Attorney general Alberto Gonzales's April 19 performance before the Senate Judiciary Committee--the appearance in which he admitted he could not remember why he fired some U.S. attorneys--embarrassed many members of his party.(Brief article)

Attorney general Alberto Gonzales's April 19 performance before the Senate Judiciary Committee--the appearance in which he admitted he could not remember why he fired some U.S. attorneys--embarrassed many members of his party. But not, it seems, its most important member. "The attorney general went up and gave a very candid assessment," President Bush said a few days later, "and answered every question he could possibly answer, honestly answer, in a way that increased my confidence in his ability to do the job." What could Gonzales have done that would have decreased the president's confidence in him? It was clear to anyone watching the hearing that Gonzales is not really in control of the Justice Department and that ...