Lies. Call them what they are: Lies:
Indeed, the administration’s changing explanations for the dismissals seem to be at the heart of the current clash, which both Republicans and Democrats say could cost Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales his job.So many ways to say that Bush Administration officials are lying without just saying it.
On Friday, with the release of more e-mail messages, there was yet another shift, as Tony Snow, the White House spokesman, backed away from the administration’s assertion that Harriet E. Miers, the former White House counsel, had proposed dismissing all 93 United States attorneys. Dan Bartlett, counselor to Mr. Bush, said earlier this week that Ms. Miers had “floated an idea” to do just that, but by Friday, Mr. Snow said he was no longer certain.
“This is as far as we can go,” Mr. Snow said. “We know that Karl had a recollection of Harriet’s having raised it. And his recollection is that he dismissed it as not a good idea. That’s what we know.”
That was not the first recalibration in light of new facts. On Jan. 18, Mr. Gonzales told the Senate Judiciary Committee that his department based employment decisions on “the performance of individuals.” Then performance evaluations for six of eight dismissed prosecutors came to light, showing they had been rated “well regarded,” “capable” or “very competent.”
