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Title: Gonzales Defends Role in Antiterror Policies. Some cheese with that whine?
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Published: Jan 2, 2009
Author: .
Post Date: 2009-01-02 09:17:41 by PSUSA
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Views: 667
Comments: 12
By EVAN PEREZ WASHINGTON -- Alberto Gonzales, who has kept a low profile since resigning as attorney general nearly 16 months ago, said he is writing a book to set the record straight about his controversial tenure as a senior official in the Bush administration. Mr. Gonzales has been portrayed by critics both as unqualified for his position and instrumental in laying the groundwork for the administration's "war on terror." He was pilloried by Congress in a manner not usually directed toward cabinet officials. Alberto Gonzales Interview Excerpts Alberto Gonzales, in his most extensive comments since stepping down as attorney general last year, discussed his tenure as White House counsel and as the first Hispanic to lead the Justice Department. Read the excerpts. Discuss How will history judge his work? "What is it that I did that is so fundamentally wrong, that deserves this kind of response to my service?" he said during an interview Tuesday, offering his most extensive comments since leaving government. During a lunch meeting two blocks from the White House, where he served under his longtime friend, President George W. Bush, Mr. Gonzales said that "for some reason, I am portrayed as the one who is evil in formulating policies that people disagree with. I consider myself a casualty, one of the many casualties of the war on terror." His political problems started with the firings of nine U.S. attorneys in 2006, which grew into a firestorm that Mr. Gonzales said he never saw coming. In November of that year, Democrats had taken control of Congress and the power to conduct investigations of Bush administration policies. His previous role of White House counsel put Mr. Gonzales at the heart of the administration's decision-making on issues relating to terrorism, making him an easier target than the president. Critics also said he allowed the Justice Department to become politicized through its hiring practices and prosecutions, favoring Republicans for plum positions and targeting Democrats for prosecution. Mr. Gonzales fueled the fire by giving evasive answers to Congress, frequently responding "I don't recall." Among other things, Mr. Gonzales said Tuesday that he didn't play a central role in drafting the widely criticized legal opinions that allowed the Central Intelligence Agency to use aggressive interrogation techniques on terrorism suspects and expanded the president's power to hold "unlawful combatants" and terrorism suspects indefinitely. He also said he told the truth to Congress about a classified eavesdropping program authorized by the president, and admitted to making mistakes in handling the U.S. attorney firings while maintaining that he made the right decisions. He says that while he bears responsibility as former Attorney General that "doesn't absolve other individuals of responsibility." Mr. Gonzales, 53 years old, doesn't have a publisher for his book. He said he is writing it if only "for my sons, so at least they know the story." The chapters on the Bush administration's surveillance program, which involved eavesdropping without court warrants, and other controversial aspects of his work, remain blank. That is in part because he remains under investigation regarding allegations of political meddling at the Justice Department. The Harvard Law School graduate, onetime corporate lawyer and Texas judge also hasn't been able to land a job. He has delivered a few paid speeches, done some mediation work and plans to do some arbitration, but said law firms have been "skittish" about hiring him. The biggest blow to Mr. Gonzales came during Senate testimony by James Comey, former deputy attorney general, who recounted dramatic details of a 2004 confrontation at the hospital bed of then-Attorney General John Ashcroft. Mr. Comey had refused to sign a reauthorization of a secret government program, believed to be the eavesdropping initiative. Mr. Gonzales and Andrew Card, White House chief of staff at the time, drove to the hospital where Mr. Ashcroft was recovering from surgery to instead seek approval from him. Mr. Comey drove to the hospital to stop them. The episode highlighted a dispute between Justice and the White House over the surveillance program's legality. In Tuesday's interview, Mr. Gonzales said Mr. Comey's characterization of the dispute was "one-sided and didn't have the right context," and gave the impression that he and Mr. Card were attempting to take advantage of Mr. Ashcroft. "I found Ashcroft as lucid as I've seen him at meetings in the White House," he said. Mr. Gonzales was at a meeting in San Antonio the day of Mr. Comey's surprise testimony. "He didn't have the decency to notify anyone what he was about to testify," he said. "That was extremely disappointing." Mr. Comey declined to comment. Mr. Gonzales also downplayed his role in formulating opinions that allowed the CIA to use aggressive interrogation methods, which included waterboarding. The memos have since been rescinded and replaced with opinions that explicitly call torture "abhorrent." Mr. Gonzales said his role as White House counsel at the time was one among several administration lawyers who debated the opinions, but that in the end it was the Justice Department's call. John Yoo, the then-Justice official who had been assigned to draft the memos, had strong feelings and no one could have pressured him to write the memos a certain way, Mr. Gonzales said. Mr. Yoo didn't respond to a request for comment. In one of his final acts before leaving office, Mr. Gonzales denied he was planning to quit, even though he had told the president of his intention to resign. Asked about the misleading comment Tuesday, he said: "At that point, I didn't care."
Poster Comment: Emphasis mine. What a worthless loser.
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#1. To: PSUSA (#0)
Why are you being so hard on "worthless losers" to lump them in together with that stinkin' ho?
Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end. WHAT?!?!?? Don't you feel sorry for his misfortunes? You are sooooo cold hearted. I've gone thru 2 boxes of Kleeenex(TM) already. But I bet you have shed not 1 tear... .
Click for Privacy and Preparedness files Nehemiah 4:14 And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”
Pooooooooooooooooooor baby. He's a casualty now. Can this get much sicker? He presides over policies and cover-ups hiding mass murder and criminality and we're supposed to feel sorry for the freaking bastard? If I had my way he'd be given a fair trial and then strung up from the nearest Mighty Oak Tree, on a branch adjoining John Ashcroft, with his head subsequently put on a Pike while the Carrion Crows make a meal of the rest of him. How sad. He can't find a publisher for his attempt to write a phoney "mea culpa". So, he lies to his family as well? This can't get too much sicker. Can it? Of course he doesn't dare tell the truth as he would be whacked for doing so. Me neither - other than I still would like to see him take a ride on a "rope swing".
""I think the subject which will be of most importance politically is Mass Psychology...It's importance has been enormously increased by the growth of modern methods of propaganda...Although this science will be diligently studied, it will be rigidly confined to the governing class. The populace will not be allowed to know how its convictions were generated." Bertrand Russel, Eugenicist and Logician
Don't you feel sorry for his misfortunes? You are sooooo cold hearted. I've gone thru 2 boxes of Kleeenex(TM) already. But I bet you have shed not 1 tear... Put ALL your money on that bet! It would be like betting on Secretariat in the Belmont Stakes (he shattered the current record of a win by 25 lengths with his 31 length rout--six full seconds ahead of the second place horse, Twice A Prince). Count Fleet had set the 25 length record in 1943. More here.
Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end. LOL! Good one--Best laugh I have had today (and I agreed with "every jot and tittle" of it).
Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end. :-)
""I think the subject which will be of most importance politically is Mass Psychology...It's importance has been enormously increased by the growth of modern methods of propaganda...Although this science will be diligently studied, it will be rigidly confined to the governing class. The populace will not be allowed to know how its convictions were generated." Bertrand Russel, Eugenicist and Logician
During a lunch meeting two blocks from the White House, where he served under his longtime friend, President George W. Bush, Mr. Gonzales said that "for some reason, I am portrayed as the one who is evil in formulating policies that people disagree with. I consider myself a casualty, one of the many casualties of the war on terror." Well gee, Mr. Gonzales, here's the deal. I didn't go to a fancy-pants school like Harvard Law, I don't have a law degree from the #1 most exclusive and prestigious university in the entire United States, and yet there is one thing I know that apparently you don't know. I know that TORTURE is something that BAD GUYS DO. Ok? Torture is one of those things that, when practiced, immediately and instantly identifies the person or persons doing it as being REALLY BAD GUYS. Got it? So, when you found yourself using your high-falutin' Harvard Law School education to DEFEND TORTURE, then YOU put yourself and, worst of all, OUR ENTIRE NATION on the side of the BAD GUYS. It's a blot that will NEVER be removed, EVER. The ONLY way the people of the U.S. will EVER remove that stain from our society will be to see the END of the United States of America. And as of now all I can say is "Hasten the day". So thank you, Mr. Gonzales, for YOU and the LOATHSOME George W. Bush administration have rendered what used to be MY nation into an utterly indefensible pariah. Take a bow, asshole.
Lord Acton
#2. To: James Deffenbach (#1)
#3. To: PSUSA (#0)
...that "for some reason, I am portrayed as the one who is evil in formulating policies that people disagree with. I consider myself a casualty, one of the many casualties of the war on terror."
Mr. Gonzales, 53 years old, doesn't have a publisher for his book. He said he is writing it if only "for my sons, so at least they know the story."
...Asked about the misleading comment Tuesday, he said: "At that point, I didn't care."
#4. To: PSUSA (#2)
WHAT?!?!??
Lord Acton
#5. To: Original_Intent (#3)
Lord Acton
#6. To: James Deffenbach (#5)
#7. To: PSUSA (#0)
"What is it that I did that is so fundamentally wrong, that deserves this kind of response to my service?" he said during an interview Tuesday, offering his most extensive comments since leaving government.
 | Gold and silver are REAL money, paper is but a promise. |
#8. To: Elliott Jackalope (#7)
Couldn't have said it better. Great post.
Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end.
Lord Acton
#9. To: PSUSA (#0)
It was the first day of school and a new 4th grade student named Pedro Gonzales, the son of the former corrupt Atty General. The teacher said, "Let's begin by reviewing some American history." Who said 'Give me Liberty, or give me Death?'" She saw a sea of blank faces, except for Pedro, who had his hand up. "Patrick Henry, 1775." "Very good!" apprised the teacher. "Now, who said, 'Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth?'" Again, no response except from Pedro. "Abraham Lincoln, 1863." The teacher snapped at the students, "Class, you should be ashamed! Pedro, who is new, knows more about history than you do!" A student in the back said, "I'm gonna puke." The teacher glared and asked, "All right! Now, who said that?" Again, Pedro. "George Bush to the Japanese Prime Minister, 1991." Now furious, another student yelled, "Oh yeah? Suck this!" Pedro jumped out of his chair waving his hand and shouting to the teacher, "Bill Clinton to Monica Lewinsky, 1997!" Now, with almost mob hysteria, teacher said, "You little shit. If you say anything else, I'll kill you!" Pedro frantically yelled at the top of his voice, "Gary Condit to Chandra Levy, 2001." The teacher fainted, and as the class gathered around her on the floor, just as she came to someone said, "Oh shit, we're in BIG trouble now!". The teacher yelled "who said that" Pedro whispered, "Saddam Hussein, 2003."
#10. To: PSUSA (#0)
Another selected official from the last eight years that should be in shackles and an orange jumpsuit.
Mark
If America is destroyed, it may be by Americans who salute the flag, sing the national anthem, march in patriotic parades, cheer Fourth of July speakers - normally good Americans who fail to comprehend what is required to keep our country strong and free - Americans who have been lulled into a false security (April 1968).---Ezra Taft Benson, US Secretary of Agriculture 1953-1961 under Eisenhower
#11. To: PSUSA (#0)
Gonzales is what happens when you send a wetback to do a white man's job.
Have pug, will laugh.
#12. To: Kamala, all (#10)
Fixed.
Another selected All officials from the last eight years that should be in shackles and an orange jumpsuit.
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition Countries Without a Draft circa 2001 (You'll need this soon if you have kids) RUN SILENT, RUN DEEP 
"Corporation: An entity created for the legal protection of its human parasites, whose sole purpose is profit and self-perpetuation." ~~ IndieTx
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