The rush to predict his imminent sackage overlooks not just Bush’s monumental reluctance to let it seem that he is being “forced” to do anything (I bet he was a bitch of a 2 year old…on second thought I retract the use of past tense.) There is also the matter that DoJ is one of the prime legs of the stool of power that most if not all of BushCo’s malfeasance sits on.

The AG is the bulwark of legitimizing everything from signing statements to Unitary Executive to authorization of torture to abolition of habeae corpus to …well hell, damn near everything. Whoever is in that slot has to be utterly, totally in the tank, a True Believer in the Bush As All Powerful theory. He’s the adamantium shield (RIP Captain America) giving cover of legitimacy while the dismantling of the rule of law goes on behind it.

Or as US News & World Report’s political blog put it:

But if he decides to let him go, then who can fill Gonzales’s place? For one thing, who would want the job? And who could Bush find that could get Senate confirmation, since Democrats now run the show? It would have to be a seasoned insider, a consummate veteran or an elder statesman who has bipartisan respect and acceptance and a squeaky-clean record.

“The trouble,” says one former official, “is that no one comes to mind.”

Heh. Hee hee hee. Ho ho ho ho ….BwAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHahaha…excuse me, I nearly gave myself hiccups there, seeing a line like that in a Major News Publication, not some product of dirty fucking hippie lefties. That sezzit all, dunnit? Who the hell can they get who is both crooked enough to defend the Bush Totalitarianism and able to get past a Democratic-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee?? Somehow I don’t think Ted Olsen quite fits the bill. We’ll know how desperate they really are when JoeLie Berman starts claiming they offered it to him. :)

Hee hee…oops, almost set myself off again. dammit, I must stop this. I go to fetch strong drink and a kerchief to daub my eyes.

:)

…for hanging on past even usefulness as a pawn to deflect direct criticism of the maladministration. His replacement should be a pretty good example of what can be expected. There are always shills who will take a fall now for rewards later.

Ruth

“temporary” appointment via executive order. then drag heels for the next two years, “looking” for a permanent appointment who will go before the senate.

but i agree with xan: it’s a big question whether the 2 year old in chief will even fire his good buddy abu G. i just spent a long weekend with a toddler, and i agree that convincing them to eat their veggies and put poopy in the potty is hard, hard work.

nitpicker

Republican officials operating at the behest of the White House have begun seeking a possible successor to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, whose support among GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill has collapsed, according to party sources familiar with the discussions.

[snip]

“We have a crisis where there doesn’t need to be one, and now Democrats have an issue where they can open up the subpoena floodgates,” said an exasperated Republican aide. “Once these investigations start, there always ends up being a lot of messy collateral damage.” (Emphasis Nitpicker’s)

In other words, let’s throw this sumbitch overboard before the Democrats find some more dirt on our congresscritters. Good to know there’s more to be found.

as xan notes, this is the pillar of the criminal administration. tear this down, and soooooooooooo much more will come crashing.

also: no hearings today.