Absolute Power

Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Lord Acton

I agree with Mcjoan. A political crony like Alberto Gonzales has no business being Attoney General. His argument before the Senate Judiciary Committee would be laughed out of a law school class.

Specter: Now wait a minute, wait a minute. The Constitution says you can't take it away except in the case of invasion or rebellion. Doesn't that mean you have the right of habeas corpus?

Gonzales: I meant by that comment that the Constitution doesn't say that every individual in the United States or every citizen has or is assured the right of habeas corpus. It doesn't say that. It simply says that the right of habeas corpus shall not be suspended.

What this breaks down to is Gonzales is playing with words and endorsing the administration's refusal to give detainees the right to a speedy trial. That is one of the basic freedoms America has. A country like China detains people, locks them up indefinitely, and declares them a threat to the state. Gonzales is pushing for the executive branch to have the same power as a dictatorship.

The President currently has the power to declare any American citizen an enemy combatant. He prosecutes people with evidence they can not see. He lies about the use of torture. As he holds prisoners in secret prisons. This White House is no lover of freedom.

Update: Senator Patrick Leahy grills Alberto Gonzales about why Maher Arar was sent to Syria and tortured.


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Gonzales makes a bigger ass out of himself. He says he was actually saying that it was bloggers who were against wiretapping terrorist. He would never make those statements towards Democrats during an election. Not even partisan Republicans will believe that statement.

Feingold: Do you know of any one in the country who opposed eavesdropping on terrorists?

Gonzales: Sure - if you look at blogs today, there is a lot of concern about all types of eavesdropping, who don't want us eavesdropping at all.

Feingold: Do you know anyone in government who ever took that position?

Gonzales: No, but that is not what I said.

Feingold: It is a disgrace and disservice to your office and the President to have accused people on this Committee of opposing eavesdropping on terrorists.

Gonzales: I didn't have you in mind or anyone on the Committee when I referred to people who oppose eavesdropping on terrorists. Perish the thought.

Feingold: Oh, well it's nice that you didn't have us "in your mind" when making those accusations, but given that you and the President were running around the country accusing people of opposing eavesdropping on terrorists in the middle of an election, the fact that you didn't have Congressional Democrats in "mind" isn't significant. Your intent was to make people think that anyone who opposed the "TSP" did not want to eavesdrop on terrorists, even though that was false. No Democrats oppose eavesdropping on terrorists.

Gonzales: I wasn't referring to Democrats.

So, apparently, all those speeches Bush officials and their supporters have spent the last year giving accusing people of opposing eavesdropping on terrorists, and all the television commericals making the same accusations throughout the months leading up to the election, were not about Democrats at all, but were about random bloggers who are against all eavesdropping. Where?

Gonzales can't even spin bullshit properly. That's what I always admired about Ari Fleischer. I didn't believe a word he said, but it sounded good. I thought Gonzales was horrible during his confirmation hearing. He is in the White House because of loyalty. Not skill.