Alberto Gonzales resigns
Major news development on this Monday morning. The Attorney General has resigned. Cable news reporters are speculating that the replacement will be Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff:
Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, whose tenure has been marred by controversy and accusations of perjury before Congress, has resigned. A senior administration official said he would announce the decision later this morning in Washington.
Mr. Gonzales, who had rebuffed calls for his resignation, submitted his to President Bush by telephone on Friday, the official said. His decision was not immediately announced, the official added, until after the president invited him and his wife to lunch at his ranch near here.
Mr. Bush has not yet chosen a replacement but will not leave the position open long, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the Attorney General's resignation had not yet been made public.
Mr. Bush had repeatedly stood by Mr. Gonzales, an old friend and colleague from Texas, even as he faced increasing scrutiny for his leadership of the Justice Department, including his role in the dismissals of nine United States attorneys late last year and questions about whether he testified truthfully about the National Security Agency's surveillance programs.
"...names she does not share.."
Feinstein gave no names. She is signaling Bush that if he throws some sweet defense contracts at her hubby Blum, she will vote for Bush's candidate. Then she will claim it was her recommendation.This is how she works at her job. Very clever, that Diane Feinstein.
Katrina Report Spreads
Katrina Report Spreads Blame
Homeland Security, Chertoff Singled Out
By Spencer S. Hsu
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, February 12, 2006; Page A01
Hurricane Katrina exposed the U.S. government's failure to learn the lessons of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, as leaders from President Bush down disregarded ample warnings of the threat to New Orleans and did not execute emergency plans or share information that would have saved lives, according to a blistering report by House investigators.
A draft of the report, to be released publicly Wednesday, includes 90 findings of failures at all levels of government, according to a senior investigation staffer who requested anonymity because the document is not final. Titled "A Failure of Initiative," it is one of three separate reviews by the House, Senate and White House that will in coming weeks dissect the response to the nation's costliest natural disaster.
The 600-plus-page report lays primary fault with the passive reaction and misjudgments of top Bush aides, singling out Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, the Homeland Security Operations Center and the White House Homeland Security Council, according to a 60-page summary of the document obtained by The Washington Post. Regarding Bush, the report found that "earlier presidential involvement could have speeded the response" because he alone could have cut through all bureaucratic resistance.
The report, produced by an 11-member House select committee of Republicans chaired by Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.), proposes few specific changes. But it is an unusual compendium of criticism by the House GOP, which generally has not been aggressive in its oversight of the administration.
The report portrays Chertoff, who took the helm of the department six months before the storm, as detached from events. It contends he switched on the government's emergency response systems "late, ineffectively or not at all," delaying the flow of federal troops and materiel by as much as three days.
blame all around
Any report of the Katrina disaster should emphasize that the primary failure was local. The maintenance of the levee system which protected New Orleans was the responsibility of the City of New Orleans and the State of Louisiana. It came as no surprise to Louisiana and City authorities that the levee system was inadequate- this has been known for many decades. These authorities applied no remedy but played a game of Russian roulette with the citizens of New Orleans. Remember that William Jefferson represented New Orleans. Do not let the shortcomings of FEMA officials obscure the question of blame, but apportion blame as it is due.
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Diane Feinstein
Reportedly has submitted to Bush some candidates for US Attorney General. These names she does not share with the public. From Wikipedia:
Between 2001 and 2006[23], Diane Feinstein served as the ranking member of the United States Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies, also known as the "MILCON" subcommittee. Feinstein also served as chair of the MILCON subcommittee when the Democrats controlled the Senate in 2001 and 2002.
While on the MILCON subcommitte, Feinstein voted for appropriations worth billions of dollars to firms owned by her husband, Richard C. Blum.[5] This included millions of dollars in contracts awarded to Blum's Perini Corporation to provide goods and services in Iraq and Afghanistan.[24]
In view of the above and for other reasons, Diane Feinstein should not try to influence the selection of the new AG candidate.