Gonzales No-Confidence Vote Blocked by Republicans

Yeas 53, Nays 38. 60 votes needed for passage. Lieberman voted with Republicans to support Gonzales. Laurie Kellman for AP reports: Republicans blocked the Senate's no-confidence vote on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales Monday, turning back a symbolic Democratic effort to prod him from office despite blistering criticism from lawmakers in both parties. The 53-38 vote to move the resolution to full debate fell seven short of the 60 required. In bringing the matter up, Democrats dared Republicans to vote their true feelings about an attorney general who has alienated even the White House's strongest defenders by bungling the firings of federal prosecutors and claiming not to recall the details. Republicans did not defend him, but most voted against moving the resolution ahead.