Bring Me The Head of Alberto Gonzales!

Posted by Adam Howard at 3:53 AM on May 18, 2007.

After two days of "negotiating" his resignation Paul Wolfowitz is finally stepping down as the head of the World Bank. Good riddance and it's about time. But did anyone outside of maybe his buddies in the Bush Administration ever think this would last? His appointment to the World Bank had trouble written all over it and if it wasn't improper favors for his girlfriend that got him in trouble I think it would have eventually been something else. It'd be nice to think that when groups like the British-based World Development Movement, called Wolfowitz's appointment "truly terrifying", it would have given Bush pause. But you know President Bush, when the international community cries out "No!", Bush hears "Yes, yes!". But now Wolfowitz's tumultuous tenure at the World Bank will be finished at the end of June.

Alberto Gonzales must be furious. For at least a couple days he had to share the hot seat with someone else--now the scrutiny and scorn of the public will be squarely back at him. Who would have thought that Alberto Gonzales could make a man as contemptible as John Ashcroft seem sympathetic and a defender of civil liberties? Gonzales has possibly now surpassed Harriet Miers as the most tone deaf of all Bush appointees. Bush's constituency was never for Gonzales, because they believed he was soft on social issues and the Left was highly dubious about a man so close to the President serving in what should be a non-partisan position.

Yesterday, Nebraska senator Chuck Hagel joined the growing cacophony of both Republican and Democratic voices calling out, screaming for Gonzales' removal. My guess is Bush knows that if he buckles on this one it will be the final death blow to his tough guy, "my way or the highway image". If he loses Gonzales much of his precious inner sanctum of yes men (and yes women) will have evaporated. Maybe then he might have to start listening to the people for once.

Tagged as: bush, gonzales, wolfowitz

Adam Howard is the editor of PEEK.