Conservative frustration over this SCOTUS opening vis-à-vis the president has to do, as I mentioned again a few posts ago, with an administration leak last week that Gonzales would be an attractive political choice for the president.
Then folks noted his schedule and realized he was making right-wing stomping groups some regular stops, as if he were campaigning.
If the White House is not seriously considering him, why doesn’t Gonzales write himself off for the spot? Well, maybe he did it a little yesterday in Denver:
“I’ve been asked since 2001 whether or not I’d consider going on the court, and I’ve consistently said, ‘I’m not a candidate for the Supreme Court’ – and that remains true today,” Gonzales said. “I love being attorney general. My job, currently, is to help the president make this decision.”
Of course, maybe he has to keep himself a bit in the ring as part of aforementioned genius plan.