August 27, 2007 – Capitol Hill Blue

Gonzales’ replacement – there won’t be any nominee.

August 27, 2007

The tubes of the internets are abuzz with today’s breaking news – the resignation of the worst attorney general our country has ever experienced. Of course, the president blamed Democratic politicians for dragging a good man through the mud, one who had done nothing wrong. Gonzales added to the carnival atmosphere by claiming that his worst day “serving the public” was better than his father’s best day.

The next hottest issue is who will replace Gonzo. My guess is none of the above.

Attorney General Gonzales resigns

August 27, 2007

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said he would resign Monday, after a scandal-tainted tenure marred by critics’ claims he was incompetent, hid the truth and may be guilty of perjury.

Gonzales, an architect of contentious US “war on terror” legal tactics, was also at the center of a row over firings of federal prosecutors, was the target of a barrage from Democrats and lost the confidence of many top Republicans.

He was the latest confidant to leave President George W. Bush, 17 months before the US leader himself exits the White House after his second term.

Troops almost captured bin Laden

August 27, 2007

US forces in Afghanistan came so close to discovering Osama bin Laden in the winter of 2004-2005 that his supporters were on the verge of killing him to prevent his capture, a US magazine reported Sunday.

Bin Laden’s entourage, ordered to kill the Al-Qaeda chief and themselves to avoid capture, were about to take the drastic action using a special code word when nearby US troops moved off in a different direction, Newsweek magazine said in its latest issue on sale Monday.

Lawmakers step up pressure on Bush

August 27, 2007

The White House found itself under renewed political pressure Monday as top US lawmakers expressed impatience with Iraqi leader Nuri al-Maliki and called for a withdrawal of US troops to begin.

Republican John Warner, one of the Senate’s most influential voices on military affairs, amplified his bombshell demand of last week that President George W. Bush should start a limited troop withdrawal from Iraq by Christmas.

“Our troops have performed magnificently, under brilliant leadership, and have done precisely as the president asked,” he told NBC television Sunday.

Terror database yields few arrests

August 27, 2007

The US government’s terrorist screening database flagged Americans and foreigners as suspected terrorists almost 20,000 times last year, but only a small fraction of those questioned were arrested or denied entry into the United States, it was reported Saturday.

The Washington Post said these numbers were raising concerns among critics about privacy and the list’s effectiveness.

Day: August 27, 2007

Gonzales’ replacement – there won’t be any nominee.

Attorney General Gonzales resigns

Troops almost captured bin Laden

Lawmakers step up pressure on Bush

Terror database yields few arrests