Fredo the Fraidy Cat

In another strange twist, U.S. Attorney General Alberto “Fredo” Gonzales was forced to seek shelter Wednesday in a much-beleaguered institution these days – a U.S. Attorney’s office. Gonzales was in Boise, Idaho, to deliver a speech on anti-gang efforts in the state. However, his chances for a favorable public appearance took a downturn upon the arrival of about 100 noisy but very peaceful protesters bearing signs accusing Gonzales of torture, corruption, and cronyism. He decided to retreat, and his handlers announced that instead of the promised public speech there would be a press-only afternoon news conference at the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The scandal at the DOJ related to politically-motivated prosecutions and suspicious dismissals of U.S. Attorneys has spread well beyond the Beltway, and Americans are demanding justice. Fueling his problems are disclosures of Gonzales’s continued advocacy of torture – a felony, his opposition to the closure of the Guantanamo concentration camps, and his obstruction of several pending Congressional investigations. This is the second incident in recent months in which Gonzales has fled before protesting crowds – the last involved his own classmates at Harvard Law School. Perhaps “Fredo” would do well to flee to his family’s famous Lake Tahoe redoubt – though there’s a serious fire burning there, too.