Analysis: Poster Boys for Bad Politics

World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz departs his home in Chevy Chase, Md., Wednesday, May 16, 2007. Wolfowitz, who is accused by a special bank panel of breaking conflict-of-interest rules, maintains that he acted in good faith in arranging a generous pay package for his girlfriend. He waged a vigorous fight to keep running the institution, defending himself before the board in an appearance late Tuesday. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) (J. Scott Applewhite - AP)

Things got worse Tuesday when lawmakers heard how far Gonzales would go to carry out President Bush's orders.

As the White House's top lawyer in 2004, he went to the sickbed of then-Attorney General John Ashcroft to pressure the ailing man to approve the legality of Bush's warrantless wiretapping program. Ashcroft _ critically ill with pancreatitis at the time _ rebuffed Gonzales, according to Jim Comey, the former No. 2 official at the Justice Department.

The White House went ahead with the program without Justice Department approval, Comey said. Faced with the resignations of Comey, Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller, Bush relented and changed the program to address Justice's concerns.

"The American people deserve an attorney general, the chief law enforcement officer of our country, whose honesty and capability are beyond question," Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., said Wednesday. Hagel also is considering a presidential bid _ perhaps as an independent.

He said Gonzales "has lost the moral authority to lead."

The same is being said of Wolfowitz after a World Bank committee found that he broke ethics rules by arranging a large raise for his girlfriend. After allowing the controversy to simmer for days, the White House signaled a willingness to see Wolfowitz go.

"This has certainly been a bruising episode for the bank," White House press secretary Tony Snow said.

The Wolfowitz episode will eventually end _ and so will the controversies surrounding Gonzales. But the system in which these two men flourished will still be broken.

___

EDITOR'S NOTE _ Ron Fournier has covered politics for The Associated Press for nearly 20 years.