Get Off My Lawn, Part X

I'm getting tired of fisking (I know, I know) Hering's editorials. But this is just too annoying not to note:

The resignation of U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is another sorry example of how our political system works. He was hounded out of office based on accusations, not because anyone had actually shown that he had done anything wrong.

When I first read that, I thought Hering was joking, as a statement that inane and out of touch just has to be a joke, right?

I wish. Apparently, he isn't being tongue-in-cheek.

It's an interesting standard, though; the fact that Hering doesn't distinguish between legal malfeasance and political malfeasance suggests, to me, that legal malfeasance is what really matters. (Maybe - I'm not really sure about that.) In any case, as far as I know, the reason there was so much pressure on Gonzales is that he refused to come clean about the possibility of legal malfeasance - and in doing such he committed political acts (see his performances before Congress and his refusal to turn over relevant records) that resulted in the pressure for his removal for essentially political reasons. The two are pretty linked, especially, I imagine, in D.C.

That aside, as many, many people besides me have pointed out, Gonzales was a pretty incompetent AG. I'm sure Hering would agree that incompetence is a good reason to let someone go - or, in this case, for someone to resign before the mistakes they have made are discovered. Or, to be even nicer about it, to resign because such incompetence paints the boss in a bad light.

I suppose it's possible that Hering really believes Gonzales has done nothing wrong, but if that's the case, he's either ignoring the news or has been reading too many Republican Party memos. Or both.

In any case, I'm curious as to what would have satisfied Hering in terms of evidence of wrongdoing on Gonzales' part. Legal action? Perjury? Anything, as long as it didn't come from the mouth of a Democrat? It's hard to tell.