11/10/2004: President George W. Bush today announced the nomination of "Judge Al Gonzales" to be the Attorney General of the United States. Gonzales served as general counsel to Bush when the latter was governor of Texas. Gonzales later served as Texas's Secretary of State and as a justice of the Texas Supreme Court. He has been Counsel to the President in Bush's first term. Gonzales has helped Bush select nominees for the federal courts. Bush has made much of Gonzales's humble upbringing as one of eight children of migrant workers.
Bush said, "With the Senate's approval, Judge Gonzales will succeed another superb public servant, Attorney General John Ashcroft. Attorney General Ashcroft has served with excellence during a demanding time. In four years, he's reorganized the Department of Justice to meet the new threat of terrorism. He's fairly and forcefully applied the Patriot Act and helped to dismantle terror cells inside the United States. During his watch, violent crime has dropped to a 30-year low, and prosecutions of crimes committed with guns have reached an all-time high. Drug use amongst our students is down. Confidence in the financial markets has been restored because the Attorney General aggressively prosecuted corporate fraud. And thanks to John Ashcroft's leadership, America has stepped up its efforts to prosecute the cruel exploitation of children by Internet pornographers. The nation is safer and more just today because John Ashcroft has served our country so well." Scary, huh?
In response, Gonzales said, "As a former judge, I know well that some government positions require a special level of trust and integrity. The American people expect and deserve a Department of Justice guided by the rule of law, and there should be no question regarding the Department's commitment to justice for every American. On this principle, there can be no compromise." However, Gonzales did not define what the word "justice" means to him...However, some people have done some research and learned about a bit about Judge Al's views. One example of his thoughts on the matter: Alberto Gonzales said in 2002 that the Geneva Conventions on prisoners of war should not apply to al-Qaida or Taliban prisoners. Another: on Gonzales's recommendation, many of the Texas executions that Governor Bush did not stop included circumstances that flouted international law or safeguards. Judge Al forgot to mention these details in his memos to the governor. Gonzales is clearly not opposed to executing people who are mentally-retarded or committed crimes when they were minors. Read more
The National Lawyers Guild urges Senate to reject Alberto Gonzales's nomination.