Senate Republicans Fight Off Gonzales Rebuke

The Democrats had sought a showdown that would force Mr. Gonzales to retreat or President Bush to abandon his support of the attorney general, who has come under strong criticism from both parties for the dismissals of federal prosecutors and recent disclosures about partisanship in hiring at the Justice Department.

Instead, the Democrats’ effort failed in a procedural step that fell seven votes short of the 60 needed to end debate and move to a vote on the resolution. The vote was 53 to 38. Most of the Senate’s 48 Republicans voted against the motion, but 7 voted to proceed. No Democrats voted against the motion.