Gonzalez Must Tell the Truth or Say Adios

The lynch mob is out to get U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez, and his survival may depend on whether he can tell the truth — the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

If he had something to do with the politically motivated dismissal of eight U.S. attorneys, as alleged by his accusers, he should admit it and say adios.

But if he was kept in the dark while the White House ordered the firings by dealing directly with his subordinates, he should tell all he knows and let the chips fall where they may.

He should not allow President Bush make him the fall guy for the Machiavellian maneuvers of Karl Rove and other White House political strategists. Those who ordered the dismissals should be the ones who are fired or forced to resign.

Of course, if Gonzales was in on it, he should also resign. All of our 93 U.S. attorneys should be free to function without fear of losing their jobs because their investigations may not please the politicians in power. Without that, our whole system of checks and balances would vanish.

Although federal prosecutors serve at the pleasure of the president, their jobs should not be based on how loyal they are to White House politics. They should have the freedom to investigate all crooks, even those who belong to the party in power.

Gonzales initially denied the White House was involved in the dismissals. He insisted they were performance related. But then he had to apologize when it was revealed that the issue was discussed through e-mails between the Justice Department and the White House.

The e-mails showed that White House officials, particularly political strategist Rove and counsel Harriet Miers, worked with Gonzales' chief of staff, Kyle Sampson, to get some prosecutors dismissed.

Sampson, who resigned as the e-mails became public, released a statement noting that other senior Justice Department officials were aware of the dismissal discussions with the White House "since the election" of 2004.

In his e-mails to the White House, Sampson suggested that U.S. attorneys who have "exhibited loyalty to the president and the attorney general" should be retained, while those who "chafed against administration initiatives" should be removed.

He also clearly understood that those actions could have serious political repercussions.

In a Nov. 15 memo, Sampson urged Miers to run the dismissal plan by Rove's office, as a "pre-execution necessity I would recommend." He added, "I am concerned that to execute this plan properly we must all be on the same page and be steeled to withstand any political upheaval that might result."

Nevertheless, Gonzales has insisted that he was kept in the dark about these e-mail talks. Either way, he doesn't look too good. It means that he is either trying to save his skin or he can't smell the stink under his own nose.

If he was involved, he might as well give up now. Congress plans to hold hearings where Sampson, Rove and Miers could be forced to testify, by subpoena if necessary, and the details of Gonzales' involvement will be revealed.

But if he was truly kept in the dark, if his subordinates were given marching orders based on political considerations while he was kept out of the loop, Gonzales should not allow himself to be used as the fall guy. He should come out and name those who took him for a patsy.

Gonzales, the first Hispanic attorney general, has a lot riding on what happens during the next few days. It's not only his personal reputation that is at stake, but the aspirations of a community that has long sought to prove that they have the talent to play in the major leagues of U.S. politics.

If Gonzales continues to strike out, the whole Hispanic community will suffer a major setback.

That has led some ill-advised TV pundits to predict that if President Bush fires Gonzales, Republicans would lose support from Hispanic voters — as if Latinos were going to support one of their own even if he has done wrong.

Well, not necessarily. If Gonzales is proven to be part of a plot to fire U.S. attorneys based on improper political considerations, Latinos will not blame Republicans for letting him go, or Democrats from seeking his resignation.

In fact, Republicans could really be hurt among Latino voters — but only if we finally determine that the White House used Gonzales as a patsy and then let him take the fall for the transgressions of others.

To find out more about Miguel Perez, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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