Leahy was right
Toolbox
Published: March 16, 2007
Vermont's Patrick Leahy had it right from the very beginning. As the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2005, Leahy drew the public's attention the problems that President Bush's nomination of Alberto Gonzales for attorney general might bring to the administration of justice in the United States.
But even Leahy couldn't have predicted the scale of the difficulty that has arisen from the clumsy firing of eight United States prosecutors. Now there are calls for Gonzales to resign, and once again the Bush administration finds itself stewing in the middle of a political potboiler of its own making.
During the confirmation hearings for Gonzales Leahy had commented that "the attorney general … has to represent the interests of all Americans, the nation's chief law enforcement officer … so a key question for this hearing is whether the nominee shares this view of the crucial role of the attorney general."
It was clear that the senator doubted Gonzales did share that view, and since the nominee became attorney general he has demonstrated, conclusively, that Leahy's reservations were amply justified.
"When he was designated for this position by the president, Judge Gonzales said he was looking forward to continuing to work with friends and colleagues in the White House in a different capacity on behalf of our president," Leahy had stated at the 2005 hearings. "But, you know … there may well be times when the attorney general of the United States has to enforce the law, and he can't be worried about friends or colleagues at the White House. His duty is to all Americans: Republicans, Democrats, independent, all Americans."
Then Leahy, turning to controversies that Gonzales had been linked to while working at the White House, he added: "We need to know more about his (the nominee's) judgment and actions in connection with the tragic, legal and policy changes formulated in secret by this administration – in secret and still being hidden from proper congressional oversight and public scrutiny. The policies include this nominee's role in developing interpretation of the law to justify harsh treatment of prisoners, harsh treatment that's tantamount to torture."
Back then, Republicans controlled the Senate and so it was no surprise that the Republican president's nominee was confirmed. Since last November's elections, however, the Democrats in general and Leahy in particular are in a far more powerful position to do something about all the wrongs committed by this arrogantly deceptive and inept administration.
Gonzales lamely tried to have it both ways the other day. While saying he accepted responsibility for the botched firings of the prosecutors, he nevertheless insisted his own hands were clean because he simply didn't know what was going on in his own department. It's hardly encouraging when ignorance is bandied about as a virtue. To Bush's credit, even the president seemed unimpressed.
"The attorney general is about being a forceful, independent voice in our continuing quest for justice and defense of the constitutional rights of every single American," Leahy declared in that 2005 hearing. But Gonzales has shown no sign he agreed.
The White House argument that the firing of eight prosecutors was not tainted by politics is flying about as well on Capitol Hill as the proverbial lead balloon. "I'm surprised that they're saying that … and we're still two and a half weeks from April Fool's Day," Leahy commented this week. "How can they possibly stand there with a straight face and say that's not politics? Of course it's politics."
This administration's cynical addiction to partisan policies at all costs needs continued scrutiny because we Americans are paying those costs.
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