Gonzales joins departure line.

Byline: Susan Palmer The Register-Guard

The end of the Alberto Gonzales era may signal the start of something better, said Congressman Peter DeFazio, who had previously called for the impeachment of the attorney general.

"His departure is key to beginning to rebalance our government," the Springfield Democrat said in a telephone interview from La Pine, where he is vacationing. "With him gone, maybe we'll get an attorney general whose allegiance is to the Constitution instead of to Bush and Cheney, and we can begin to be a government of laws again."

Gonzales was most recently questioned in Senate hearings over whether several federal prosecutors were inappropriately fired for political reasons. And he has faced tough questions on the administration's controversial terrorism surveillance program, which allows eavesdropping without a warrant.

With caveats, Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden called the resignation a welcome turn of events.

"I am concerned that this might be another White House attempt to let a subordinate walk the plank to protect higher ups," he said in a written statement. "This latest Bush administration departure should not distract Congress from getting to the bottom of a whole host of troubling issues, from the administration's warrantless wiretapping program to the motives underlying the firing of several federal prosecutors."

Sen. Gordon Smith, who previously had supported a "no confidence" Senate resolution on the attorney general, called for someone to fill the leadership void.

"The president's nominee must be infinitely qualified. There can be no questions of ability, especially when it comes to the person charged with enforcing our laws and over<302>seeing programs vital to stopping terrorists," Smith said in a written statement.

Gonzales' departure was long expected, said Jim Moore, political science professor at Portland State University.

"The pressure on him to resign was really, really intense as of May," Moore said. "It's surprising to me that he lasted this long."

Many pundits spent Monday floating potential names for the position such as Michael Chertoff, head of the Department of Homeland Security. Moore had his own suggestion: Patrick Fitzgerald, the special prosecutor who investigated the alleged leak to the media of a CIA agent's identity. That investigation culminated in the trial and conviction of Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff Lewis Libby.

"I think Fitzgerald would be an inspired choice," Moore said.

Gonzales is one of several administration officials who have quit in the past 10 months beginning with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's departure last year and including top Bush adviser Karl Rove. But there's nothing unusual about staff turnover at this stage in a two-term presidency, Moore said.

"The president can't run for re-election and people are looking to their futures. They're looking beyond the presidency," he said.

The top spot at the Justice Department isn't the only one that needs filling, Moore said. "They're having a heck of a time filling the jobs below him. Morale is very low. It's just not a pleasant place to work," he said.