Belltown Messenger

There are many "When Will Gonzo Be Gone" betting pools floating around, and I haven't been able to pick a date as of yet.

I was going to go with this past Friday, but that was before Bush blustered his way through a press conference, clearly annoyed at having his unitary executive power questioned and looking every bit the obstinate child ready to hold his breath until he gets his way. I'm starting to think Bush will keep Gonzales indefinitely, just out of spite.

Of course there will be the pressure from members of his own party, especially those facing re-election next year. But remember, this is a man who just sent a surge of troops into the middle of the Iraqi civil war against the advice of just about everyone, including the commanders tasked with executing Bush's disastrous war. When Bush digs in his heels, any reason he may have had to start with (which we all know wasn't much) goes right out his flaring nostrils.

Now that Congress has decided to spit on Bush's offer for a glorified coffee klatch with Karl Rove and Harriet Miers and instead go ahead and issue subpoenas, the real fireworks can begin. While keeping Gonzales on as Attorney General is a clear political loser for the President, he seems to think he's got nothing to lose by playing a game of chicken with the Congress on the subpoenas, and I'm afraid he might be right, at least in the short term. The damage it will do his party though, well, that's another story altogether, one I'll happily read each night at bedtime since it has such a happy ending.

One thing we know for sure-The Bushies are hiding something. There are missing emails, lies peddled to Congress, misleading and contradictory public statements, improper communications (arm twisting and probably illegal pressure) between Republican politicians and Prosecutors, some pretty pissed-off former employees, and a president who's exhibited over and over again his inability at (not to mention lack of interest in) dealing with public policy while simultaneously relishing in political battle, collateral damage be damned. This story has everything any good newsperson could possibly ask for! But then again, so have all the other scandals that have died on the vine.

I've heard some describe this confrontation as "a Constitutional crisis;" and while I think that's a little extreme at this point, I certainly hope it turns into that. What this country needs more than just about anything at this point, is a Constitutional crisis with two opposing sides.

For the last six years we've faced a steady shredding of the Constitution with very few paying attention to it, let alone doing anything substantive to stop it. A showdown between Congress and the White House could actually pique the interest of traditional media that love a good scandal, especially one that has serial drama potential.

I'd love to see reporters and television "news" shows delve into every detail of this fight the way they did with the death of Anna Nicole and her multiplying baby-daddies (only the most recent of the serial drama cases they've glommed onto for no apparent reason). In fact, it would be so good for our democracy that it's virtually guaranteed not to happen. Cynical? Sure, but you've lived through the Bush presidency too, can you really say you blame me?

---

It must be tough being a Bush administration official, now that we have a Congress again. After six years of rubber stamping the Bush agenda, facilitating an Executive Branch power grab and turning a blind eye to illegal action, I think we're all a little stunned to see Congress act as a separate branch of government; but while the American people are comforted by the restoration of Congressional oversight, the Bush administration is like a deer caught in the headlights, stunned and unable to deal with the spotlight now shining on their smash and grab operation.

Alberto Gonzales looks like he might be quick on his feet, with his low center of gravity and relative youth; but apparently, looks can be deceiving as Gonzo has suddenly found himself without a seat in the current White House game of scapegoat musical chairs. Even Bush's attempt to pull the chair out from underneath poor Harriet Miers unexpectedly failed to secure Gonzales a seat in the game. Miers's survival though is likely less a function of her brilliant "strategery" than an indication that she's simply got a little luck on her side. Bumble around long enough and you're bound to bounce off of trouble eventually, kind of like a pinball that falls down the hole at just the right angle and is unexpectedly hurled back into the field of play. Don't you love it when that happens?

It appears that Gonzales has hit the Justice Department "trifecta," with the FBI's abuse of the Patriot Act, the advice he gave to Bush while he was White House Council to shut down the probe into the illegal NSA wiretapping that, we now know, was focusing on HIM, and now his role in the firing of US Attorneys who refused to abuse their positions to do the Bush administration's political bidding.

With my frustration at the lack of will on the Democrats to push for impeachment, I still see the value in having them control Congress. I have little faith the Bush presidency will be ended early, but at least we will have investigations leading to public exposure of just how corrupt and dangerous this administration is. It's a start, anyway.