Meirihluti Bandaríkjamanna telja Gonzales og Bush hafa gengið of langt

Samkvæmt könnun Newsweek telur mikill meirihluti Bandaríkjamanna þeirrar skoðunar að brottrekstur alríkissaksóknaranna hafi verið pólítísk hreinsun.

Fifty-eight percent of those surveyed–including 45 percent of Republicans–say the ouster of the federal prosecutors was driven by political concerns. Those attitudes seem to reflect a broader view of the Bush administration’s approach. When asked if the administration has introduced politics into too many areas of government, 47 percent said they agree.

Innan repúblíkanaflokksins eru líka æ háværari kröfur um að Gonzales segi af sér og að forsetinn fari að reyna að sýna smá stjórnunarhæfileika. Fjórði þingmaður flokksins, Paul Gillmor (R-OH) hefur opinberlega lýst því yfir að Bush verði að reka dómsmálaráðherrann, sem hafi orðið

a lightning rod and has distracted from the mission of the Department of Justice

Heimildamenn CBS segja hins vegar að stjórnin glími þessa dagana við alvarlegri veruleikafirringu en venjulega, og að forsetinn ætli ekki að láta neinn segja sér fyrir verkum:

The fallout from the firings continues to grow in Washington, and sources tell CBS News that it looks like Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will take the fall.

Republicans close to the White House tell CBS News chief White House correspondent Jim Axelrod that President Bush is in “his usual posture: pugnacious, that no one is going to tell him who to fire.” But sources also said Gonzales’ firing is just a matter of time.

The White House is bracing for a weekend of criticism and more calls for Gonzales to go. One source tells CBS News he’s never seen the administration in such deep denial, and Republicans are growing increasingly restless for the president to take action.

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