CodePink Steals the Gonzo Show

As you can see from this NY Times photo, Alberto Gonzales was having a terrible time finding the right words. So the ever-so-helpful women of Code Pink read his mind and shared his thoughts with the world. Poor Gonzo wishes his thoughts hadn't betrayed him quite so starkly...

They also tallied the number of times he said "I don't recall" and got right to the bottom line: resign.

For the Pentagon Post's ever-sarcastic Dana Milbank, Code Pink served as a mocking greek chorus:

The audience included demonstrators from the liberal group Code Pink, about 15 people in orange prison jumpsuits with the name "Gonzales" on them, pink tiaras proclaiming "Justice," a black hood and a large Gonzales mask. When Gonzales took his place early after a lunch break, the demonstrators taunted him until he and his party retreated backstage. When the hearing ended, the activists treated the nation's top law enforcement official to a version of "Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye)."

Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) did little to quiet the demonstrators and their occasional shouts of "Resign!" and "Stop lying!" In Leahy's defense, the protesters' sentiments were hard to distinguish from the Republican senators'.

Graham, paraphrasing Gonzales's explanation that the fired prosecutors weren't "the right people at the right time," asked: "If I applied that standard to you, what would you say?" The Code Pinkers erupted in laughter.

Even Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), the lone member of the committee to attempt a defense of Gonzales, twice called the matter "poorly handled."

Specter, scolding the witness for "not being candid," pointed out: "I know you've been preparing for this hearing."

"I prepare for every hearing, senator," Gonzales replied, acidly.

Specter glared at the witness and hectored him about his past misstatements. "I don't think you're going to win a debate about your preparation, frankly," he said. This, too, delighted the orange-jumpsuit crowd.

If you don't know much about Code Pink, here's a great video by the Pentagon Post.