The American Mind

Loyalty be damned. President Bush, make Alberto Gonzales go away. He’s either a habitual liar to Congress or a pathetic manager who doesn’t know what’s going on in the Justice Department.

At the minimum Gonzales mislead Congress about the firing of the U.S. Attorneys. Now, we learn he was sent reports about abuses of Patriot Act powers before telling Congress, “There has not been one verified case of civil liberties abuse.”

Six days earlier, the FBI sent Gonzales a copy of a report that said its agents had obtained personal information that they were not entitled to have. It was one of at least half a dozen reports of legal or procedural violations that Gonzales received in the three months before he made his statement to the Senate intelligence committee, according to internal FBI documents released under the Freedom of Information Act.

The acts recounted in the FBI reports included unauthorized surveillance, an illegal property search and a case in which an Internet firm improperly turned over a compact disc with data that the FBI was not entitled to collect, the documents show. Gonzales was copied on each report that said administrative rules or laws protecting civil liberties and privacy had been violated.

Gonzales passed the buck on the firings of the U.S. Attorneys letting staff hang out to dry.

He should have been fired for incompetence months ago. Gonzales’ bumbling and stumbling don’t serve you, Mr. President.

I know Alberto is your friend. You’ve worked together for a long time. He’s loyal, an admirable trait. But a more important trait is managerial competence. Gonzales has failed you. He has not run the Justice Department in a matter fitting of its important duties.

Mr. President, don’t think about the political consequences. You don’t read polls and your numbers are so low they can go no where but up. Think about seeking competent government. For the good of the country and your Presidency you must ask for Gonzales’ resignation.

“Gonzales Was Told of FBI Violations”