Welcome to Gonzales Watch - Blawging the Ex-Attorney General

One thing was very clear when Monica Goodling testified before the House Judiciary Committee today: she followed the strategy of her former Justice Department boss when attempting to convince Congress that she simply couldn’t remember with whom she spoke about firing and replace U.S. Attorneys, and when they spoke.

Goodling pulled ‘a Gonzales’ when she testified. And not just any Gonzales; this was a classic. That’s when a highly educated professional will repeatedly invoke a foggy memory, smiling in front of your foes with a well-rehearsed image of sincerity and earnestness. It’s what President Bush recently called “political theater.”

“The Best of My Recollection”: Keeping Count

In her prepared testimony, and in response to tough questions from the Committee, Goodling relied on the stock phrase — “to the best of my recollection” — and its variations to explain why she either didn’t know, or didn’t recall certain things. She uttered the “best of my recollection” phrase at least least eleven (11) times, and “recollection” a total of nineteen (19) times when she couldn’t answer Committee members’ queries seeking specifics.

For example, Goodling testified:

“To the best of my recollection, I’ve never had a conversation with Karl Rove or Harriet Miers while I served at the Department of Justice. And I’m certain that I never spoke to either of them about the hiring or firing of any U.S. attorney.” (emphasis added)

She’s just at a loss for words

That’s impossible to believe. As the Justice Department’s White House Liaison, how could she never have spoken with former White House Counsel Harriet Miers or Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove? Just who did she liaise with?

In this picture (inset, below), Rove and Goodling are shown…ahem…liaising. Their liaison doesn’t appear to be a conversation, but more of a squeeze. Although the circumstances surrounding this Flickr photo are unclear, Rove seems to have initiated this particular liaison with Goodling, and the former White House liaison appears to be grinning during their physical contact.

Goodling was also likely to have already established a good working relationship with White House Chief of Staff Karl Rove in her prior work as Deputy Director of Research and Strategic planning at the Republican National Committee. The RNC is the same GOP group that supplied Rove with non-White House e-mails to conduct official business in violation of federal law.

Her testimony simply did not appear credible. That could be a problem for Goodling. Her grant of immunity is only valid if she testifies doesn’t perjure herself and testifies truthfully under oath.