EDITORIAL: Time to Go

Mar 28, 07:33 AM

Current Headlines: By Albany Times Union, N.Y.

Mar. 28--Attorney General Alberto Gonzales ought to do the right thing and resign now, before President Bush is forced to show him the door. The Justice Department must have the confidence of the American people that it is serving the law and not, as seems more and more apparent every day, a political agenda. With Mr. Gonzales at the head of the department, there can be no such confidence.

Mr. Gonzales' credibility has never been lower than now, and for good reason. His claim that he was not privy to, or part of, discussions about the dismissal of eight federal prosecutors has been blown to shreds by a Justice Department document that shows he in fact attended an hourlong meeting Nov. 17 to discuss the firing of seven of those attorneys.

That means Mr. Gonzales either lied about being out of the loop or, at the least, has a short memory span. It also raises the question of why the Justice Department did not include mention of the Nov. 17 meeting in the first batch of documents it produced last week in response to congressional demands. The department claims it was an oversight but Congress should be skeptical.

In an even more damning development, Mr. Gonzales' counsel, Monica Goodling, who also serves as Justice Department liaison to the White House, now says she will take the Fifth Amendment when called to testify before Congress about the firings. So much for Mr. Gonzales' bluster that the firings were just an "overblown personnel matter." It appears that Ms. Goodling, by invoking her right not to incriminate herself, has reason to believe she needs to shield herself from possible criminal charges.

And to think that only last week President Bush was loudly proclaiming his support for Mr. Gonzales, and defiantly rejecting a request by Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, to have top White House aides answer questions in public, under oath, about the firings. Mr. Bush angrily dismissed that request as an attempt by congressional Democrats to stage "show trials" of his top advisers, including political strategist Karl Rove.

There's nothing wrong with a president calling for the resignation of a U.S. attorney, of course. That often happens en masse whenever a new administration assumes power, or if there is proof that a prosecutor has performed poorly.

But there is something wrong when a U.S. attorney is removed for political reasons. That interferes with the prosecutor's sworn duty to serve the law without fear or favor. And, as Ms. Goodling seems to realize, even if Mr. Gonzales does not, that kind of interference could well be criminal.

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