Another comment from Newt from Monday that seems relevant today was his comment about the public’s lack of faith in government… Newt said (paraphrased, from my notes) ”When Bush said, ‘Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job,’ after what they had seen on their television screens for the previous five or six days, the people said, ‘you must be out of your mind!’”

On that note, Captain Ed writes in the latest developments of the Alberto Gonzales saga, “If the White House is shrinking from a confirmation hearing on a replacement for Gonzales, it should remember that the DoJ serves the nation, and the nation deserves a competent and capable chief for this critical point in history. If Bush clings to Gonzales out of a sense of loyalty, then he should consider the damage that personal loyalty has done to his own credibility and the credibility of federal law enforcement. Gonzales is a mistake he can rectify, and Bush should do so immediately.”

Over at Red State, Pejman wants a strictly-metaphorical Fredo applied to the Attorney General.

I would remind these gentlemen that we are talking about a President who maxed out his political-capital credit cards on an amnesty deal that was loathed by his own base, and who, when it was defeated the first time, responded, “I’ll see you at the bill signing.” How on earth does anyone see him dropping Gonzales?

We’ve heard a lot of talk about the delicate balance GOP candidates have to strike when they have to distance themselves from President Bush. With judgment like this on certain issues, and approval ratings to match, why should any Republican candidate fear disagreeing with the president?