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Will Clement Consent?

The Alberto Gonzales ball is in Solicitor General Paul Clement's court. What he does with it is anybody's guess. Mr. Clement was a member of the Bush Justice Department for four years and is presently a semi-autonomous member of the Executive branch. Conceivably the President could ask him to back away, despite Congress urging him to appoint and independent Special Counsel to investigate whether Mr. Gonzales told Congress the truth in sworn testimony. All indications are that he didn't, Presidential mouthpiece Tony Snow has been all over the airwaves waving the national security flag in a futile effort to provide Mr. Gonzales with a mea culpa.

There are documents and sworn testimony that belie Mr. Gonzales' account. To be blunt, Gonzales, the highest law officer in the land, the erstwhile protector of justice, is an unmitigated liar, and a poor one at that. In attempting to avoid a potential felony, he may have committed one by perjuring himself. Gonzales has vociferously denied that there was anything less than unanimity on the President's domestic spying program, or the DSP as it was commonly referred. His testimony in that regard has been refuted by former deputy attorney general James Comey. Comey's sworn testimony flies in the face of Gonzales' outright lies and half truths. What is consternating is the fact that Gonzales was privy to Comey's testimony. Either he's a slow study, a fool, or maybe both. Perhaps he believes that we're the fools. Maybe he's right. FBI Director Robert S. Mueller has supported Comey's contention that Gonzales went to former Attorney General John Ashcroft's hospital sick bed to get him to sign off on the DSP. Both Ashcroft and Comey as did a host of others at Justice thought the program to be illegal, in spite of the President's strong support for the program.

We have an Administration that distains oversight and the rule of law. For six years under Republican rule, they have gotten away without even the semblance of oversight. Now that the Democrats are in control of Congress and there is finally the legally required and necessary oversight in place, we are being told that Congress should be getting about the people's business. Congress has no more important a function than their oversight obligations. We fought a monarchy to become a democracy. The Bush Administration and its various actors seem hell bent on bringing the monarchy back. King George the Dubya has attempted to become a law unto himself. He has wiped his rear end with the Constitution and disregarded those laws that he finds inconvenient. Mr. Gonzales was practically breast fed in this kind of environment. Is there any wonder why
he persists in telling tall tales. No amount of preparation will bring him any closer to telling the truth, it's not in his character. Gonzales is shameless. He's a Mexican version of Clarence Thomas, if you will. No amount of disgrace that he brings upon his family and friends seems to phase him. He has disgraced his Mexican heritage to the degree that the Mexican American community simply hopes that we'll forget that there's a connection. Justice demands a special prosecutor be appointed, but it's probably unlikely. The one thing that's certain is the ball is clearly in Paul Clement's court.

Learn more about this author, Cedric Mcclester.
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