Gonzales?

Now the hints before the Roberts nomination ended up being all wrong. When Laura Bush told NBC's Today that she wanted a woman nominee prior to the Roberts nomination, everyone pounced, including me (the evidence is here). One thing that there is no debate upon is the level of secrecy this White House has used with all of its decisions. So there really is no point in speculating who Bush's decision may be based upon what we incorrectly believe to be test balloons. Regardless, I will do just that.

William Kristol wrote a column for the Weekly Standard today about the worrisome prospect (to him) of an nomination Alberto Gonzales. Kristol's reasons to worry are based on two premises. First, that Bush is very loyal to his team. A circumspect inspection of his most powerful aides confirms this undying loyalty. The selection of Dick Cheney, John Bolton, Paul Wolfowitz, Condaleeza Rice, and Donald Rumsfeld (especially sticking with Rummy despite the whole bungling of everything) all seem purely out of dedication those who helped Bush get where he is today. Alberto Gonzales is included in this tight-knit group of advisors and given Bush's track record, it would not be out of character for him to nominate Gonzales because of his trust in him. Second, Kristol is worried because of recent comments by John Cornyn. Kristol explains:

And one worrisome straw in the wind is the comment by Bush loyalist John Cornyn (R-Tex.) in today's Washington Post, who, according to the Post, thinks the nominee will likely be "a woman or a minority." Cornyn offered what the Post described as "a vigorous defense of Gonzales." "He would be a very good nominee and one that I would be happy to support," Cornyn said. "I've read about these concerns from some conservatives, and I really wonder where they are getting some of these strange ideas."

Yikes. One hopes Cornyn is just being polite to Gonzales and Bush. Or has he been asked to lay the groundwork for a Gonzales nomination? Did Cornyn talk with Karl Rove yesterday, between the Roberts announcement and his interview with the Post? If so, we conservative constitutionalists are in real trouble. More important, so is Bush.

Well if Kristol was a little worried earlier today now he is probably downright paranoid. At the end of a cabinet meeting Bush said this about his possible nominee:

“The list is wide open, which should create some good speculation here in Washington,' Mr. Bush said to laughter in the Cabinet Room, with the attorney general sitting directly across from him. 'And make sure you notice when I said that, I looked right at Al Gonzales, who can really create speculation.”

This may be worth Kristol’s intense speculation, but it also may not, given that the test balloon's prior to Roberts were utterly wrong. Regardless, knowledge is power; I hope.

-Mr. Alec