Gonzales prepares

Gonzales to family: I'm not going with you on vacation. I have to prepare for my testimony. I have to memorize all the talking points so it sounds like I am telling the truth. So take your vacation and I will try to catch up with you later.

From the Boston Globe:

Attorney general preparing for Senate showdown over firings
By Lara
Jakes Jordan, Associated Press April 3, 2007
WASHINGTON -- His
job on the line, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales shelved plans for a family
vacation and began prepping yesterday for a showdown with senators over the
firings of federal prosecutors.

An appearance next week in front of a Senate panel that oversees
Justice Department spending is shaping up as a trial run for Gonzales's
scheduled April 17 testimony to a separate Senate committee investigating the
eight dismissals.

The White House said yesterday that Gonzales's testimony cannot come
too fast for the besieged attorney general to explain the firings that Democrats
contend were politically motivated.

"Look, the attorney general thinks it's in everyone's best interest --
and we agree with him -- that he be able to get up and talk to Congress sooner
than later," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.

"I think the American people would like to see us resolve this, so that
we can move on and work on other things. So we'd like to see the hearing moved
up to next week," Perino said.

Gonzales initially said he was never involved in discussions about the
firings -- a position he later changed to say he was only minimally aware of
plans to remove the prosecutors. Last week, however, his former chief of staff,
Kyle Sampson, said Gonzales was regularly briefed and participated in
discussions about "this process of asking certain US attorneys to
resign."
Growing numbers of Democrats and Republicans have demanded for
Gonzales to step down, saying he is no longer a credible attorney general.

Study hard, Alberto, study like your career depends on it. But this time, I don't think your lies will pass.