Posted Aug. 27, 2007 – Another close friend and trusted confidant of the presidents is calling it quits.  Attorney General Roberta Gonzales announced today he’s stepping down just days after the president’s senior advisor Karl Rove.

Gonzales and Rove are two of the president’s closest friends in his inner circle of confidants.  

 Gonzales has weathered the storm surrounding his roll in firing of U. S. Attorneys under scrutiny.  The firings appeared to be politicaly motivated by the White House and carried out by the Justice Department.  President Bush has shown unwavering support for Gonzales staying on the job, but today announced he had reluctantly accepted his resignation.

“It’s sad that we live in a time when a talented and honorable person like Alberto Gonzales is impeded from doing important work because his good name was dragged through the mud for political reasons,” Bush said.

So why is Gonzales leaving now? 

Gonzales resignation comes as he finds himself faced with the possibility of purgery charges steaming from his testimony before Congress.   He could also hope to draw less negative attention during the Bush administration’s final months in office.  Regardless of the reason; Democrats were glad to hear the news.

Chair of the House Judiciary Committee Rep. John Conyers, (D-Mich.) said in a statement, “It is a sad day when the Attorney General of the United States resigns amid a cloud of suspicion that the system of justice has been manipulated for political purposes.”

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Chairman of the Judiciary Committee said, “The troubling evidence revealed about this massive breach is a lesson to those in the future who hold these high offices, so that law enforcement is never subverted in this way again.”

But question could still be in Gonzales’ future. Leahy said he still wants some answers.  “I hope the Attorney General’s decision will be a step toward getting to the truth about the level of political influence this White House,” he said. 

A harsher tone came from the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). “Alberto Gonzales was never the right man for this job.  He lacked independence, he lacked judgment, and he lacked the spine to say no to Karl Rove,” Reid said.

Now with Rove and Gonzales  gone, Reid said, “Congress must get to the bottom of this mess and follow the facts where they lead, into the White House.”

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