Gonzales Likely to Disappoint

This USA Today editorial about the attorney general's prepared statement suggests that he "seems to miss the central point: Did he fulfill his duty to keep the nation's most powerful prosecutors independent, or did he allow them to become a political extension of the White House?"

The editorial proposes some excellent questions for the attorney general:

"* Which time were you telling the truth? . . .

"* If you weren't involved, why not? . . .

"* Why was David Iglesias, the U.S. attorney in New Mexico, fired? . . .

"* What role did the president's chief political strategist, Karl Rove, play? . . .

"* Have you ever given President Bush advice he didn't like?"

About Iglesias

The extent of President Bush's personal involvement in the purge also remains a mystery. The first evidence that it may have been substantial emerged over the weekend, as Mike Gallagher wrote in the Albuquerque Journal: "Former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias was fired after Sen. Pete Domenici, who had been unhappy with Iglesias for some time, made a personal appeal to the White House, the Journal has learned. . . .

"In the spring of 2006, Domenici told Gonzales he wanted Iglesias out.

"Gonzales refused. He told Domenici he would fire Iglesias only on orders from the president.

"At some point after the election last Nov. 6, Domenici called Bush's senior political adviser, Karl Rove, and told him he wanted Iglesias out and asked Rove to take his request directly to the president.

"Domenici and Bush subsequently had a telephone conversation about the issue.