Krauthammer: Gonzales must go

Another conservative, columnist Charles Krauthammer, says it's time for Alberto Gonzales to resign.

Alberto Gonzales has to go. I say this with no pleasure -- he's a decent and honorable man -- and without the slightest expectation that his departure will blunt the Democratic assault on the Bush administration over the firing of eight U.S. attorneys. In fact, it will probably inflame their blood lust, which is why the president might want to hang on to Gonzales at least through this crisis. That might be tactically wise. But in time, and the sooner the better, Gonzales must resign.

It's not a question of probity but of competence. Gonzales has allowed a scandal to be created where there was none. That is quite an achievement. He had a two-foot putt and he muffed it.

He then devotes most of the column to arguing that the prosecutor scandal isn't, in fact, a scandal. Fair enough; what we know now is only enough to raise questions, not prove bad behavior. But even Krauthammer adds a qualifier: "Yet."

Which is why an investigation is needed. One reason this case deserves scrutiny, I believe, even without incontrovertible proof of wrongdoing is that the Bush administration long ago lost any right to claim the benefit of the doubt in situations like this. From their handling of prewar intelligence to the NSA eavesdropping program to the politicization of science to National Security Letters to stupid stuff like lying about whether and why Cheney was visiting the hospital. Time and again the administration has said "Trust us", and time again they've been shown to be undeserving of that trust.

So perhaps this is just a case of incompetence on the part of an underqualified Cabinet member. Lord knows that wouldn't be the first example of such in this administration. But let's check, just to be sure.

Gonzales, politics, midtopia