but alberto gonzales is such a smarmy SOB i just want to smack the smirk off his face. i don’t know how much of this hearing i’m going to be able to stomach.

more updates as events warrant, and so long as i can keep from vomiting my breakfast on my laptop.

update 10:30 a.m.: after trying to dodge the questions posed by specter, gonzales is visibly squirming in his chair during kennedy’s grilling. his eyebrows are running into each other. he’s getting shiny on the forehead. this pleases me.

good grief. “senator, that’s a good question.” of course it’s a good question you nimrod, that’s why he’s asking it. q: “did you speak to anyone else in the DOJ about the performance of any of these US attorneys prior to their firings?” a: “there may have been other discussions… i don’t want to leave you with the impression there were no other discussions.”

update 11:02 a.m.: yuck. i feel like handing orrin hatch a tissue. he seems to think he’s gonzales’ personal fluffer.

but feinstein is good: “you’re testifying to us that you made these decisions without ever looking at the performance reports?” gonzales: “senator, that is correct.” feinstein: “that’s what i wanted to know.”

update 11:59 a.m.: i’m glad to see jeff sessions, while looking a lot like orrin hatch, is far less the brown noser/image rehabilitator.

leahy: “how can you be sure you made the decision?” gonzales: “senator, i recall making the decision.” leahy: “when?” gonzales: “senator, i don’t recall when the decision was made.”

boy.

12:18 p.m.: there’s a puddle of blood under gonzales’ chair. it may be because schumer just reamed him a new one. schumer’s not happy with gonzales’ office pushing a plan to circumvent senate confirmation of u.s. attorneys.

12:48, the hearing has recessed for lunch. schumer is flirting with the press. “here is somebody who has performed so poorly, who doesn’t have the trust of both sides of the aisle, in terms of veracity, in terms of management, and who doesn’t have the trust of the american people. and is the administration so in their bunker that they’re going to keep him? … look. i think anyone who watched this testimony would say we can do better for attorney general. in fact, anyone who watched this testimony would say he seems to be far less qualified than the u.s. attorneys he’s firing.”