Blawgletter saw the cashiering of U.S. attorneys last December as an instance of reverse Darwinism — the weak, firing the strong. A little later, we noted the poetic truth behind the President’s nickname for U.S. Attorney General Gonzales — Fredo, the weak and pitiful Corleone brother in the Godfather movies. Then we advised the AG to save what little dignity he might still have by telling Congress the whole truth about his role in the firings. But Fredo did the opposite, leading us to remark on his walking death. Revelations about his late-night visit to the hospital room of then-AG John Ashcroft seemed to us to make Fredo even deader.
This morning, we learned that Mr. Gonzales has, indeed, resigned and that the President, "grudgingly", accepted it. See stories in LA Times, NY Times, Washington Post, and WSJ.
Now, even before the official announcement, people have started speculating about Fredo’s successor. Peter Lattman at the WSJ’s Law Blog does a fine job of summarizing the candidates and their credentials. Michael Chertoff, anyone?
Barry Barnett
