In several hours before the Judiciary Committee on Thursday, Gonzales said he had done nothing improper in firing the eight prosecutors, but conceded the case had been badly handled. At the same time, he said 71 times that he either could not recall or did not remember conversations or events surrounding the dismissals.Republicans have used the "can't recall" defense to perfection ever since the Reagan administration. While it makes the witness look either dumb or dishonest, it's almost impossible to prove he or she is lying.
Imagine the trouble Clinton could have saved himself and all of us if he'd just said, "I cannot recall whether I had sex with that woman."
