Why do you suppose Gonzales is holding onto the AG job so fiercely?

[CatWoman]

I've wondered about this many times.

Any ideas?

[Rex]

1. He knows where Cheney buried the bodies?

And so would someone else who came into the job after Gonzo gets the boot? They're scared and paranoid, like always?

[yy4me]

2. If he resigns, does he lose some kind of government legal

protection?

[bigtree]

3. because he's been told to

that's his thing . . . doing what Bush tells him to

[H2O Man]

12. I agree.

At this point in time, although what he is facing is creating a certain level of trouble for the Office of the President, Gonzales is serving as a lightening rod. The president's primary concern right now is to have attention distracted from both Rove and his Iraq policy. The goal is to try to use pressure and promises behind the scenes to keep funding for his insane surge, and to keep Rove from being forced to testify under oath. This administration is hoping to make it to the finish line, and to be in a position to allow a republican ticket to get within striking distance for the '08 election.

[fwiff]

39. Yup, lightning rod. But he's also the one who would appoint

Special Prosecutors for all the malfeasance that's getting investigated now.

If I recall correctly, the only reason we got an investigation with Fitzgerald, is that James Comey, the deputy AG (sp?) appointed him (they were colleagues) after Ashcroft recused himself.

Gonzo will NEVER appoint any special prosecutors who will actually investigate.
If he resigned and was replaced with someone who isn't "in" the Bush cabal, they couldn't guarantee that the replacement might find some shred of ethical decency and be politically pressured to appoint a Special Prosecutor.

The only recourse we have is congressional investigations, and we all know how slow that is.

[Rock_Garden]

18. That's exactly what I think, too.

In a way, it's a time waster, running out the clock with all sorts of distractions, hoping Congress doesn't have time to find the, um, bodies.

[yourout]

4. He is sitting on alot of potential jail time for Rove and company.

[Rex]

6. Ding ding!

I hope that is true.

[peacebird]

5. because his buddy bush can't afford to have anyone else as AG -

someone else might actually go after criminal acts perpetrated by the regime, or decide that torture isn't legal after all....

[salin]

30. my vote as well.

I think his installation was to protect the WH from discovery of their extraconstitutional activities. But once installed his turning the Department into one giant political operation makes his leaving even worse. Bushco seems to really believe that they are going to get away clean - because Gonzo is there as chief operative.

[uppityperson]

7. Money, power, ego

[Buzz Clik]

8. It's not a matter of holding on fiercely. He simply isn't letting go.

He's in control. Shrub will never fire him. NEVER. So, it's up to Gonzo. He job is his for the keeping. He simply has to ride this out, and he will.

[Robbien]

9. Bush is telling him to stay

Both he and Bush feel they are above the law. Congress can't do a thing to them.

In his mind Gonzo isn't clinging to his job. The job is his and no one but Bush has the authority to do anything to him.

[KittyWampus]

10. Catwoman, he's useful now as a lightning rod. Just as Rumsfeld was. Take him out

and they'll have to find another punching bag to take the heat.

Better to have a willing flunky like Gonzo take the beatings in the news.

Who will it be after Gonzo finally does go?

Condi?

[paparush]

11. He's Been With Bush Since Before Bush was Governor of Texas....

Bush is standing by Gonzo. He's not giving up his man. His well placed man, who can continue to erode voter rights and suppress free speech and sanction torture, a guy who's ok with suspending Habeus..

You know, a Bush-Man, through and through.

[Enrique]

13. because it's an awesome job

especially for a putz like him. Imagine what he'd be doing if he worked at a job for which he's actually qualified.

[Cha]

21. Unfortunately, the prevaricatin' little

bushlackey seems to be well suited for trashing the USA's Constitution, sneaking around and spying on the USA's citizens, lying under oath, and carrying out the general orders the bushits pile on him.

Time will tell if the immoral little bushrot cracks or not.

[chimpymustgo]

14. Wo else will give the bozo a job?

But yes, he's holding on because he can. He's deeply involved in BFEE crimes. Dim Son holds him dear - and near.

[opihimoimoi]

15. Until an answer emerges.....they are flummoxed..unable to decide....so they stay with the status quo

clearly in a corner and nowhere to go....trapped.....

[firefox_fan]

16. He would do just fine if he resigned...

Probably any University would give him a tenured job and he could give 25K+ a pop speeches around the country... Puzzling.

[Donnachaidh]

17. one very OBVIOUS reason

Who in their right minds would hire a DISGRACED Attorney General? Even the cons in corporations aren't going to knowing hire someone who cones off as monumentally stupid as Gonzo.

[MN ChimpH8R]

35. Naah. Some crackpot neocon "think" tank

would hire Gonzo within a week. You could butcher kittens and puppies while sodomizing a goat on live TV and those scumbags would still hire you if you can sling their shit and spout the line. Hell, within a year or so, Fucker or Tweety would probably have him on as a distinguished guest.

[Donnachaidh]

38. Hasn't Guiliani's wife already butchered puppies?

Wanna see Rudi's head explode? Ask HIM about his wife's former job. :evilgrin:

[babylonsister]

19. I've read he has no experience 'attorneying' and think dimson has

been his only employer for many years. Maybe he knows he's not equipped to work for anyone else, and if he goes in disgrace, won't be able to find/hold a job?
Another question to be asked; why is dimson holding onto HIM so fiercely?

[catmandu57]

20. Do you suppose he knows how foolish he looked?

Something is holding him, fear most likely, fear of what these cretins will do to him or his family. I hope this foolish foolish man has put some sort of insurance policy together, it's just going to get worse and worse, with time more fronts are going to be opened, more layers uncovered, I think this guy better wake up. He's on the wrong side he better grab ahold of simething to keep afloat while he can.

[Canuckistanian]

22. Maybe he TRIED to resign already

Maybe it's like the Rumsferatu situation.

I heard Rumsfeld tried to resign a few times but Shrub wouldn't accept it.

Maybe it's the same with Gonzo. He's not a complete drooling idiot yet, he must know that his time is up.

[Jack Rabbit]

23. Because Bush thinks everybody else will think he's a wimp if Gonzo goes now

Do the right thing, Frat Boy. Resign and take Cheney with you. That takes care of the whole lot of you.

[Old and In the Way]

24. He (and this administration) are one incriminating e-mail away from near total collapse.

Seriously, if one of those 5 million lost e-mails finds their way to Schmur or Waxman, I think the whole wall of obstruction comes tumbling down. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if there are a few legal arrows still left in the Democratic quiver. I suspect a constant, slowly timed release will eventually get the job done in spite of this administrations desire to run the clock out. Things are not going to get better for them over time.

[catmandu57]

31. We're thinking the same way

There are too many tripwires out there, something is going to come out and when it does the dam is going to break wide open. There won't be any recovery, for the last six years these people have acted like they would never get caught, that they could do whatever they wanted. As long as they retained control of government they were safe, the unthinkable happened for them though, the people have started to come out the 911 stupor and questions are being asked that they can't provide answers for.
Arrogance will not get them out of this mess.

[conscious evolution]

37. I think they do have some emails

As a matter of fact I know they have them.CorpGovActivist here on DU turned over emails concerning cheney and Haliburton/kbr to the FBI and Congress months ago.I would bet anything they include some from the RNC servers.
The stage is being set for the next acts now.

[morgan2]

25. Bush knows

he wont be able to nominate another AG as loyal as Gonzales now. He needs him to stay on throughout his presidency. He hopes that all the investigations into his administration will end when he leaves office, and Gonzales can make sure they don't get to far.

[BlooInBloo]

26. So he won't be unemployed?

[TygrBright]

27. He's waiting for the right bribe.

He's not gonna quit until someone offers him enough money or a cushy enough job to set him up for life in the style to which he wants to be accustomed. Having taken this much shit for the plutocrats, he feels he is owed a club membership. Or at least a day pass.

cynically,
Bright

[Marr]

28. Because anyone who replaces him will have to be confirmed by the Senate, and

they're never going to approve another Bush henchman on the level of Alberto Gonzalez. Bush needs someone loyal to *him* in that position if he wants to have any hope of hiding his administration's crimes from Congress.

[Moochy]

29. His Love for Meth Awareness Day!!!

Gonzo thinking about Meth Awareness Day: :woohoo:

SESSIONS: Well I guess I'm concerned about your recollection, really. Because it's not that long ago, it was an important issue, and that's troubling to me, I gotta tell you.

GONZALEZ: Senator, I went back and looked at my calendar for that week. I traveled to Mexico for the inauguration of the new president, we had National Meth Awareness Day, we were working on a very complicated issue relating to CFIUS . And so there were a lot of other weighty issues and matters that I was dealing with that week.

[MzNov]

32. He's been in the Bush Crime Family since way back in Texas.

He figures Bush will continue to protect him no matter what. They're joined at the hip. Where else would he go? I doubt he'd skip off to be a D.C. lobbyist. Especially since most of these hypocrtical right wing gas bags don't support him because he is Latino-American.

[ellenfl]

33. because he knows he's not competent enough to get a job in the private sector? eom

[HCE SuiGeneris]

34. Parasites do that. eom

[rec_report]

36. Bush needs Tortureboy in the position. n/t