Amanda notes something rather interesting. While John Ashcroft and Dick Thornburgh attended today’s ritual swearing in ceremony for Michael Mukasey, Gonzales did not.
This morning, Michael Mukasey was officially sworn in as the 81stAttorney General of the United States. At the beginning of his remarks,President Bush thanked officials for joining him, including formerAttorneys General John Ashcroft and Dick Thornburgh. Missing from theceremony? Alberto Gonzales:
There’s actually this weird outbreak of applause after Bush welcomes the two former AGs. What is that about?
I think the attendees list is really interesting for a number of reasons: it was a Republican event, with Senators Scottish Haggis Specter, Lindsey Graham, and Sam Brownback attending, but with the notable absence of Chuck Schumer. So it’s as if the event gave Mukasey the seal of approval of the Republican establishment.
On another note, Dick Thornburgh most recently made the news in DC with his testimony to HJC on politicized prosecutions. So they invite Dick Thornburgh, but Gonzales doesn’t show?
And there’s one more, critical question that I can’t answer from just the clip Amanda included in her post. Bush welcomes his cabinet members in attendance. But he doesn’t specify whether Dick Cheney was among them?