Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Today, the National Review Editors have called for Alberto Gonzales to lose his job. Along with the usual boilerplate about how lame democrats are, they do admit to some of Abu Gonzales' shortcomings strictly on the level of competence.
We do not need more evidence, however, to reach a conclusion about the suitability of Alberto Gonzales for the leadership of the Department of Justice. While we defended him from some of the outlandish charges made during his confirmation hearings, we have never seen evidence that he has a fine legal mind, good judgment, or managerial ability. Nor has his conduct at any stage of this controversy gained our confidence
Ouch, that had to leave a mark. I think most Americans can agree that Alberto Gonzales is simply unsuited for the job. The remark has been made over and over that Gonzales still sees himself as the President's personal lawyer, and not the chief legal officer of the United States, defending the constitution first, as well as defending the interest of his patron.
The one thing that really struck me later in the article was a phrase that they used to fight justifications from Republicans that Gonzales should stay because democrats want him gone.
What little credibility Gonzales had is gone. All that now keeps him in office, save the friendship of the president, is the conviction of many Republicans that removing him would embolden the Democrats. It is an overblown fear. The Democrats will pursue scandals, real or invented, whether or not Gonzales stays.
This is an interesting way to put things. Over the last several years the word embolden has been used in one particular way. We have to follow Commander Cuckoo Bananas' plans in the middle east, because not doing so would embolden either the enemy or the terrorists. This phrase has become redundant and well overused.
Today, we worry about emboldening the democrats. I think the choice of words was deliberate. It's a dog whistle for the base. Many people in the mainstream media seem to tune out when the right does this, but this choice of words is highly inflammatory. But perhaps pointing this out would embolden the Republicans, so I will stop now.
Subscribe to:
Comment Feed (RSS)
|