Gonzales beats hasty retreat

The latest twist in the US Attorney purge has taken an interesting turn. Shortly after USAG Alberto Gonzales dismissed the hubbub as an ``overblown personnel matter,'' he met with Dems on Capitol Hill to make a peace offering.

In an abrupt reversal, Bush will not fight a Democratic-sponsored bill that would cancel the attorney general's power to appoint federal prosecutors without Senate confirmation and Gonzales will allow his aides to testify on the firings without the need of a Congressional subpoena. One wonders if the rumblings among the GOP about the safety of Gonzales' own employment had any effect on that decision.

Meanwhile, Rove apparently didn't get the memo.

``My view is this is unfortunately a very big attempt by some in the Congress to make a political stink about it,'' presidential adviser Karl Rove said Thursday during a speech at the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service.

It's difficult to say whether this reflects on Rove's diminished importance in the White House or is just another Rovian dirty trick to promote disinformation. In any event, it's good news that this back door to appointing US Attorneys will be slammed shut on the administration.