Today’s Must Read

We may never see his like again. Well, at least not until the confirmation hearings for his successor.

Alberto Gonzales, the Justice Department’s master of disaster, has resigned as U.S. Attorney General. Whenever there’s been a Bush administration scandal, the president’s longtime confidante has been there — from torture to warrantless surveillance to the U.S. attorney firings that ultimately proved to be his downfall. Two weeks ago, Patrick Leahy (D-VT), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, asked the department’s inspector general to open a perjury investigation into Gonzales.

Well, now Leahy won’t have Gonzales to kick around anymore. From the New York Times story breaking the news of his departure:

Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, whose tenure has been marred by controversy and accusations of perjury before Congress, has resigned. A senior administration official said he would announce the decision later this morning in Washington.

Mr. Gonzales, who had rebuffed calls for his resignation, submitted his to President Bush by telephone on Friday, the official said. His decision was not immediately announced, the official added, until after the president invited him and his wife to lunch at his ranch near here.

Mr. Bush has not yet chosen a replacement but will not leave the position open long, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the Attorney General’s resignation had not yet been made public.

Mr. Bush had repeatedly stood by Mr. Gonzales, an old friend and colleague from Texas, even as he faced increasing scrutiny for his leadership of the Justice Department, including his role in the dismissals of nine United States attorneys late last year and questions about whether he testified truthfully about the National Security Agency’s surveillance programs.

The administration is sticking with the line that Gonzales did nothing wrong. An anonymous official is quoted as saying, “The unfair treatment that he’s been on the receiving end of has been a distraction for the department,” the official said. For a roundup of what Gonzales did to receive such “unfair treatment,” our own Paul Kiel compiled a list of the now-vanquished AG’s greatest hits.

Gonzales is expected to have a press conference at 10:30 or so. Stay tuned.