The US Senate Monday was considering an unusual vote of no-confidence US Attorney General Alberto Go

[Tie]

Washington (eCanadaNow) - The US Senate Monday was considering an unusual vote of no-confidence US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, a top confidante of the US president who is in the firing line even by members of his own party for politicizing the US justice system. Democrats and some Republicans in Congress have demanded the resignation of Gonzales, a longtime friend of US President George W Bush. In the meantime, the Senate debated the no-confidence proposal.

At issue in the scandal is whether Gonzales allowed Republican political meddling in the firing of the prosecutors. The Bush administration justified the firings, saying the prosecutors were not performing their jobs up to standard.

Gonzales has changed explanations of the firings, initially saying he knew few details.

But some of his underlings have testified to Congress that Gonzales had been working for two years on the firing in collaboration with the White House.

Some of the prosecutors say they were fired because they refused to cave in to political pressure to prosecute certain cases. The scandal has already spawned three justice department resignations.

Bush, on a visit to Sofia, Bulgaria, dismissed the planned vote as "meaningless" and "political" and said it would have "no bearing on whether he serves in office or not."

Republican and Democratic senators said the political machinations had undermined the rule of law, a cornerstone of US democracy.

Senator Charles Schumer admitted it was "unusual" to have a no- confidence vote on a Cabinet officer, but it's "just as unusual to have an attorney general not in charge of his department" who contradicts himself "time after time after time."

Oh just FIRE him NOW... Only in the US gov\'t is someone who\'s incompetent allowed to keep his job. I\'d like to be attorney general, nomatter what I\'d keep my job!