Matt Ortega

In the New York Times on Sunday, former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is unable to find a job after he was forced to resign from his post last year.

He has, through friends, put out inquiries, they said, and has not found any takers. What makes Mr. Gonzales’s case extraordinary is that former attorneys general, the government’s chief lawyer, are typically highly sought.

The Times report states that Gonzales has not held a full-time job since he left the Bush administration in utter disgrace over the politicized firings of U.S. attorneys, warrantless domestic surveillance, and institutionalized torture. Instead, Gonzales is living off paid speeches and the lecture circuit — speaking engagements that often draw protests.

Read the full story here.

(Hat tip: John Amato, Crooks & Liars)

After months of unfair treatment that has created a harmful distraction at the Justice Dept. … It’s sad. (pause) That we live in a time when a talented and honorable person like Alberto Gonzales is impeding from doing important because his good name was dragged through the mud for political reasons.

–President George W. Bush
(Crooks & Liars, 08/27/07)

President Bush’s statement is beyond laughable. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was opposite the truth on the U.S. attorneys at every turn. He contradicted himself under oath on numerous occasions. Gonzales damaged himself so bad politically that even Republicans were questioning the integrity of his statements and testimony.

These are the “accomplishments” that Bush felt he had to point out in order to defend Gonzales’ good name?

• Cracking down on online child sex predators: I believe Mark Foley is still on the streets and what happened to those slew of Department of Homeland Security officials that were nabbed on related charges?
• Enforcing civil rights protections? The Civil Rights Division was one of the most politicized offices in the entire Justice Department.
• Cracking down on corruption? Evidence suggests that the Justice Department, with Gonzales at the helm, was actually impeding corruption cases, such as with the firing of U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California, Carol Lam, who successfully prosecuted former Congressman Randall “Duke” Cunningham (R-San Diego, Calif.).

Dragging names through the mud for political reasons? This administration has made that an art form.