Will the Bush Team Continue to Mishandle the U.S. Attorney Situation?

The Politico reports that the Dems are licking their chops at the damage they intend to inflict on President Bush because of the U.S. Attorney firings:

Congressional Democrats are planning a new, two-track strategy for maximizing the political windfall -- and the disclosure of potentially embarrassing information -- from the Bush administration's firings of eight federal prosecutors, according to top party officials.

House and Senate Democrats plan to delve deep into the details of the corruption cases that might have been disrupted by the high-level purge, the officials said. At the same time, top Democrats will escalate the fight for testimony from top White House officials, including Karl Rove.

"I want testimony under oath," Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday. "I am sick and tired getting half truths on this." Some Republicans close to the White House expect the strategy to result in the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

Several Democratic officials were unabashed in discussing the potential political benefits for their party if they can convince voters that President Bush ousted U.S. attorneys for political reasons. Democratic strategists said the controversy is already helping them recruit House and Senate challengers for '08 races. "We know from last cycle that Democrats can win in Republican district where corruption is an issue," one of the officials said.

Alberto Gonzales and the Bush team have done such an incredibly miserable job of handling this situation that it will probably end up costing Gonzales his job, and the Administration weeks of headaches. By not being aggressive right at the beginning they've allowed the Dems to twist the situation into a scandal without there actually being a scandal. There's no way that Bush should allow Rove to testify, though when he refuses, the calls of stonewalling will be heard throughout the land. However, there is a separation of powers in our goverment, and the Congress does not have the right to compel testimony from the executive branch.

President Bush needs to come out and tell the Dems and the media "I've got the right to change U.S. Attorneys at any time and for any reason, and that's that! Have your little hearings if you want, but nobody from my administration will be participating. We have a country to run."

UPDATE: Hugh Hewitt reminds President Bush that future presidents will regret it if he allows Rove to testify.