So Long, It's Been Good To Know Ya...

The Friday afternoon "Gosh, we totally forgot about these!" document dump turned up this:

WASHINGTON, March 23 — Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and senior advisers discussed the plan to remove seven United States attorneys at a meeting last Nov. 27, 10 days before the dismissals were carried out, according to a Justice Department calendar entry disclosed Friday.

The previously undisclosed meeting appeared to contradict Mr. Gonzales’s previous statements about his knowledge of the dismissals. He said at a news conference on March 13 that he had not participated in any discussions about the removals, but knew in general that his aides were working on personnel changes involving United States attorneys.

Tasia Scolinos, a Justice Department spokeswoman, told reporters on Friday evening that Mr. Gonzales’s attendance at the hourlong meeting was not inconsistent with his past remarks.

“He tasked his chief of staff to carry this plan forward,” Ms. Scolinos said. “He did not participate in the selection of the U.S. attorneys to be fired. He did sign off on the final list.”

Ms. Scolinos said the meeting was in Mr. Gonzales’s conference room at the Justice Department. The meeting focused on “rollout” of the dismissals, she said, and from available records was not a meeting in which a final target list was determined.

Another department official said that Mr. Gonzales did not recall the meeting and that his aides had been unable to determine whether he approved the dismissal plan then.

Hokay.

Here's the Alberto Gonzales Memorial This Week's Discussion Question:

Hell, why not just say his staff happened to conduct this particular meeting in Vogon, which, unfortunately, Mr. Gonzales does not speak?

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "Hey, Al! Do you need help packing?" or "Y'know, that Bad Memory Defense didn't work too well the last time it got trotted out."

Discuss.

The Name Game

Now that we have this guy at The Barn and this guy looks to be a lock for the rotation, here's a special episode of This Week's Discussion Question:

What other town has two sports figures with better names?

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "How would you insult a guy who goes by 'Tubby'?" or "Booooooooof!"

Discuss.

Hammer Time

Former Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Jack Abramoff) has been making the rounds on the news shows (and on Fox, too) lately encouraging the President to hang tough on the U.S. Attorney firings scandal.

We'll set aside the Haskellian aspect of someone under a felony indictment gushing about what a great job the Department of Justice is doing and instead pose the larger question, which happens to be This Week's Discussion Question:

What? We're out of wooden stakes?

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "Hey, see how we're stocked on garlic cloves" or "We'd better check on the silver bullets, too."

Discuss.

It's the Same Old Song

On the first day of the fifth year of the war in Iraq, President Bush asked for the nation's patience.

Much like he did on:

October 25th, 2006
Conceding Missteps, Bush Urges Patience on Iraq - New York Times

June 14th, 2006
After Iraq Visit, an Upbeat Bush Urges Patience - New York Times

March 13th, 2006
Bush Urges Patience Amid Iraq Violence - CBS News

December 18th, 2005
Asking for Patience, Bush Cites Progress in Iraq - New York Times

November 29th, 2005
Bush: Iraq ‘will take time and patience' - MSNBC.com

June 28th, 2005
Bush urges patience, long view on Iraq war - The Boston Globe

And that's just the first page of Google results for "bush patience iraq", which brings us to This Week's Discussion Question:

How much more patience do you think we have?

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "Hey Rocky! Watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat! This time for sure! Nothin' up m'sleeve...Presto!" or "How long, how long must we sing this song?"

Discuss.

Again.

Dammit.

Ramblin' Gamblin' Man

Charlie Hustle told Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann that "I bet on my team every night," so here's a bonus edition of This Week's Discussion Question:

Is there a dumber guy on the planet than Pete Rose?

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "Well, there's..." or "And...".

Discuss.

Rear View Mirror

Former baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn passed away today at the age of 80.

We at TWDQ HQ thank him for coining the phrase "in the best interests of baseball" and will always fondly remember him sitting umbrella-less in the pouring rain at a prime-time NLCS tilt, trying to a) pretend it wasn't raining and b) decide if he wanted to take the heat from the network if he did the sensible thing and pulled the players off the field.

Mr. Kuhn's tenure takes us back to another much-reviled leader from that era, prompting This Week's Discussion Question:

How frightening is the thought that, compared to the current occupants of their respective offices, the reigns of Bowie Kuhn and Dick Nixon look positively rosy?

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "Hey, the guy DID suspend George Steinbrenner" or curling into a fetal position and trembling.

Discuss.

All Apologies

Irving Lewis "Scooter" Libby batted 1 for 5 today in court and the reaction of many on the right to Scooter's conviction on four counts of perjury and obstructing justice prompts This Week's Discussion Question:

Considering how many people have forgotten what a big deal perjury was when President Clinton was the perjurer-in-question, might there indeed be something to Scooter's "faulty memory" claim?

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "Boy, a guy coulda made a bundle selling fainting couches today" or "I wonder if Vice President Cheney can get assigned a room at Walter Reed, Building 18 while he recovers from his blood clot?"

Discuss.