Analysis: Gonzales a Lesson in Cronyism

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales pauses while announcing his resignation at the Justice Department in Washington, Monday, Aug. 27, 2007. Gonzales, the nation's first Hispanic attorney general, announced his resignation Monday, ending a standoff with congressional critics over his honesty and competence at the helm of the Justice Department. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak) (Charles Dharapak - AP)

Gonzales later denied under oath that he pressured the ailing Ashcroft to re-certify the "terrorist surveillance program," testimony contradicted by FBI Director Robert S. Mueller and former Deputy Attorney General James Comey.

As attorney general, he told Congress in 2005 that the president was fully empowered to eavesdrop on Americans without warrants as part of the war on terror.

Under his and Ashcroft's watch, the FBI improperly and, in some cases, illegally obtained personal information about people in the United States.

His testimony about the firings of several U.S. attorneys was contradicted at least three times during congressional hearings _ once by Gonzales himself.

This was the most avoidable controversy, because the president has every right to fire federal prosecutors. But Gonzales kept changing his story and dodging direct questions, giving his critics the rope to hang him.

In testimony before Congress, Gonzales answered "I don't know" and "I can't recall" scores of times, and even some Republicans said his testimony was evasive.

True to form, Bush praised Gonzales' performance and said the attorney general was "honest" and "honorable."

"Honest" was not a word many lawmakers would use to describe Gonzales' testimony.

"Alberto Gonzales is the first attorney general who thought the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth were three different things," said Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill.

Earlier this month, the president grew irritated when asked about accountability in his administration.

"Implicit in your questions is that Al Gonzales did something wrong," Bush replied testily at a news conference. "I haven't seen Congress say he's done anything wrong."

Actually, many in Congress had accused Gonzales of wrongdoing. But the president was not listening to anybody who called Gonzales a hack or crony.