By guest host Jane Clayson:

The resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales brings a sudden end to a long legal soap opera.

Gonzales has been President Bush’s most trusted legal advisor since their days in Texas. But in the end, he was marred in accusations of purging disloyal U.S. Attorneys, and perjuring himself before Congress.

Critics said it was less than a commanding performance as Attorney General. But the President has said his friend was always a victim of politics. In any case, he’s joining Karl Rove as part of a pre-Labor Day house cleaning.

This hour On Point: Alberto Gonzales’ resignation and the politics of justice.

Guests:

Bennett Roth, Washington correspondent for the Houston Chronicle

Jonathan Turley, professor of law at George Washington University

Jack Beatty, senior editor at the Atlantic Monthly and On Point news analyst

Robert Turner, professor and co-founder of the Center for National Security Law at the University of Virginia

John Fund, member of the Wall Street Journal’s editorial board