As regular VC readers know, I’m a big fan of the Godfather movies and book (see here and here). So I was interested to learn from this post by Eric Muller that President Bush apparently calls Attorney General Alberto Gonzales “Fredo,” after the hapless Fredo Corleone, son of the Don and elder brother of Michael. As Muller points out, Michael describes Fredo as having a “good heart” but also “weak, and . . . stupid.” The implications for Gonzales are far from flattering.
UPDATE: Eric Muller points out that the post on Gonzales’ nickname was actually written not by him, but by his guest-blogger “Shertaugh.”
UPDATE #2: I am told by insiders that “Fredo” is short for “Alfredo” (the President’s original nickname for Gonzales) and has no apparent connection to The Godfather.