The memory man

'By the time the end came, I had begun to think of Alberto Gonzales as Bartleby the Attorney General. Everyone -- well, nearly everyone -- wanted him to go, but he preferred not to. Like the maddening scrivener of Melville's short story who would not leave his job, Gonzales was possessed of a "wonderful mildness." Senators of both parties might rage at his transparent evasions, but "not a wrinkle of agitation rippled him." He was passive in the face of partisan and even bipartisan aggression.'

Ruth Marcus dissects the President's man; further analysis from the WaPo is here.

Meanwhile the NY Times has a stinging editorial: "Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has finally done something important to advance the cause of justice. He has resigned." Aziz Huq in The Nation notes the Justice Department's disregard for the rule of law, while Mother Jones lists some of those who have failed upwards.