Gonzales bids farewell on final day

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, on his final day at the Justice Department, bid farewell to employees in a speech that highlighted the agency's fight against terror and made no mention of the controversies that drove him from the job.

Gonzales, 52, announced his resignation Aug. 27 after months of accusations that he misled Congress about the firing of nine federal prosecutors and the handling of an anti- terrorist spying program. President George W. Bush is likely to nominate a successor next week.

As the U.S.'s chief law enforcement officer, Gonzales said the Sept. 11 attacks "came to define" much of his tenure.

"As I depart, I wish that I could tell you that our work is done, that there are no threats. But I cannot," Gonzales said at the agency's Washington headquarters. "Our enemy is resourceful and determined."

Gonzales, who was surrounded on stage by his top deputies and law enforcement chiefs, received a standing ovation at the beginning and end of a 90-minute ceremony honoring his time at the department. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice attended, as did Washington lawyer Theodore Olson, one of the top contenders to replace Gonzales.

A large group of protesters, many of whom have followed Gonzales for most of the year to congressional hearings and public speeches, stood outside the department chanting into bullhorns and carrying signs praising his departure. One banner read: "Bye Bye Gonzo."

Paul Clement, the Justice Department's top Supreme Court lawyer, will take over as acting attorney general until the Senate confirms a replacement.