Adios Alberto Gonzales - and good riddance

Someone whose name now escapes Phaedrus once observed a phenomenon in business and wrote a whole book about it. The title of this work, like it's author, is now lost to memory. But the trust of the book certainly isn't. The essential message was that every man is promoted to the level of his own incompetence and should accept demotion gracefully when this becomes clear.

So it was with Gonzales, a grubby little wet-back immigrunt from Dubya's favorite country: Mexico. Gonzales was so keen to show his appreciation to the Chimp (ugh, sorry, Chief) that he basically tore up the Constitution in supplication to America's Worst Ever President and the rest has been most unfortunate history indeed.

Gonzales was so grateful and 'grovelsome' to Bush that he trashed America's reputation around the world in order to repay the favor he had been showed. Torture, ill-treatment, extraordinary rendition, detention for years without trial or even charge; preventing suspects from seeking legal advice, branding them as outside the protections of the Geneva Convention, the Constitution and dispensing with Judicial Independence are just some of third-world initiatives Gonzales predictably brought to his job as Attorney General of the US.

Many years later, our once incandescent reputation as the world's policeman lies in a fetid pile of moldering dog's shit, thanks to Gonzales' efforts. We are now more mistrusted, despised and hated around the world (and justifiably so) than at any time in our history. We now enjoy the same sort of reputation for impartiality, even-handedness and Justice as some shit-hole country in central Africa or the far east. Our people are now far more at risk of attack both at home and abroad as a result of the cauldron of resentment stirred up by the policies of Gonzales and his soul-mate, Cheney.

Bush has appeared on TV, angrily denouncing the "months of unfairness" that his former AG has had to endure as a result of political attacks from the Democrats and whatnot. This made Phaedrus practically choke! What about the poor bastards that have spent 5 years or more being tortured in Gitmo for NO good goddamn reason? AND all the other folks that have been spied on illegally by 'our' so-called government under the guise of 'counter-terrorism.' Forget about the rag-heads and Islamists; these are people like you and me; hard working white folks whose privacy and protections have been trampled over. Is that not a far greater outrage? According to the Chimp, no. The sooner that Simian joins the rest of the cast of this sinking ship in resigning, the better for every decent American.