Gonzales out--updated

Resigned. First Rove, now Gonzo. If only Cheney.

From the New York Times, news that Gonzo extended his resignation by phone Friday night. Something is fishy about this too. Any coincidence that, like Rove, the news comes early Monday morning instead of being buried Friday afternoon? The last I read Gonzales was not one of the senior staffers who wanted to resign, so is it possible that Bush pulled the trigger? Oh, I am sure we will see the Prez hugging Gonzo and telling the American people (again) what a good man this is. I read a rumor over the weekend that Bush intended to bring Chertoff over from HS. We shall see.

Mr. Bush has not yet chosen a replacement but will not leave the position open long, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the Attorney General's resignation had not yet been made public.

I am guessing that is because this has been in the planning for a week or two. Gonzo may have dialed a phone on Friday, but someone else made the call.

But not without whining.

"The official said that the decision was Mr. Gonzales's and that the president accepted it grudgingly. At the same time, the official acknowledged that the turmoil over his tenure as Attorney General had made continuing difficult.

"The unfair treatment that he's been on the receiving end of has been a distraction for the department," the official said."

Oh yes, the unfair treatment. Asking him to recall information. Asking him to explain why people were fired when he is assuring us it was not for political reasons.

I am sure some conservative in Texas will pay Gonzales good money to be incompetent and corrupt for him, but the only good thing that came out of his tenure in Washington was that his incompetence and immorality was revealed before this trainwreck ended up on the Supreme Court. And make no mistake about it, had Bush played his cards a little better, Gonzo would have been a slamdunk. Imagine that. Someone who couldn't recall anything and still acted as the President's lawyer as Supreme Court justice. Or worse, Chief Justice.

We will rue the legacy of this incompetent administration for years to come. But at least we didn't get that trainwreck for the rest of his life. At least that is good. But here is hoping that Gonzales, like Rove, isn't finished with our judicial system.

Now, Dick, aren't you missing the family?

Update: Cnn is already reporting that Bush plans to nominate Chertoff, so I guess that rumor was true. One incompetent person to replace another. Perhaps Chertoff is better than Gonzales, but to be fair, that bar was very, very low.