Gonzales losing strength

The president was right Monday when he said a planned vote of "no confidence" in Congress against Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is "pure political theater." No-confidence votes are a hallmark of parliamentary systems of government, not the system set up by the U.S. Constitution.

But President Bush would be well-advised to pay attention to the political fallout of the scandal that has gripped the attorney general's office. As with so many scandals, this one was exacerbated by the way Gonzales handled it. His treatment of valued subordinates has been shameful.

First, Utahn D. Kyle Sampson resigned as Gonzales' chief of staff, taking blame for the political furor that accompanied the firings of eight U.S. attorneys, allegedly for political reasons. Then, Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty resigned. One day later, Gonzales laid the blame for the entire scandal on McNulty, saying he alone would know best about the "qualifications and experiences of the United States attorney community, and he signed off on the names (to be fired)."

In addition, Justice Department White House liaison Monica Goodling has resigned because of the scandal.

At some point, the attorney general himself has to stand up and take responsibility. With competent people resigning all around him, Gonzales has put himself close to the age-old dilemma that faces leaders under fire. The more they cast blame on others, the more they appear to have little control over the people they were assigned to lead.

Many in Congress are concerned that all of this adds up to a situation that threatens public trust in the Justice Department. Indeed, the department is supposed to concern itself with enforcing the law, free from undue political influence. But like many recent scandals, this one probably doesn't resonate much with the average person on the street.

The bigger concerns are political. Gonzales may well be losing the ability to work with Congress on routine matters. He may have great difficulty getting the Senate to confirm a replacement as deputy attorney general. Testimony last week by a former deputy attorney general that Gonzales tried to pressure former Attorney General John Ashcroft into approving an eavesdropping program while Ashcroft was in intensive care only adds to the problem.

The no-confidence vote, if it comes, will indeed be theater. But the larger issues are refusing to exit the stage until Gonzales does.