Ashcroft's bad: Obama Whatshisname?

No wonder this administration hasn't caught bin Laden - current and former administration officials can't even get his name right.

Former Attorney General John Ashcroft recently stuck his foot in his mouth when discussing the USA PATRIOT ACT with a group of college students in New York - Obama bin Laden is an awful man, isn't he? Ashcroft received all the punishment he deserved at the hands of the college student, he booed him loudly. Pretty funny.

Gonzo in middle of NSA spying controversy

This is a longer clip, so give it a watch when you have time.

It's the testimony of James Comey, the former deputy attorney general. It seems that when former Attorney General John Ashcroft was in the hospital for gall bladder surgery, the White House had a problem with the NSA's Terrorism Surveillance Program. It needed DOJ approval for the plan.

However, Ashcroft had temporarily turned over the responsibilities of his office to Comey while he was undergoing surgery. The White House wanted Comey to sign off on the NSA's program, and when he raised objections, then-White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales and then-White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card rushed over to the hospital where Ashcroft was convalescing and tried to get him to sign a piece of paper approving the program.

In no uncertain terms, Ashcroft refused. An enraged Card told Comey that had to report to the White House immediately, and Comey refused to appear without a witness, considering what he just witnessed. Comey also threatened to resign, but Ashcroft coaxed him out of that decision, urging Comey to wait until he was in better health so they could resign together. Reportedly, FBI Director Robert Mueller also threatened to resign.

This is a pretty amazing story, which could have turned into a modern-day Saturday Night Massacre. In some ways this revelation does resemble Nixon's colossal political miscalculation. I've already heard some conservatives say, "What does this have to do with Alberto Gonzales' behavior as attorney general?"

Really, it's another brick in the wall, and it further demonstrates Gonzo's willingness to let politics trump the law. If I were a lawyer, I'd say, "It goes to credibility," in relation to the U.S. Attorney Firing Scandal.

However, the attorney general still has the "full support" of the president.

Pathetic.

The Gonzales death watch is on

Tick Tock Tick Tock, Alberto.

It's only a matter of time before Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales is given the gate. A Newsweek poll released this weekend found that 35 percent think he should resign, only 33 percent think he should stay, and the rest don't know. Those aren't encouraging numbers. (I have to wonder where the 33 percent of respondents who said "Don't Know" have been living, however.)

What's more, Republicans are now beginning to jump ship, too. The first big name to do so is John E. Sununu, (R-NH). Considering the fallout over the federal prosecutor firings and the disclosure about the FBI illegally abusing the USA PATRIOT ACT wiretapping provisions, it's time for this guy to go.

And I thought I disliked Gonzales' predecessor, John Ashcroft! (which I vehemently do). Gonzales has taken a place alongside Ashcroft as one of the worst AG's in U.S. history.

Let the eagle soar, Alberto. (Sorry, I can never miss an opportunity to post the video below. Like I always do whenever I post it, I triple-dawg-dare you to get through the whole thing.)



This is some funny #!@@%$#@! Can an appearance on American Idol be far behind? I wonder what Simon would say to him? BTW, I dunno who did the camera work for this footage, but I got dizzy watching it. At least the tremendous audio always comes through.