Alberto Gonzales’s editiorial in the Washington Post is basically a dry-run leading up to his testimony on Tuesday.

“My decision some months ago to privately seek the resignations of a small number of U.S. attorneys has erupted into a public firestorm. First and foremost, I appreciate the public service of these fine lawyers and dedicated professionals, each of whom served his or her full four-year term as U.S. attorney. I apologize to them, their families and the thousands of dedicated professionals at the Justice Department for my role in allowing this matter to spin into an undignified Washington spectacle.

What began as a well-intentioned management effort to identify where, among the 93 U.S. attorneys, changes in leadership might benefit the department, and therefore the American people, has become an unintended public controversy.

While I accept responsibility for my role in commissioning this management review process, I want to make some fundamental points abundantly clear.

I know that I did not — and would not — ask for the resignation of any U.S. attorney for an improper reason. Furthermore, I have no basis to believe that anyone involved in this process sought the removal of a U.S. attorney for an improper reason.

Given my convictions on this issue, I testified before Congress in January and will do so again on Tuesday. I have personally spoken with many members of Congress over the past several weeks to hear their concerns about this matter. Additionally, I have instructed all Justice Department officials to make themselves available for on-the-record interviews with lawmakers and hearings before Congress, and I have ordered the release of thousands of pages of internal documents.

All of these documents and public testimony indicate that the Justice Department did not seek the removal of any U.S. attorney to interfere with or improperly influence any case or investigation. Indeed, I am extremely proud of the department’s strong record of vigorous prosecutions, particularly in the area of public corruption, where Republicans and Democrats alike have been held accountable for their crimes.

I have nevertheless asked the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility to further investigate this matter. Working with the department’s Office of Inspector General, these nonpartisan professionals will complete their own independent investigation so that Congress and the American people can be 100 percent assured of what I believe and what the investigation thus far has shown: that nothing improper occurred.”

And nothing has occurred except the Democrat tactic of criminalizing politics. Gonzales is wrong – as are others – that this firestorm began with his handling of the issue. Rabid BDS Democrats began this issue by taking a constitutional prerogative of the President of the United States and attempting to make it look like a criminal enterprise.

Using their template for criminalization Bill Clinton for lying under oath about having a flig with Monica would have been shot, then hung in the Rotunda, then burned.

As I said on The Macranger Show yesterday, nothing is going to satisfy ass-clowns like Leahy, Conyers, Schumer, because to them it’s not about Gonzales. It’s about getting Karl Rove because that means they move to their prime objective who is President Bush himself. It’s always been about “Get Bush”. For the next two years it’s all Democrats are about.

While the President is protecting us against real enemies abroad – and doing a great job, Democrats have declared war on Bush. When the left takes exception at us on the right using the world “treason” I can’t think of any other act more treasonist than attacking the President of the United States on every front, while we have troops in the field actively in battle.

Still I’m glad that the President has stood behind Gonzales knowing full well that handing up one scalp (as with Rumsfeld) won’t satisfy these dogs. Unforturnately some on the right have joined in the feeding frenzy with their own pre-determined bias against Gonzales that predated this story.

After 3000+ documents – you wonder if that would have ever happened under Clinton – and open testimony, not one shred of evidence has surfaced showing anything other than the matter could have been handled better. That’s not a reason for Gonzales to step down simply because he didn’t handle the situation the way Leahy and Schumer think he ough have.