I don’t have any sources in the Gonzales inner circle, but people I talked to gave two possible reasons for the timing: 1) the classic Washington calculation that when you’re an embattled official it’s best to resign when there is a lull in the action so you can say you’re leaving under your own power; 2) Gonzales had more time to reflect on his situation and how it was affecting the department when he wasn’t preparing for a congressional hearing every other week and realized he was too much of a distraction for the department. Fwiw…