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Friday, November 02, 2007
Department of Just Us
A few weeks ago, the man President Bush nominated to replace Alberto Gonzalez as Attorney General, Michael Mukasey, looked like a sure bet to sail through confirmation hearings. A former judge, he has a solid legal background, and appeared to be a candidate who would be acceptable to almost everyone.
How things do change.
His nomination is still in the Senate Judiciary Committee, and it doesn't look like it's getting out of there anytime soon. A couple of weeks ago, in hearings, Mukasey seemed to indicate that it was his opinion that waterboarding and other "enhanced interrogation" techniques were illegal. After further reflection, and one presumes, many angry calls from the White House, Mukasey amended his opinion to something a bit more vague.
"Waterboarding is repugnant."
But is it legal?
"Dude! I wasn't even there!"
And if I thought for a minute that Mukasey was simply ignorant, I'd just pat him on his head and send him on his way home, but that's not what this is at all. The fact of the matter is, that if Mukasey concedes that waterboarding is torture, and therefore illegal, then he would really have no recourse as AG but to prosecute those who have been using it.
And the sick fucks who ordered them to use it. Send those subpoenas to: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC.
And that's what this is about, really. The people who are ultimately responsible for this immoral criminality are covering their own asses, desperate to make sure that they will never be subject to prosecution for ordering torture.
So yesterday, Bush is wheeled out in front of The Heritage Foundation to complain that Mukasey is not being treated fairly. OK, even though I think that's not really true, I won't go so far as to assail the president on that statement. Did he say anything else?
“I believe that the questions he’s been asked are unfair,” Mr. Bush said. “He’s not been read into the program — he has been asked to give opinions of a program or techniques of a program on which he’s not been briefed."
Waterboarding is not so much a program as it is a method of torture that simulates drowning. If you want to know the specifics, you can Google it. It's not complicated. Mukasey knows the details of "the program," he simply may not know what the chain of command is involved in ordering its use. So the question remains: Is waterboarding legal?
The answer from Bush should not surprise you: "9/11." Or in long form:
"It's important for Congress to pass laws and/or confirm nominees that will enable this government to more effectively defend the country and pursue terrorists and radicals that would like to do us harm."
So now that Bush has essentially said that if the Senate doesn't confirm Mukasey, he won't nominate anyone else, even a victim of torture, Senator John McCain, has lined up (again) with President Silver Spoon. McCain and Senator Lindsey Graham issued a statement yesterday stating that they would now vote to confirm Mukasey:
“Once he is confirmed, however, we strongly urge that he publicly make clear that waterboarding is illegal and can never be employed.”
So, he shouldn't declare waterboarding illegal before he is the Attorney General, but he should "make clear" that it won't be used after he is made AG? Why shouldn't it be used if it's not illegal? Ah, right, because waterboarding is torture, and we signed something declaring that we don't do that. Something to do with a Swiss town, lovely in the Spring, I'm told.
Days like today, and I have them more and more often, I wake up and wonder what the hell happened to my country. Not only is the government committing criminal acts, they are doing it publicly, and the real kicker is that about thirty percent of the population thinks that the government is morally right to do it. I have a better understanding of this mentality since reading John Dean's Conservatives Without Conscience, but I still don't really get the need to genuflect to authority in every circumstance, religious, political or otherwise. Sometimes the people in charge are right, and sometimes they aren't, but I must question your sanity if you suggest that stooping to the level of the worst people in the world, and using their tactics, merely to provide a thin veneer of illusory safety, is the right thing to do. I would also question your morality.
Do you understand what Patrick Henry meant when he said "Give me liberty, or give me death!" There are things worth fighting for, and even things worth dying for, although not many. An American democracy is worth dying for. The over 2900 dead from the 9/11 attacks would be, I think, quite disturbed to find what we have lost, given away really, in our quest to avenge their deaths. America is not as good as it was when 2001 started, and I truly have doubts that it will ever be again. Liberties willingly handed over to authority are never returned.
Warrantless wire taps, data mining, illegal searches, indeterminate detainment without charges, waterboarding and other torture...
These are not the actions of a democratic government. These are the moves that a fascist, autocratic regime makes, one which is willing to do anything that consolidates power and creates a fearful populace. These acts are not simply undemocratic, not simply criminal. They are immoral.
Days like this, I wish God existed so that the architects of this madness could suffer an eternity of waterboarding or Abu Ghraib-style hijinks. I wish I had faith in my fellow citizens to, at a minimum, fire the cowards who ducked their own war to send this generation's young to fight, be maimed, and die. I wish Americans would figure out that we are so damned well-armed that any terrorist who dares show his face will be riddled with thirty bullets from the citizenry.
If you support government-sanctioned torture, you are a coward. You are so fucking stupid that you don't even realize what it is that you ought to be afraid of: Your own government.
Or did you forget that Hillary Clinton may be President in 14 months? The worm turns, and the names of those who are enemies of the state do, too. Imagine all of the government powers that you so blindly support in the hands of a Hillary Clinton. Still feel tough? Still think we should stop questioning the administration? Any reason you can name which might persuade anyone that you aren't a committing treason?
Speak up now. Or don't. Frankly, you won't be missed.
Labels: Alberto Gonzales, Bush, civil liberties, Hillary Clinton, Michael Mukasey, torture, waterboarding
posted at 7:17 AM
0 comments
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
FUBAR's Rube
I'm hardly extraordinary in my news consumption. I try to read the paper each day, and maybe catch an hour or so of news. These are a couple of the rare activities in my life that make me feel like an adult, so that's not so bad. Because of these things, I am aware that for some reason, Alberto Gonzales is still the Attorney General of the United States of America. I just can't understand why.
The Democratic majority in Congress has shown that it is spineless in holding the administration accountable on the war, the faked intelligence leading to the war, the slow strangulation of the middle and working classes, unlawful eavesdropping on law-abiding American citizens, or anything else. There is so much to impeach George Bush over, that most of us wouldn't know where to begin.
Well, not this Congress. There don't appear to be more than a handful who value the rule of law and this country over the prospect of the next election. There are more important things, you stupid bastards. Nancy Pelosi announcing at the end of 2006 that "impeachment is off the table." Damn her.
It's not your job to decide what is a crime and what isn't! Not one bit. Your job is to pass laws, and when necessary, rein in the other branches that have decided to ignore these laws. Your job, the oath you took as a matter of fact, is to protect the Constitution of the United States. Since the President and Vice President have pissed on their oaths, it is time for you to do your job, your Constitutional duty, and try these men for high crimes and misdemeanors against the Constitution.
Frankly, if you haven't instituted impeachment hearings by November, you and Harry Reid should both resign the leadership positions, and your seats in Congress as far as I'm concerned.
Someone tell me why Alberto Gonzales is still the highest ranking law official in this country. Won't someone please defend this man? Anyone? I used to just think he was a mindless automaton, doing his patron's bidding since both were back in Texas, but it's really much more than that. Gonzales has proven to be ignorant of the law in so many ways. He's not even a very good lawyer, apparently! Even I know that an attorney never asks a question to which he doesn't already know the answer. All of these Senators questioning Gonzales are attorneys, and Chairman Pat Leahy was a prosecutor. Do you really think he's just up there winging it with Gonzo?
And if Al believes it, the only conclusion that one can reach is that not only is he a courtier, a lackey, and bad at his job. He also appears to be a damned moron.
These hearings are like the chess club ganging up on the village retard. It seems cruel, but this man and the administration he so brazenly represents need to be held up to the light. If people feel pity that the smart men are picking on Corky, then we will never see the end of this tunnel of criminality that Bush/Cheney has burrowed into the bedrock of a nation that used to value its laws and freedoms.
It also likes a really extended metaphor now and again.
Impeach Gonzales. Impeach Cheney. Impeach Bush. The evidence is overwhelming, and the true beauty of the case is that these men won't even bother denying their crimes. they will sit in the dock, straight-backed and proud, desperately trying to make us understand that the only way to save America was to destroy it.
The Democratic majority in Congress has shown that it is spineless in holding the administration accountable on the war, the faked intelligence leading to the war, the slow strangulation of the middle and working classes, unlawful eavesdropping on law-abiding American citizens, or anything else. There is so much to impeach George Bush over, that most of us wouldn't know where to begin.
Well, not this Congress. There don't appear to be more than a handful who value the rule of law and this country over the prospect of the next election. There are more important things, you stupid bastards. Nancy Pelosi announcing at the end of 2006 that "impeachment is off the table." Damn her.
It's not your job to decide what is a crime and what isn't! Not one bit. Your job is to pass laws, and when necessary, rein in the other branches that have decided to ignore these laws. Your job, the oath you took as a matter of fact, is to protect the Constitution of the United States. Since the President and Vice President have pissed on their oaths, it is time for you to do your job, your Constitutional duty, and try these men for high crimes and misdemeanors against the Constitution.
Frankly, if you haven't instituted impeachment hearings by November, you and Harry Reid should both resign the leadership positions, and your seats in Congress as far as I'm concerned.
Someone tell me why Alberto Gonzales is still the highest ranking law official in this country. Won't someone please defend this man? Anyone? I used to just think he was a mindless automaton, doing his patron's bidding since both were back in Texas, but it's really much more than that. Gonzales has proven to be ignorant of the law in so many ways. He's not even a very good lawyer, apparently! Even I know that an attorney never asks a question to which he doesn't already know the answer. All of these Senators questioning Gonzales are attorneys, and Chairman Pat Leahy was a prosecutor. Do you really think he's just up there winging it with Gonzo?
And if Al believes it, the only conclusion that one can reach is that not only is he a courtier, a lackey, and bad at his job. He also appears to be a damned moron.
These hearings are like the chess club ganging up on the village retard. It seems cruel, but this man and the administration he so brazenly represents need to be held up to the light. If people feel pity that the smart men are picking on Corky, then we will never see the end of this tunnel of criminality that Bush/Cheney has burrowed into the bedrock of a nation that used to value its laws and freedoms.
It also likes a really extended metaphor now and again.
Impeach Gonzales. Impeach Cheney. Impeach Bush. The evidence is overwhelming, and the true beauty of the case is that these men won't even bother denying their crimes. they will sit in the dock, straight-backed and proud, desperately trying to make us understand that the only way to save America was to destroy it.
Labels: Alberto Gonzales, America, Bush, Dick Cheney, the Constitution
posted at 8:21 PM
0 comments
Monday, April 09, 2007
April Fool's Day +16
Congress was out of town last week for Easter and whatnot, but some people in the government were hard at work. That makes me feel good, as a citizen and a taxpayer. Even better, the workaholic I speak of is the highest-ranking law official in these United States, the head of the Department of Justice. More justice? I'm all for it.
But doesn't the Attorney General need a break, too? There are a lot of reasons to think so, naturally. But Alberto Gonzales, in fact, does not need a vacation, at least based on his statements regarding the firings of federal prosecutors last year. He claimed that he didn't know about them, didn't get into all the day-to-day workings at Justice, and after all, how could he? He's only the top guy there. The good news is, he is well-rested, and needs no time off.
But what could he possibly have to do in Washington last week, while most of the city was at half-speed? I'm sure he could have put extra effort in to the War On Drugs, which makes the War On Terror look like a runaway success. No time, as it turns out. The Attorney General spent his vacation rehearsing testimony for his scheduled testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 17th. And all he got was this lousy t-shirt.
I don't know why the thought Alberto Gonzales cramming to get his story straight makes me laugh, but it does. Gonzales has appeared before the Senate in the past, and every time, this seemingly very sharp lawyer gets his ass handed to him. I suppose it amuses me because I know that all of these people are liars, but with Alberto, it's just so damned obvious. The best part is, he appears to believe (like his boss) that no one will bother to check up on him, and compare what he says to the facts. Again and again, he says one thing, and is contradicted by overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Now, I'm not saying he's a liar, but I do have this photo of him with his pants on fire.
That being said, Gonzales is hard at work, preparing to give testimony which will clear up all of the shenanigans going on at Justice. The bad news is that his chief of staff, D. Kyle Sampson, has already testified to the effect that Alberto may have, in previous statements, and forgive the legalese here, lied through his teeth.
We are left with two competing visions of Alberto Gonzales:
1) He's a petty political hack who is more interested in serving George W. Bush and the Republican party than in doing his job, which is to oversee the law in the United States.
2) He's a great guy, just horribly incompetent.
I suppose it could be both, but I'd like to give him more credit than that.
Currently, he is now practicing, rehearsing his lines, so that this time, unlike past appearances, he will know the facts, be prepared and polished, and come off like a regular pillar of virtue. What's fun though, is that from what I hear, it's not going well. Gonzales can't seem to keep track of the timeline, and he contradicts himself.
One lesson I've learned in life is that as much fun as it is to lie, there is the inconvenient problem of needing to keep track of the lies. It's a pain in the ass, and unless you're some sort of pathological genius, it's just too much work. Score one for the truth, the last refuge for the lazy.
Alberto is not lazy. He is working long days to get ready for his appearance, and you may read into that what you will. He is in large measure working alone. One reason is due to the fact that so many of his aides will be called as witnesses, and he is not allowed to discuss these matters with them. The other reason is that the people that the White House sent over to advise him have gotten so exasperated with the AG, that they have all but thrown up their hands in futility.
Gonzales is also clearly being cut loose by the GOP, with the exception of Bush, who never fires anyone until years after it becomes obvious that they are doing a terrible job. No one is interested in defending yet another corrupt Bush Administration cabinet official, and I can't blame them. It's quite gratifying to watch this White House, which managed to keep a lid for so long on rampant incompetence through blind loyalty and a feckless Congress, suddenly become utterly unable to manage anything without leaving a sense of criminality, or the stench of a complete absence of ethics.
Set your DVR, there's blood in the water.
But doesn't the Attorney General need a break, too? There are a lot of reasons to think so, naturally. But Alberto Gonzales, in fact, does not need a vacation, at least based on his statements regarding the firings of federal prosecutors last year. He claimed that he didn't know about them, didn't get into all the day-to-day workings at Justice, and after all, how could he? He's only the top guy there. The good news is, he is well-rested, and needs no time off.
But what could he possibly have to do in Washington last week, while most of the city was at half-speed? I'm sure he could have put extra effort in to the War On Drugs, which makes the War On Terror look like a runaway success. No time, as it turns out. The Attorney General spent his vacation rehearsing testimony for his scheduled testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 17th. And all he got was this lousy t-shirt.
I don't know why the thought Alberto Gonzales cramming to get his story straight makes me laugh, but it does. Gonzales has appeared before the Senate in the past, and every time, this seemingly very sharp lawyer gets his ass handed to him. I suppose it amuses me because I know that all of these people are liars, but with Alberto, it's just so damned obvious. The best part is, he appears to believe (like his boss) that no one will bother to check up on him, and compare what he says to the facts. Again and again, he says one thing, and is contradicted by overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Now, I'm not saying he's a liar, but I do have this photo of him with his pants on fire.
That being said, Gonzales is hard at work, preparing to give testimony which will clear up all of the shenanigans going on at Justice. The bad news is that his chief of staff, D. Kyle Sampson, has already testified to the effect that Alberto may have, in previous statements, and forgive the legalese here, lied through his teeth.
We are left with two competing visions of Alberto Gonzales:
1) He's a petty political hack who is more interested in serving George W. Bush and the Republican party than in doing his job, which is to oversee the law in the United States.
2) He's a great guy, just horribly incompetent.
I suppose it could be both, but I'd like to give him more credit than that.
Currently, he is now practicing, rehearsing his lines, so that this time, unlike past appearances, he will know the facts, be prepared and polished, and come off like a regular pillar of virtue. What's fun though, is that from what I hear, it's not going well. Gonzales can't seem to keep track of the timeline, and he contradicts himself.
One lesson I've learned in life is that as much fun as it is to lie, there is the inconvenient problem of needing to keep track of the lies. It's a pain in the ass, and unless you're some sort of pathological genius, it's just too much work. Score one for the truth, the last refuge for the lazy.
Alberto is not lazy. He is working long days to get ready for his appearance, and you may read into that what you will. He is in large measure working alone. One reason is due to the fact that so many of his aides will be called as witnesses, and he is not allowed to discuss these matters with them. The other reason is that the people that the White House sent over to advise him have gotten so exasperated with the AG, that they have all but thrown up their hands in futility.
Gonzales is also clearly being cut loose by the GOP, with the exception of Bush, who never fires anyone until years after it becomes obvious that they are doing a terrible job. No one is interested in defending yet another corrupt Bush Administration cabinet official, and I can't blame them. It's quite gratifying to watch this White House, which managed to keep a lid for so long on rampant incompetence through blind loyalty and a feckless Congress, suddenly become utterly unable to manage anything without leaving a sense of criminality, or the stench of a complete absence of ethics.
Set your DVR, there's blood in the water.
Labels: Alberto Gonzales, Bush, civil liberties, crime
posted at 10:20 AM
1 comments
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Oh, he's guilty
Alberto Gonzales, that is.
I know this, because the president has offered his unqualified support.
Earlier today, in regard to the firings of the US Attorneys, Bush said that "there is no indication that anybody did anything improper," and that the Democrats were more interested in "scoring political points" than finding out what actually happened.
I feel confident that the Democrats can manage both.
The fun part is when George says things like "It will be regrettable if they choose to head down the partisan road of issuing subpoenas and demanding show trials when I have agreed to make key White House officials and documents available."
Oversight. That is one of Congress' most important functions. What the president has offered in what he calls a "compromise," is to allow the people in his administration behind the scandal, Karl Rove and Harriet Miers, to testify before the Senate, behind closed doors, and only if they are not under oath.
Well, nothing fishy about that, yeah?
Everything is above board, everyone is doing their jobs legally, and yet no one can talk about it with cameras rolling, or after first swearing to tell the truth. I would like a similar deal next time I have to testify or fill out a legal document.
Bush's stance is not surprising, of course. He is not one to think, or look at the facts. He believes. He believes that Alberto Gonzales is doing a great job, he believes that we are winning in Iraq, he believes that God has endorsed his policies, he believes that the poor deserve what they get, he believes that education is for losers, he believes that might makes right, he believes that the Bible is literal truth, and he believes that the US Constitution is inconvenient. George believes a lot of things that are unsupported in fact and reality, and likely believes that neither of his daughters has HPV.
These things happen.
So, I don't know what's going to happen next, because if Rumsfeld can be thrown under the bus, then anything is possible. But I hope the Congress has the balls to ferret out the truth on this matter, and all of the other scandals this administration has authored. And feel free to take your time. If the president wants to drag this out into an election year, his party can pay the price. His insistence on delaying victory in Iraq will likely do him in, but the myriad of criminal activity will be the icing on the cake.
Remember the way the Democrats treated Jimmy Carter after he left office? Imagine the antipathy multiplied by ten, and that's George W. Bush's legacy with the GOP.
I know this, because the president has offered his unqualified support.
Earlier today, in regard to the firings of the US Attorneys, Bush said that "there is no indication that anybody did anything improper," and that the Democrats were more interested in "scoring political points" than finding out what actually happened.
I feel confident that the Democrats can manage both.
The fun part is when George says things like "It will be regrettable if they choose to head down the partisan road of issuing subpoenas and demanding show trials when I have agreed to make key White House officials and documents available."
Oversight. That is one of Congress' most important functions. What the president has offered in what he calls a "compromise," is to allow the people in his administration behind the scandal, Karl Rove and Harriet Miers, to testify before the Senate, behind closed doors, and only if they are not under oath.
Well, nothing fishy about that, yeah?
Everything is above board, everyone is doing their jobs legally, and yet no one can talk about it with cameras rolling, or after first swearing to tell the truth. I would like a similar deal next time I have to testify or fill out a legal document.
Bush's stance is not surprising, of course. He is not one to think, or look at the facts. He believes. He believes that Alberto Gonzales is doing a great job, he believes that we are winning in Iraq, he believes that God has endorsed his policies, he believes that the poor deserve what they get, he believes that education is for losers, he believes that might makes right, he believes that the Bible is literal truth, and he believes that the US Constitution is inconvenient. George believes a lot of things that are unsupported in fact and reality, and likely believes that neither of his daughters has HPV.
These things happen.
So, I don't know what's going to happen next, because if Rumsfeld can be thrown under the bus, then anything is possible. But I hope the Congress has the balls to ferret out the truth on this matter, and all of the other scandals this administration has authored. And feel free to take your time. If the president wants to drag this out into an election year, his party can pay the price. His insistence on delaying victory in Iraq will likely do him in, but the myriad of criminal activity will be the icing on the cake.
Remember the way the Democrats treated Jimmy Carter after he left office? Imagine the antipathy multiplied by ten, and that's George W. Bush's legacy with the GOP.
Labels: Alberto Gonzales, Bush, crime, Iraq, Rumsfeld
posted at 4:40 PM
0 comments
Monday, March 19, 2007
You can't spell "Gonzales..."
...without "G-O-N-E."
The president's consigliere is about to be forced out for his office's many ethical violations. It's too bad a sharp guy like him forgot that he was the Attorney General of the United States, and not still George W. Bush's personal lawyer.
The president's consigliere is about to be forced out for his office's many ethical violations. It's too bad a sharp guy like him forgot that he was the Attorney General of the United States, and not still George W. Bush's personal lawyer.
I hope the next person in the job remembers who the hell he or she works for.
You, god dammit.
You, god dammit.
Labels: Alberto Gonzales, Bush
posted at 3:58 PM
1 comments
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Partisan Hackery
I have not commented on the most recent of the myriad Bush administration scandals, that being the firing of federal prosecutors for not adequately going after Democrats in a naked politicization of justice.
But today, I read that Republican Senator John Sununu of New Hampshire has called for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to resign. The other Senator from that state, Judd Gregg, was asked about Sununu's statement, and I was so irritated by the stupidity of his response, that I wrote him an actual letter. A copy appears below:
Senator Gregg,
Today, your colleague from New Hampshire, John Sununu, called on Alberto Gonzales to resign in the wake of the US Attorneys firings scandal. When asked for your thoughts, you said this:
"I don't believe the attorney general should resign over this. I don't believe his ability to pursue the terrorist threat has been compromised to the extent that he should resign."
You may be surprised to learn that the Attorney General is the chief law enforcement officer for our nation. In addition to fighting terrorists, his purview includes rape and murder, drugs, harassment in the workplace, and a myriad of other criminal activity. In other words, well over 99% of his job does not have anything to do with terrorism. In light of this fact, can you please explain to me how your response today had anything to do with the issue at hand?
I eagerly await your reply.
Sincerely,
(dickhead blogger)
I am not holding my breath.
But today, I read that Republican Senator John Sununu of New Hampshire has called for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to resign. The other Senator from that state, Judd Gregg, was asked about Sununu's statement, and I was so irritated by the stupidity of his response, that I wrote him an actual letter. A copy appears below:
Senator Gregg,
Today, your colleague from New Hampshire, John Sununu, called on Alberto Gonzales to resign in the wake of the US Attorneys firings scandal. When asked for your thoughts, you said this:
"I don't believe the attorney general should resign over this. I don't believe his ability to pursue the terrorist threat has been compromised to the extent that he should resign."
You may be surprised to learn that the Attorney General is the chief law enforcement officer for our nation. In addition to fighting terrorists, his purview includes rape and murder, drugs, harassment in the workplace, and a myriad of other criminal activity. In other words, well over 99% of his job does not have anything to do with terrorism. In light of this fact, can you please explain to me how your response today had anything to do with the issue at hand?
I eagerly await your reply.
Sincerely,
(dickhead blogger)
I am not holding my breath.
Labels: Alberto Gonzales, Bush, partisanship
posted at 4:30 PM
0 comments
Saturday, November 13, 2004
Ashcroft
Well, the Attorney General has stepped down, and there is muted rejoicing. After all, if the re-election of this corrupt and deliberately ignorant administration has you down, you must take your small pleasures where you can.
So why am I not happier? Ashcroft was easily the most frightening figure appointed by Bush, and that's truly an accomplishment. This man has called dissent of the President's policies treasonous. He has tried to set back women's rights 80 years. And there is still that disturbing issue with needing to cover the statue at the Department of Justice building. The guy is a nut job, nearly without parallel.
Alberto Gonzales will be named, and will face token questioning from the Senate. I don't know too much about him, but I don't think he's a zealot like Ashcroft. His past record indicates that his actions on controversial laws tend to uphold them whether he agrees with them or not. That will be quite refreshing from the nation's top lawman.
There is, however, his odd memo dealing with the President's criminality if charged with war crimes. In regard to the Geneva Conventions, Gonzales referred to their notions of torture being "quaint" and "outdated." Call me old-fashioned, but I'm just not sure that we really have any right to outrage at the mistreatment of our soldiers when we so cavalierly toss aside everyone else's right to not have their balls hooked up to a car battery.
Gonzales will be confirmed, and he may be a very good attorney general. I honestly believe that, whereas with Ashcroft, I knew the opposite to be true. Will Gonzales have the wherewithal to say to the President, "Uh, there is a great deal of illegal stuff in the Patriot Act, if we are going to use the Constitution of The United States as a guide. We need to fix this problem immediately."
I doubt it. Al has been friends with Bush long enough to know that dissent is not a virtue. My guess is we're going to be saddled with the illegalities for a long while yet. Meanwhile, Gonzales will likely serve his post quite well for the most part. I'll try to keep a good thought for his wanting to protect the Constitution. It's really all I can do.
Labels: Alberto Gonzales, Ashcroft, Patriot Act, torture
posted at 1:10 AM