More Signs From Congress That Gonzales Is In Big Trouble

There are yet more signs that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is in big trouble with politicos of BOTH parties in Congress — even though he seemingly enjoys the solid backing of President George W. Bush who is brushing aside bipartisan calls for Gonzales to be replaced:

The White House scrambled Sunday to move up Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’ planned testimony to Congress about his involvement in firing eight federal prosecutors, only to get a cold shoulder from majority Democrats.

The reason is clear: the drip-drip-drip of damaging news stories about the firing of Republican-appointed prosecutors who many believe were booted out of their jobs because they wouldn’t go after Democrats fast enough and went after Republicans too quickly is taking a huge political toll. MORE:

The effort reflected the frustration by Republican senators and the White House over how long it is taking the embattled attorney general to explain himself under oath. Congress has just begun a vacation — one week for the Senate, two for the House

But here’s the worst news for Gonzales and Bush:

In a sign of Gonzales’ diminished standing on Capitol Hill, the Senate GOP leader offered lukewarm support for the nation’s top law enforcer, whose inconsistent explanations about the dismissals have become a distraction for the Bush administration.

Asked directly if he has confidence in Gonzales, Sen. Mitch McConnell (news, bio, voting record), R-Ky., said: “I can honestly say the president does.”

That’s about as damning an answer to a direct question without actually saying “no” as you’ll find. And McConnell’s explanation of that wasn’t much friendlier:

“What I can tell you at the moment is that he enjoys the support of the president, for whom he works,” he said. “I think most Republican senators are willing to give the attorney general a chance to come up before the Judiciary Committee and give his side of the story.”

If there are more news stories and contradictions on the horizon, look for some of the politeness and diplomacy evident here to start evaporating. Particularly if the controversy surrounding Gonzales’ role in the firing of the prosecutors begins to hurt Republicans in national and local opinion polls.