Moving Forward

Ralph Neas, of PFAW, had a good, pithy response to the news of Alberto Gonzales' resignation today:

“It’s high time this attorney general resigned. Alberto Gonzales was the 'Enabler General' for the imperial Bush presidency. He undermined the Constitution, made a mockery of the rule of law, and turned the Justice Department into an arm of the Bush Administration’s political operation.“Gonzales protected the interests of George W. Bush over the interests of the American people at every turn. He oversaw a Justice Department that was twisted to serve political interests, from the president’s domestic spying program to bogus allegations of voting fraud that kept minorities and poor people from the ballot box. He showed open contempt for oversight by Congress, and gave testimony under oath that was at best incompetent and at worst, deliberately untrue."

Much as we would all like to breathe deep and put the nightmare of this A.G.'s disastrous tenure behind us, we need to keep pushing hard for answers that he and others in this Cheney/Bush administration have done their level best to keep hidden. What other departments, besides Justice, were pressured into becoming tools of the political operations of this corrupt regime? How was political loyalty enforced, and how often did it trump competence, honorable service, and experience in promotion/demotion, hiring/firing decisions throughout the government? Most critically, how extensive was the misuse of official powers in "caging" voters, fudging results, and otherwise stealing the 2004 Presidential elections?

The Department of Justice must be put on notice that the American public demands the full restoration of our constitutional rights and liberties. Hearings should be held, in which the new Department of Justice leaders must explain how they intend to restore our Constitution as the real framework for their actions. Those current and former White House officials who haven't fully complied with subpoenas must be made to do so-- resignations notwithstanding.

This is not the moment for sad shakes of the head, and letting bygones be bygones, this is the time to nail the bastards to the wall!!