Goodling's Attorney Chooses Wrong Words

News that Monica Goodling, a senior aide to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, has decided to invoke her Fifth Amendment right not to answer questions before Congress only leaves the impression that she is protecting her boss and others at the Justice Department. And that can't be good news for "Judge" Gonzales, whose job is already on thin ice.

Gonzales, himself, today refused to comment on Goodling's decision but the White House is singing a different tune. White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino today said that it's "unfortunate that a public servant no longer feels that her testimony would be treated fairly before the Congress."

Goodling's attorney, John Dowd made a huge public relations mistake by comparing Ms. Goodling's situation with what happened to Scooter Libby. That's because Mr. Libby was convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice --and now the American people will link the two and think that Ms. Goodling might have similar skeletons in her closet.

The larger issue here is the future of Gonzales, who never understood the difference between the job descriptions of White House Counsel and Attorney General of the United States. This isn't the first time the AG has had his integrity questioned. So it's amazing that President Bush continues to put loyalty before common sense. Gonzales has done a "heckava job" in creating this mess and now he has become a "heckava" liability to the Administration. Goodling's refusal to testify will likely make Gonzales' survival that much harder.