
I suppose nothing is wrong, if you think it's ok for the president to be accepting guitars from country stars when a category 5 hurricane is about to hit a city surrounded by fragile levess...what FEMA predicted as a the second worst natural disaster the US could face (a major seismic event in the LA basin being the first)
...ahhh, but then again 9:01, like Bush, you probably don't realize or care that when a Cat 5 hits land in a populated area, lots of people are gonna die. See Andrew v. Homestead. Oh wait! I get it now! Homestead was mostly white.
Anyway, back to FAGAG's replacement. Chertoff would be entirely appropriate given the track record.
Posted by: Anon | August 27, 2007 09:12 AM
We will miss you, torture boy!
Posted by: Anonymous | August 27, 2007 09:15 AM
I heard Satan was available.
Posted by: Bush = Evil | August 27, 2007 09:20 AM
Shanetta Cutlar to AG!
Posted by: Anonymous | August 27, 2007 09:21 AM
Larry Thompson
Posted by: Anonymous | August 27, 2007 09:26 AM
I'm guessing chertoff or clement.
Posted by: Anonymous | August 27, 2007 09:30 AM
Should have gone with Michael Corleone the whole time.....
Now who's going to take Fredo out on the boat?
Posted by: Anonymous | August 27, 2007 09:31 AM
ChurchHatesTucker for AG
Posted by: Aannoonn | August 27, 2007 09:36 AM
Bush will probably pick Harriet Meiers.
Posted by: Anonymous | August 27, 2007 09:37 AM
Thanks for the correction re: Kevin O'Connor. In my haste to see him appointed, I referred prospectively.
Of course O'Connor is the USAO for CT. Nonetheless, we will see him either get the nod for AG or maybe he will be picked for DAG.
How he will respond to those nominations remains to be seen, but he's the best choice.
Posted by: Anonymous | August 27, 2007 09:38 AM
FAGAG is probably going to slink back to Vinson & Elkins, where he will authorize waterboarding for associates who don't hit 2200.
Posted by: Anonymous | August 27, 2007 09:42 AM
If FAGAG goes to NP, does that mean everyone at NP is still a winner? Can they carve out exceptions?
Posted by: anon | August 27, 2007 09:57 AM
Elizabeth Halverson for AG.
Posted by: Anon | August 27, 2007 10:07 AM
8:54/9:38, you need another cup of coffee.
DAG slot isn't really open, as another USA already filled it. http://www.usdoj.gov/dag/dag-bio.html
Given that he resigned his USA position to take the job just a few months ago, I wouldn't expect him to give it up any time soon.
Posted by: Anonymous | August 27, 2007 10:27 AM
I approve of this resignation.
Posted by: Loyola 2L | August 27, 2007 10:34 AM
What's Monica Goodling doing these days?
Posted by: Anonymous | August 27, 2007 10:36 AM
Good f-in riddance.
Posted by: Anonymous | August 27, 2007 10:42 AM
"Cat 5 hits land"
No Cat 5 hit land. At least get your facts right.
Posted by: Anonymous | August 27, 2007 10:46 AM
AG to 35k!
Posted by: so so | August 27, 2007 11:39 AM
10:46, See the national weather service, national hurricane center, "Andrew upgraded to Cat 5"...and shut the fuck up.
Katrina weakened, for all the good it did, to cat 4 before it hit. still killed a lot of folks. so don't parse when it's a distinction without a difference. now go douche and sin no more.
Posted by: Anon | August 27, 2007 08:42 PM