No Confidence

The American people have no confidence in Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. The question is, does the Senate have the chutzpah to vote on it? NY's Chuck Schumer requested the vote for today at 5:30 EST and the debate is already under way. The Democrats are fully behind letting the people have their say on the situation. So will a few vocal Republicans do the same and vote their conscience? Or will they simply cave and fall in with the President?

From The Huffington Post:

Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said he's concerned like others in his party that the resolution, sponsored by Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and up for a test vote later in the day, was a Democratic effort to embarrass Bush and push Gonzales to resign.

But Specter has long said that Gonzales has exercised poor leadership on a host of issues, from the firings of eight federal prosecutors to the Justice Department's handling of wiretapping authority under the USA Patriot Act.

"If you ask Arlen Specter, do I have confidence in Attorney General Gonzales, the answer is a resounding no," Specter said during a news conference in Philadelphia. "I'm going to vote that I have no confidence in Attorney General Gonzales."

No matter what the outcome, the vote would tell us where each Senator stakes their claim. Yet what is it going to accomplish besides that? Bush has already said it will have no impact on him. He has full confidence in what Gonzales does, specifically because his loyalties lie with the President and his illegal endeavors.

What the Senate really needs to do is impeach his sorry ass. Gonzales has failed the American people and our constitution. He has given himself to committing high crimes and misdemeanors and needs to have the justice he deserves. If he does not, it will prove that the Justice Department is nothing but a sham.

Arlen Specter Is Clueless

Arlen Specter seems to think that the no confidence vote next week in the Senate will have an influential impact on the Commander-in-Chief. If he seriously thinks that any part of Congress will have an effect on him, Specter doesn't have a clue as to how Washington is working these days.

From Reuters:

Asked on CBS' "Face the Nation" whether many Republicans would join the majority Democrats in voting against Gonzales possibly as early as this week, Republican Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania said, "I think so."

"You already have six Republicans calling for his resignation," he said. "I have a sense ... that before the vote is taken, that Attorney General Gonzales may step down."

Gonzales has refused to resign under mounting pressure that began after criticism of the Justice Department's firing of U.S. attorneys which Democrats claimed was done mainly for political reasons.

But President George W. Bush has solidly backed Gonzales so Democrats in the Senate -- who have tried to broaden their complaints against the attorney general -- scheduled a rare "no confidence" vote in hopes of pressuring him to leave.

Congress hasn't been able to pressure the President yet on anything, since he has taken up the role of unitary executive. Six Republicans and all of the Democrats voting for a "No Confidence" of Gonzales won't do anything to stop the White House and what he has accomplished for the power of the executive. The only thing that can stop the Administration from its criminal acts is a vote for impeachment.

No Confidence In Gonzales

It is nice to see the Senate prepare to scorch Gonzales over the media flames again with a no confidence vote next week in the Senate. It would have been fantastic for them to fulfill their constitutional role and impeach the morally bankrupt Attorney General. Everyone knows he's a liar now, even some Republicans on Capitol Hill want him gone, but it is still not enough for what Gonzales deserves.

From Reuters:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats announced on Thursday they will seek a U.S. Senate vote of "no confidence" in Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, hopeful it will prompt President George W. Bush's embattled friend to resign."

The White House brushed off the Democrats' latest move tied to their widening investigation of Gonzales for the firing of federal prosecutors as "nothing more than a meaningless political act." A White House spokesman added that the attorney general still had "the full confidence of the president."

Democrats said they intend to hold a "no confidence" vote on Gonzales as early as next week and expect it to pass with the support of a number of Republicans.

I'm almost certain it will pass. I also find it hard not to disagree with the White House that it is a meaningless act. If the Democrats think it will make Georgie push Gonzales to resign, they obviously haven't paid much attention to the President. Bush will hang on to Alberto for far longer than he did Rumsfeld. His Attorney General is so important to him precisely for all the criminal acts he has committed. Bush is trying to hold the ship together and he doesn't intend to let it go.