If Gonzo goes, does that mean everything stops?

[Norquist Nemesis]

Would Gonzo's leaving bring stop in getting to the bottom of how deeply the WH was involved? The people that were installed would still be there. The same politically motivated activities would still be taking place...wouldn't they?

[asjr]

1. Gonzo will not go. He knows where

ALL the bodies are buried.

[Norquist Nemesis]

6. Yes, but Karl's the one who's been knocking them off over the years

and he'll still be sitting at the Right hand of Bush.

[tularetom]

2. Depends on how he goes

If he resigns on his own, nothing is gonna change. If he is impeached or cut loose by the WH, he might feel sufficiently disgruntled to start to name names and point fingers. And I think this is the reason he will never be canned - he knows way too much about where the bodies are buried.

[Norquist Nemesis]

4. Just saw a headline Specter 'predicts' he'll resign

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-05-17-gonzales_N.htm?csp=34
"WASHINGTON (AP) — The top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee predicted Thursday that the probe of firings of federal prosecutors would lead to the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.
The Justice Department, according to veteran Sen. Arlen Specter, can't properly protect the nation from terrorism or oversee President Bush's no-warrant eavesdropping program with Gonzales at the helm.

"I have a sense that when we finish our investigation, we may have the conclusion of the tenure of the attorney general," Specter, R-Pa., said during a committee hearing. "I think when our investigation is concluded, it'll be clear even to the attorney general and the president that we're looking at a dysfunctional department which is vital to the national welfare."

His comment echoed new criticism of the attorney general this week. Former deputy attorney general James Comey testified that Gonzales tried to get his predecessor as attorney general, John Ashcroft, to approve Bush's eavesdropping program as Ashcroft lay in intensive care."

...and it just makes me wonder, "Then What?"

[valerief]

5. And he doesn't want his body to be one of them. Literally. nt

[Jack Rabbit]

3. Of course not

Maybe that would have been true two or three weeks ago, but not now.

This is really a lot bigger than Gonzales and firing a few prosecutors for being prosecutors instead of partisan hacks. This is now about a wholesale violation of the Fourth Amendment.

Also, the investigations of other scandals in the Bush regime aren't going to stop, either. It won;t be too hard to find hard evidence of Cheney manipulating intelligence if anybody makes any effort at all to look at it.

[Norquist Nemesis]

7. I still wonder if there's going to be something really 'explosive' on this

like spying on Kerry (and possibly other '04 Democratic Candidates). I hate donning that tin foil hat, but with this bunch it's hard not to.

[Kagemusha]

9. The Comey testimony is really making people wonder.

It's hard to imagine what's so bad that even Ashcroft was prepared to resign over it, and resisted sickbed pressure to authorize the program with what he had belatedly learned about it.

[Norquist Nemesis]

12. Only one thing--Violating the Constitution

Seems that qualifies as an Impeachable offense to me!

[tiptoe]

13. Monica Goodling -- given hiring and firing authority along w Sampson by Gonzo -- may testify to

impeachable offenses by AG and former WH counsel, Gonzales, and/or Rove-Bush. She was liason between the WHite House and the Attorney General's office.

It's been mentioned that Gonzales' delegation of certain AG authorities to others (like 'hiring and firing' to Bush political supporters Goodling and Sampson) in and of itself may be an impeachable offense.

If Gonzo leaves, new nominees would have first to get past Leahy's Judicary committee (I believe) and then approval by the full Senate. Scrutinization of nominees for loyalty to politics above the constitution would be severe, I suspect.

On May 11, 2007 U.S. District Court Chief Judge Thomas Hogan signed an order granting Goodling immunity (legal) in exchange for her truthful testimony in the U.S. Attorney firings investigation, stating that "Goodling may not refuse to testify, and may not refuse to provide other information, when compelled to do so" before the Committee.^[19]

see: Wikipedia entry -- "Role in the firing of U.S. Attorneys"

[Norquist Nemesis]

14. I hope someone on the Judiciary Cmte asks who prepped her

for her testimony. See if she utters the name 'Karl Rove'.

[annabanana]

16. I hope so too. (She won't be expecting it). . . . n/t

[Blackhatjack]

8. I agree --Gonzo is the decoy to draw attention away from those really culpable...

His leaving would allow the Congressional Committees to focus on the White House exclusively.

[L. Coyote]

10. The powers of the Attorney Genera would pass to a Fitzgerald

That is what happened with the Special Prosecutor designation, the powers of the attorney general were decreed to the investigator.

The reason Gonzolies (http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x907626) does not leave is to prevent the powers from falling to another, like a Fitz.

[Norquist Nemesis]

11. Very interesting!

hmmmm...then the question would be who would be doing the appointing. hmmmm...

[L. Coyote]

17. And, the Senate Judiciary would be required to hold hearings on the approval

[AllegroRondo]

15. Gonzo wont go. The confirmation of his replacement would expose too much.

Many in the Senate have already said they would not confirm a replacement until everything is known about this scandal.