Alberto Gonzales couldnt manage his way out of a paper bag. In fact, his administrative abilities are so poor that the entirety of his staff seems to be either on their way out or incompetent or both. Were he the lead key at Jack In The Box, this would be bad. But Big Als the Attorney General of the United States and head of the Department of Justice. So it becomes a bit bigger issue.

First Alberto fired eight US Attorneys for political reasons. Then his chief of staff, Kyle Sampson, resigned amidst the furor. Sampson then testified under oath that his boss was lying about the firings. Now comes a double human resources headache for Big Al.

First came the news that four Assistant US Attorneys in Minnesota took a voluntary demotion rather than work with one of his toadies.

Its a major shakeup at the offices of new U.S. Attorney Rachel Paulose. Four of her top staff voluntarily demoted themselves Thursday, fed up with Paulose, who, after just months on the job, has earned a reputation for quoting Bible verses and dressing down underlings.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney John Marti is just one of the people dropping themselves in rank to simply a U.S. Attorney position. Also making the move are the heads of Pauloses criminal and civil divisions, James Lackner and Erica Mozangue, respectively. All three, according to a spokeswoman for Paulose, have "decided to go back to being prosecutors."

Reportedly, the office's top administrator, Tim Anderson, also has given up his management role.

The move is intended to send a message to Washington that 33-year-old Paulose is in over her head.

Well, we know how good the Bush Administration is at getting messages! Im sure theyll take the hint.

While Paulose has not yet been implicated directly in the firing scandal (yet), shes certainly got some strong connections to it.

She was a special assistant to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, worked as a senior counsel for deputy attorney general Paul McNulty and is best buds with Monica Goodling the assistant U.S. Attorney who recently took the Fifth rather than testify before Congress.

Which brings us to Fun Big Al Managerial Story #2 for the day. The aforementioned Goodling just resigned. Boy, does he know how to pick em!

Goodling was among the senior Justice Department officials who participated in meetings and e-mail exchanges about the planned dismissals. She went on paid leave as the controversy grew.

In a brief letter to Gonzales, Goodling gave no reason for her resignation but said it would be effective Saturday.

"I am hereby submitting my resignation to the Office of the Attorney General, effective April 7, 2007. It has been an honor to have served at the Department of Justice for the past five years," Goodling wrote.

"May God bless you richly as you continue your service to America," she wrote in the letter.

Yes, Alberto. May God bless you richly as you continue your shitty, shitty service to America. Amen.

Horrorflick

Detroit, MI

February 2003

APR 07, 2007 10:46 AM

Just shows you what "outsourcing" your government does for you. (Didn't the current administration make such a big deal out of him being the "son of migrant workers" and all that horseshit?) He is such a complete douche. (I don't have anything against "migrant" workers, but I do so love to see this administration bite itself in the ass, again and again, even if I'm on the receiving end of it!) This whole administration is the boss' son who works over you just because he has a pulse and is related to the boss. (I used to work at a bookstore where the fucktard offspring of the people who owned it worked there, he tried to tell me what to do (I ignored him most of the time) while sneaking porn out of there on a regular basis!)

ericwine

Charlotte Hall, MD

January 2007

APR 07, 2007 10:52 AM

Gonzales is definitely over his head as AG. He should've stayed on the Texas Supreme Court instead of following Bush to DC. More of the general incompetence that pemeates the Administration.

cunninglinquist

Quakertown, PA

November 2003

APR 07, 2007 12:03 PM

no it is the rats jumping off the burning ship