Alberto Kicking To Cease Being National Pastime

There is more "bowing to the inevitable" from a Bush administration lightning rod.  Embattled Attorney General Resigns

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.

Mr. Bush has not yet chosen a replacement but will not leave the position open long, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the resignation had not yet been made public.

There had been rumors swirling earlier in the summer that Gonzales would take his leave while Congress was on vacation.  For once, the rumors got something right.  The second part of the rumor, that Bush would seize the chance to make a recess appointment for the new AG seems less likely.  It would be picking a fight for no good reason. 

Here is how Ed Morrissey sees it:

QandO points to an interview with Chuck Schumer saying that he would prefer to conduct the confirmation hearings in the spirit of looking forward and not backward by dredging up the controversies of the Gonzales period. McQ doesn't buy it, but I think the Democrats will be as happy to get past Gonzales as the White House. If the administration picks someone from the outside, they may get a fairly easy ride in the Senate, just as they did with Robert Gates.

A few others have mentioned a recess appointment, but that would prove so divisive that even Republicans in the Senate would object. If the administration wants to minimize confirmation conflict, they should not nominate someone who would need a second confirmation to replace in his current position.

I, for one, am hoping that the Bush administration takes the path of least resistance on this one.  At this point all any new AG could be is a caretaker for his successor.  Peter Lattman over at WSJ floats the name of deputy AG Craig Morford, a career prosecutor who would raise no alarms among Democrats.  The President should just bite the bullet and get to the post-Gonzo era as quickly as possible.

Other Links to this Post

1. Liberty Pundit — Monday, 27 August , 2007 @ 9:07 am

2. Public Secrets: from the files of the Irishspy — Monday, 27 August , 2007 @ 11:19 am