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Deathwatch: Down and on the way out.

Gonzo-MeterYou've got mail.

By Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and Dahlia Lithwick
Posted Tuesday, April 10, 2007, at 3:14 PM ET

Today's Chance of a Gonzales Departure: 88 percent
(Previously: 86 percent)

The Gonzo-Meter

For the last day or so, Al Gonzales must have been thankful for Don Imus. The radio host was filling the news slot for doomed public figures desperately clinging to their glorious jobs. But now the House judiciary committee has subpoenaed Gonzales for documents related to the firings of U.S. attorneys, and he's back in pole position.

The Justice Department has been reluctant to release the information—including redacted portions of previously released e-mails and documents and a ranking of all 93 prosecutors—saying that the material contained sensitive personal information about the attorneys named and had no bearing on the firings. Whether or not there's anything juicy in the disputed materials, a fight over whether the Justice Department officials still hanging around (remember: Three have resigned) are telling the truth in this case serves only to remind everyone of the many previous instances in this saga when officials, including the endangered Al, were not.

It's about time the House got in on the action. So far, the Senate has been having all the fun in the U.S. attorney scandal—goading Justice Department employees into testifying falsely, pointing fingers at their bosses, and taking the Fifth. For the last several days, all we've heard about has been how hard Gonzales has been working to prepare to face the senators. Now, House Democrats get their turn in the spotlight.

We're nosing the Gonzo-meter up to 88 percent today. If Gonzales is really as ill-prepared to testify as we've been hearing, all those new subpoenaed documents can only confuse him further.

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Emily Bazelon is a Slate senior editor. John Dickerson is Slate's chief political correspondent and author of On Her Trail. He can be reached at . Dahlia Lithwick is a Slate senior editor.
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