Now, I know that the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is a cause of joy to all patriotic Americans who love their country, but I admit I’m a little sad. It’s not just that it’s inevitable that Bush will replace him with someone who’s just as committed to putting politics over law (ideally someone who has already fouled up one Federal agency and has been rejected by the Republican Senate twice on grounds of incompetency), or that Gonzales’s departure probably won’t help bring the rest of the administration to justice.
No, it’s that the man was such a master of comedy, bringing an almost dada-esque level of absurdity to an administration that has gotten so weird that parodying it is, frankly, impossible (it’s like trying to spoof Monty Python; you just can’t parody parody). Who can forget classic exchanges like this:
GONZALES: I clarified that question with the reporters.
SENATOR: So what, exactly, did you tell the reporters?
GONZALES: I didn’t talk to the reporters.
SENATOR: Okay. So what did your spokesperson tell the reporters?
GONZALES: I don’t know.
Only Gonzales could deliver that kind of dialog with the proud smirk that said, "I’m untouchable and you know it, so bite on that, losers!" I think that what Congress failed to understand was that Gonzales was an underappreciated master of absurd whimsy.
Perhaps the government’s loss will be the Improv’s gain. I’d bet that Gonzales will show up on Whose Line Is It, Anyway?
Of course, Fred Clarke over at Slacktivist raises some interesting questions as well. Like the so-called "Liar’s Paradox": If Alberto Gonzales says he retires, can we believe him? Or, can Alberto Gonzales make a rock so big that even he can’t pretend it isn’t there?