Gonzales Hearing in a Nutshell (Wonkette sums it up for us cuberats!)

[NYCGirl]

Asshole General Takes the Stand

This hearing is fucking ridiculous. We said it before: Alberto Gonzales is, somehow, against all odds, the single smuggest asshole in this administration. Despite also being dumber, probably, than everyone but Paul Wolfowitz.

John Cornyn (who, despite being smug and dumb, is not even close to the same level as Gonzo) just asked him some mildly critical softball. Here is our paraphrase of Alberto Gonzales’ answer:

“What would I have done differently? I woulda fired more federal prosecutors, see? No, wait, I woulda had Kyle Sampson fire more of ‘em! And even quicker! No, wait, I woulda had Kyle Sampson savagely beat them in addition to firing them! And, uh… then we’d kidnap their wives!” Then John segued gracefully into some insane Human Events Online border patrol conspiracy shit.

The only person who’s really been nice to poor Gonzales is Jeff Sessions, and even he suggested that Al’s dug himself into a huge fucking hole.

http://wonkette.com/politics/alberto-gonzales/asshole-general-takes-the-stand-253660.php

[goclark]

1. Hatch was doing his best to help him recover IMO

[Saturday]

5. Absolutely,

Hatch was being his usual Republican self.

[librechik]

2. sorry, I don't recall

[habitual]

3. MSNBC summed it up nicely in a graphic that they have up -- A BAD START

[Kolesar]

4. Gonzo fingers Senator Pete V. Domenici

from the NYTimes article linked from Wonkette: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/19/washington/19cnd-gonz.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1177002483-9WnS7FjnAj/54XR47KgGnQ">NYTIMES

But Mr. Leahy pressed Mr. Gonzales on conversations he had with Karl Rove, President Bush’s chief political adviser, about removing David C. Iglesias, the United States attorney in New Mexico. “So, when was David Iglesias added to the list of U.S. attorneys to be replaced?” Mr. Leahy asked.

When Mr. Gonzales said he did not remember, although he thought Mr. Iglesias was slated for removal between Oct. 17 and Dec. 15, Mr. Leahy responded: “He was added either before or after the elections, but you don’t know when. Is that what you’re saying?”

Mr. Gonzales insisted that he did not recall the timing. So Mr. Leahy asked why Mr. Iglesias was let go, since Mr. Gonzales himself had earlier expressed confidence in him: “When and why did he lose your confidence?”

Mr. Gonzales said in reply that Senator Pete V. Domenici, Republican of New Mexico, had expressed concerns about Mr. Iglesias. “He called me and said something to the effect that Mr. Iglesias was in over his head,” Mr. Gonzales said, adding that the senator was concerned that Mr. Iglesias was not focusing enough on “public corruption cases.”

The circumstances surrounding Mr. Iglesias’s firing have aroused particular interest, since Mr. Domenici is known to have queried Mr. Iglesias about the prosecutor’s refusal to pursue a possible voter-fraud case.

Another dismissal in the spotlight is that of Carol Lam, who was the United States attorney in San Diego and who successfully prosecuted former Representative Randy Cunningham, a Republican, on corruption charges. Still another high-profile dismissal was that of H. E. Cummins 3rd in Arkansas, removed to make way for J. Timothy Griffin, a protégé of Mr. Rove.