Confidence

I read this morning that President Bush's White House spokesperson says the President has "confidence" in Attorney General Gonzales. And I think that is just "swell" after the man offered such a profound answer under questioning, time and time again. "I don't recall" was Mr. Gonzales' response numerous times. Now, he's an attorney, the top one in the nation, as a matter of fact and I just wonder, if he were questioning a witness, how he would receive that response time and time again. Would he think the witness was truly that forgetful? Would he think that witness should be accountable for the answers? Would he think that witness should hold such a high position with that kind of memory? I mean really, the people that were fired, were answerable to him. So, if they were doing a poor enough job to warrant being fired, wouldn't that be somewhat memorable, especially if they had been under scrutiny for two years? Well, let's say Mr. Gonzales just didn't consider these eight individuals a top priority. I mean he is a busy man, legislating torture and invasion of privacy, so perhaps their job performance wasn't at the top of his list. Then, why did they need to be fired after this long, if their presence, performance, and prolonged "probationary time" is difficult to recall? How does he know they were doing a bad job? But President Bush has "confidence" in Alberto Gonzales. Which makes me wonder how he assesses the people in which he chooses to place his confidence . . . Didn't he have so much confidence in George Tenet, that he kept him from the Clinton administration? And the "slam dunk" advice about invading Iraq? Didn't that just inspire Presidential confidence? Wasn't Brownie doing a heck of job, just a week and a half before he was fired? And didn't he have confidence in Don Rumsfeld's war strategy? I mean we heard "stay the course," until Capital Hill changed sides of the aisle and suddenly there was a new perspective on the course . . . And he had confidence in Harriet Miers. But even by then, his own party was beginning to doubt his vote of confidence. And now, we find members of the GOP making thier own assessment of some the individuals with whom our President gives a great deal of power and authority. And it just does seem a bit odd that an attorney, of all people, would have such difficulty recalling conversations?

Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.