Everything I read suggests Alberto Gonzales, counsel to the President, nominee for Attorney General, and all around misguided, un-American, anti-Bill of Rights, immoral, deluded, vicious, repugnant, sorry excuse for a human being, is going to get the rubber-stamp treatment and soon ascend to this land's highest law enforcement position. The Washington Post has issued a predictable opinion on the matter, as if it matters.
Some expressed dismay at his reluctance to state that it is illegal for American personnel to use torture, or for the president to order it...
It is nevertheless indisputable that Mr. Gonzales oversaw and approved a decision to disregard the Geneva Conventions for detainees from Afghanistan; that he endorsed interrogation methods that military and FBI professionals regarded as illegal and improper; and that he supported the indefinite detention of both foreigners and Americans without due process. To confirm such an official as attorney general is to ratify decisions that are at odds with fundamental American values...
In fact, the White House counsel endorsed the view that (militants)... could be collectively and indiscriminately denied Geneva protections without the individual hearings that the treaty provides for. That judgment, which has been ruled illegal by a federal court, resulted in hundreds of detainees being held for two years without any legal process...
Mr. Gonzales stated for the record at his hearing that he opposes torture. Yet he made no effort to separate himself from legal judgments that narrowed torture's definition so much as to authorize such methods as waterboarding for use by the CIA abroad.
He's against torture, but he's for it.
For a democratic republic to be worth the constitution it's written on, it needs one of two things. If it doesn't have highly moral, fully mature, sensible and competent leadership; then it must have a fiercely combatant, loyal opposition.
We're all familiar with that right-wing (nut) presence that holds liberals accountable for all the ills of society. If something is wrong, was wrong, or goes wrong; blame it on liberals. These are the self-appointed right-wing victims of liberalism. They're also a big chunk of the moral values crowd. In their actions and rhetoric, they seek to eliminate the "disloyal" opposition. I'm beginning to believe they've accomplished that goal.
Here's your issue lefties. You have a fat hanging curve in front of you on the topic of moral values. Your moral issue isn't a woman's right to choose, or gay and homosexual's right to marry, or equal, human, and civil rights. Your moral issue isn't the war, and it isn't racism. On each of those issues, you're either preaching to the choir or banging your head against the wall.
Torture. It's simple. It's wrong. Filibuster Gonzales. If you don't, "spineless" isn't the right word. Complicit is.
And here's a little secret. Alberto Gonzales doesn't have a giant fan club on the right. He's less than a bit player, a stagehand. Moderate conservatives couldn't care less if the President is sent fishing for a better nominee. The media would love you for taking torture back to the front page of the national conversation (where it belongs). The diehard Bush supporters would be left with no choice but to defend torture, which they already do, and which is exactly what you want publicized and debated. The legalese creeps would make their case, and it needs to be heard. The Christian base will break apart on the issue. There's no better time and no better forum than these hearings. Take a stand. It is the right thing to do. Or does the lack of a backbone prevent you from standing?
--Zap
I hope they're listening. Nice call to arms.
Posted by: Torrid | January 19, 2005 at 01:03
Excellent. If not Gonzales, who, and when?
I think the left is still trying to gauge the political climate and get their bearings in this new environment. Unfortunately, the Bushies are going to ram through as much as they can before the Dems marshall their strength and grow a backbone. Boxer and Leahy seem to be the lone wolves right now, will anyone join them? Why has Kerry hightailed it out of the limelight? Obama capitalizing on his national mojo? Hillary? Schumer? Come on guys, WAKE UP!
I keep thinking there will be a stand made at some point...perhaps not on Gonzales but it most definitely will have to come when it is time to vote on federal court appointees.
Posted by: Tom | January 19, 2005 at 11:11
Well, today the Dems have asked for a week before commencing with confirmation. I guess they need time to decide if they have a spine. They'll be polling for input as to how the filibuster will play out. They'll be arguing amongst themselves. They'll probably lose the argument. Why? Their biggest fear will be being painted as soft on terror for opposing torture, because the broader argument that torture has spawned terror and hatred is too complicated for us dummies.
Posted by: Zap | January 19, 2005 at 12:11
Tom, Kerry had a very good day during the Rice hearings yesterday. He blistered her repeatedly, and unlike maddening people like Joe Biden, did not wink afterwards and say "but we're gonna vote you in, y'know." He said (get ready to cringe) that he didn't know how he was going to vote. :)
Hillary did a nice job coming out firmly against any kind of SS plan that looks like the leaked versions of Bush's. Slowly but surely, I'm seeing some signs from the brave. As a group, they've done pretty well with SS. The only one who really shot the party in the foot on that was Ed Rendell, and at least he's not in Congress.
Zap, they don't have to fillibuster. Just vote NO. Are they going to lose? Yes. But two years down the road, they'll be able to point to that vote and wash their hands of the scandals/fuckups that will have resulted from putting this guy in charge of DoJ. If they had fought Ashcroft in a similar manner, they'd have had a leg to stand on during the campaign about him.
Posted by: Torridjoe | January 19, 2005 at 12:32
That's great, torrid, but I don't want Gonzo as AG. Period. If voting NO leads to his confirmation, then the onslought against the Bill of Rights continues. I'm not as interested in how the Dems come out in 06 or 08 as I am in just seeing this country do the right thing in regards to the terror scandal.
Posted by: Zap | January 19, 2005 at 12:40
Astute observations on why and how the Congressional Dems continue to shoot themselves in the foot.
They're seemingly unable to grasp that the electorate wants strong leadership in times of uncertainty. Karl Rove brilliantly positioned Bush to capitalize on this basic desire inherent to all humans.
I still believe that Howard Dean would have faired better against Bush than Kerry did. And a large part of that is because he was willing to call a spade a spade and let the chips fall where they may. He came across as strong and decisive. And right, wrong or indifferent... I think the evidence points to a sizable number of Americans having voted for Bush precisely because of those perceived qualities, despite any number of issues on which they disagreed with him.
Kerry et al misunderstood the dynamics in play and thought they could win on the issues, when the issues weren't what made the difference in November.
Yesterday's Christian Science Monitor has a good piece on Ohio voters which really illustrates this, IMHO.
Posted by: Kevin | January 19, 2005 at 12:48
Zap, I'm sympathetic--entirely so--about the peril involved in having this man run law enforcement for the next four years. But I think it's important to remember that DoJ chief is a political appointment that happens at least once every presidency. As such, I give the President a little more leeway with his choices, good or bad. We know they can be booted come next election. That's a far cry from judicial appointments, which are lifetime deals. Furthermore, Gonzales is a prime candidate to be nominated to SCOTUS, which means Dems are likely to get another shot at him. Certainly I'd rather have him at DoJ than on the bench. Consider Ashcroft--he tried to do a lot of damage, but federal judges repeatedly spanked his decisions.
The fillibuster is really the only true weapon of opposition the Democrats have in the 109th, and IMO it must be used (pun intended) judiciously. As much as I don't want to see Gonzo become AG, obstructing the President's choices for the Executive Branch is of a different cloth than for the Judicial Branch. The Democrats are going to lose plenty of fights, and I'd rather lose this one than the next.
Posted by: Torridjoe | January 19, 2005 at 13:46
update on Kerry from Marshall--he's voting no on Rice:
"Dr. Rice is a principal architect, implementer, and defender of a series of Administration policies that have not made our country as secure as we should be and have alienated much-needed allies in our common cause of winning the war against terrorism. Regrettably, I did not see in Dr. Rice's testimony any acknowledgment of the need to change course or of a new vision for America's role in the world."
Posted by: Torridjoe | January 19, 2005 at 14:00
another update on Gonzo--the Dems are taking a week to think about it:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20696-2005Jan19.html
Attorney General designate Alberto Gonzales will have to wait at least another week before getting a Senate committee vote on his nomination to be the nation's top law enforcement officer.
Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee decided Wednesday to ask for a one-week hold on Gonzales' nomination.
Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., said the committee should not vote on Gonzales yet because the nominee has not yet answered all of the Democrats' questions. Democrats have complained that Gonzales has been evasive with his answers to their questions about White House policies on the war on terror and they want him delayed until they are satisfied.
Posted by: Torridjoe | January 19, 2005 at 14:28
I agree that the fillibuster is the only arrow left in the quiver but, Frist will cut that down with procedural bullsqueeze. If Frist's rhetoric on that has been toned down, I haven;t seen it.
Posted by: Tom | January 19, 2005 at 20:47