Yesterday afternoon, two unnamed senior White House aides told CNN that Alberto Gonzales’ testimony was a disaster. One described him as “going down in flames.” Another said he was “not doing himself any favors.”
Political norms tell us there is simply no way Gonzales can stay on the job. I’d just remind everyone that political norms have literally no meaning in the Bush White House.
Even if we remove Dems from the equation altogether, consider the reaction Gonzales received from Republicans yesterday. First, on the Hill.
Not a single Republican, with the possible exception of Senator Orrin G. Hatch of Utah, came to Mr. Gonzales’s defense — not even his old Texas friend Senator John Cornyn. And Mr. Gonzales did not help himself with his testimony that while he took full responsibility for removing federal prosecutors, he did not have a clear idea of why he had done so in some cases until he reviewed paperwork after the dismissals.
It was no surprise that the Democrats on the panel skewered Mr. Gonzales. But it was also apparent that even Republicans had serious doubts about his fitness for the job.
Second, from the base.
Patrick Frey: “I can’t tell you how pathetic he sounds. Please resign. Put us out of our misery. Please.”
Ed Morrissey: “Gonzales is toast.”
Byron York: “a disastrous morning.”
And then, there’s the White House’s take, which said the president “was pleased with the Attorney General’s testimony,” and emphasized that Gonzales “has the full confidence of the President.”
If all of this sounds familiar to you, there’s a good reason — the exact same thing happened a month ago today.
As the prosecutor purge scandal hit the big time, there were multiple reports that the search was already on for a new AG, and a list of possible replacements was already being floated. Dems were demanding Gonzales’ head, several House Republicans gave up on defending him, and the media characterized his ouster as a foregone conclusion.
And then Bush simply rejected the talk out of hand and said Gonzales would keep his job. Don’t be at all surprised if it happens again.
Sure, it’s possible that the president will come to believe that the AG has become a distraction. And sure, it’s equally possible Gonzales will want to spare his buddy the difficulties of being burdened by an incompetent, scandal-plagued Attorney General.
All I’m saying is that just because Gonzales should be toast, doesn’t mean he is toast.
To reiterate a point from last month, there’s a certain reality that even the closest political observers sometimes forget: Bush doesn’t care about traditional norms. Our political system is supposed to follow certain unwritten political “rules.” When a cabinet secretary screws up, creates a scandal, becomes a distraction, loses the nation’s confidence, and possibly engages in criminal behavior, he or she is supposed to resign. If a resignation isn’t offered, a president is supposed to ask for it.
Bush doesn’t concern himself with these “rules.” Donald Rumsfeld, Alphonso Jackson, and Rod Paige proved that the president is more than willing to tolerate cabinet secretaries staying on far too long.
Gonzales has become the most reviled man in the administration, after having been caught lying and losing control of the Justice Department. The rules say Gonzales has to go. Bush, meanwhile, is The Decider — and The Decider doesn’t much care about the rules.
A month ago, the New York Daily News quoted a “senior Republican” saying, “[Bush] wants to fight, but that will change because it has to.”
I can almost hear Bush saying, “No, it doesn’t.”