In news from Capitol Hill, a group of Democrats are pushing for the Senate to hold a no-confidence vote next week for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Gonzales has been widely criticized for his role in the politicization of the Justice Department as well as the administration’s warrantless surveillance program. On Thursday, President Bush refused to answer questions about whether he personally ordered Gonzales in 2004 to try to coerce then Attorney General John Ashcroft to sign off on the spy program.

Kelly O’Connell: “Sir, did you send your then-chief of staff and White House counsel to the bedside of John Ashcroft while he was ill to get him to approve that program? And do you believe that kind of conduct from White House officials is appropriate?”

President Bush: “Kelly, there’s a lot of speculation about what happened and what didn’t happen. I’m not going to talk about it.”