More Gonzogate! - Vol. 3 Issue 42

It is not surprising that Republican support for embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is rapidly deteriorating. I attribute this to blowback based on the totality of Gonzales service as White House counsel and Attorney General. The origin of Congressional distrust and hostility goes far beyond Gonzales’ ineptitude regarding the firing of 8 U.S. Attorneys. Gonzales has turned out to be the hapless tool of an executive with an insatiable appetite for inappropriate and unconstitutional power. So, we see Mr. Gonzales writing memos or giving advice as White House counsel, in which he blithely suggested that 1.) Torture is acceptable (so long as you don’t call it “torture"), 2.) The U.S. does not have to follow the Geneva conventions in the treatment of “enemy combatants”, 3.) Not only are warrantless wiretaps permissible, the NSA/FBI should be free top use their own “judgments” in deciding which American citizens should be spied on and finally, 4.) The concept of Habeas Corpus – one of the bedrock principles of western jurisprudence – does not apply to prisoners captured in the so-called war on terror. These ideas represent the opposite of what our democracy stands for. Gonzales is now paying the price for the WPE’s (worst president ever) authoritarian tendencies. No doubt, he will go back to Texas and as reward for self-immolation, he will accept a partnership at Baker & Botts. Oh brother ...

Savant

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