Hillary Clinton is the only presidential candidate to vote on Gonzales

Republicans successfully blocked the no confidence vote on Alberto Gonzales. 53 Senators voted for cloture (and presumably would've voted "no confidence") 38 Senators voted against.

7 members missed the vote. 5 of them are presidential candidates, including both Republicans (McCain and Brownback), and Democrats Obama, Dodd and Biden.

Of the 6 presidential candidates in the Senate, Hillary Clinton was the only one who voted (voting for cloture along with the remaining Democrats and 7 Republicans).

Here's Senator Clinton's statement on the US Attorney scandal:

Why should Gonzales resign? Because he is at the center of a widening scandal over the firing of several U.S. attorneys -- firings we now know to be political. These attacks on the impartiality of the federal government's prosecutors are a genuine threat to the foundations of our justice system.

It's so bad that one U.S. attorney in Arkansas was fired to make room for a former aide to Karl Rove.

Gonzales's chief of staff has already resigned over the firings, but the attorney general himself is ultimately responsible for what happened. Join me in asking for him to resign now.

So where were the other candidates? Here are statements from each of them over the past few months:

Obama:

“I voted against the nomination of Alberto Gonzales for Attorney General because I was concerned he would act as the President’s lawyer, not the people’s lawyer. Mr. Sampson’s testimony underscores my concern that Attorney General Gonzales subverted justice to promote a political agenda. I renew my call for Alberto Gonzales to be replaced as Attorney General with an advocate who will defend and promote the rights and liberties of the American people.”

Dodd:

Senator Dodd characterized Mr. Gonzales as unfit to serve as the nation’s chief law enforcement officer, citing cronyism, misleading Congressional testimony, and an inability to defend and protect the Constitution. Mr. Wolfowitz’s violation of the World Bank’s ethical and governance rules, as well as a World Bank ethics committee investigation, conflicts with the Bank’s global mission of reducing poverty, aid development, and promoting good governance in all nations in which it operates.

Biden:

"When I voted against then-White House Counsel Gonzales's nomination to be Attorney General, I expressed concern about his ability to transition from the first job to the second...

"My skepticism has been confirmed by his conduct. This Attorney General has remained the President's lawyer at the expense of fulfilling his duty to be the American people's lawyer. Attorney General Gonzales should step down."

Brownback:

"Although his answers suggested that there were serious managerial issues at the Department of Justice, I did not see a factual basis to call for his resignation. As for whether the Attorney General should resign, that is a question I leave to him and to the President." Brownback is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

McCain:

WASHINGTON -- Presidential contender John McCain joined the growing number of Republicans calling for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to step down in the furor over the firings of eight federal prosecutors.

"I am very disappointed in his performance," McCain, R-Ariz., said Wednesday when asked about the attorney general in an interview with CNN's Larry King. "I think loyalty to the president should enter into his calculations."