Leahy already throwing down gauntlet for next A.G.

The L.A. Times is reporting that Senator Leahy, in anticipation of a possible Gonzales resignation and continued stonewalling in regards to the testimony of White House officials, is saying that his committee (judiciary) will not hold confirmation hearings for any potential future nominees unless Karl Rove and other White House aides testify about the firing of U.S. attorneys to clarify whether "the White House has interfered with prosecution."

Of course, whether it be because of that special channel of communication he has with the Almighty, the years of coke and alcohol abuse, or just sheer stupidity/brain damage, Bush more than likely will dig in and keep Gonzales on. But as Elizabeth Holzmann reports, it very might well be in Bush's own personal interest to not let Speedy Gonzales go:

All this is reminiscent of the Watergate scandal. In 1973, as the coverup was unraveling, the Senate imposed a condition on the confirmation of President Nixon's nominee for attorney general, Elliot Richardson. Richardson's predecessor had resigned because of Watergate troubles. Concerned that the Justice Department would not get at the truth, the Senate insisted that Richardson would name a special prosecutor to investigate Watergate. Richardson duly appointed Archibald Cox.

The rest is history. Cox's aggressive investigations led to the prosecution of top administration officials and the naming of Nixon as an unindicted co-conspirator in the coverup. When Cox sought White House tapes of Nixon's conversations with his staff, the president had him fired, unleashing a firestorm of protests. Americans demanded that a previously reluctant Congress start impeachment proceedings against Nixon. Congress complied; the House Judiciary Committee, of which I was a member, voted for impeachment, and Nixon resigned.

Aspects of this history could easily repeat themselves. The Senate could demand, as it did in 1973, that a new attorney general appoint a special prosecutor, and this could again have dire consequences for the White House.

A new special prosecutor would have many questions to investigate.

With a new Bush/GOP related atrocity coming to light nearly every day, who knows where this one may go? Regardless, its reassuring to know that Bush isn't going to have it easy either way on this particular matter.