If you want to, of course... letter to Senators at link.
Tough Questions for Ashcroft ReplacementAlberto Gonzales, the President's pick to fill the Attorney General cabinet position, has carefully cultivated a moderate reputation, but he may prove to be even more radical than the man he is replacing. His nomination should be anything but a rubber stamp. In fact, senators should vote "no" on his confirmation unless he is able to provide satisfactory answers to a number of tough questions. These questions – first put forth by the Center for American Progress – must be asked of Mr. Gonzales at his confirmation hearing.
Do you think there are circumstances in which torture is legal?
Mr. Gonzales is the author of the infamous document which attempted to provide legal coverage to the White House decision to exempt Taliban and al Qaeda prisoners from protections under the Geneva Conventions. The decision to ignore the rule of war in Afghanistan, and Mr. Gonzales’s legal arguments to support that decision, spiraled out of control and eventually led to the prison abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib.
Would you insist on strict compliance with the Geneva Conventions?
Another memo Mr. Gonzales wrote referred to the Geneva Conventions as "quaint" and "obsolete" given the new paradigm of the war on terror. Do we want an Attorney General who ignores the Constitutional requirement to honor international treaties?
Would you recuse yourself from the Valerie Plame investigation?
Alberto Gonzales has appeared before the federal grand jury investigating which senior administration official violated federal law in telling columnist Robert Novak that Valerie Plame was a CIA operative. His involvement in this matter as White House Counsel makes it highly inappropriate for him to oversee the investigation.
Would you recuse yourself from all Enron-related matters?
Mr. Gonzales worked for the law firm that represented Enron for more than a decade. He also received thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from Enron when he ran for reelection to the Texas Supreme Court. However, he did not recuse himself from Enron-related investigations as White House counsel.
Would you recuse yourself from all Halliburton-related matters?
There are three Justice Department investigations of Halliburton ranging from overcharging the government to bribing Nigerian officials. Halliburton was also represented by the law firm Vinson & Elkins while Mr. Gonzales was a partner at the firm, and as a member of the Texas Supreme Court he accepted a $3,000 campaign contribution from Halliburton just before the court heard a case involving the company. Mr. Gonzales did not recuse himself in that case.
Why didn't you give Gov. Bush all the facts about Death Penalty cases?
As chief legal counsel for then Gov. Bush in Texas, Mr. Gonzales was responsible for writing a memo on the facts of each death penalty case. The governor made life and death decisions in these capitol cases based on these memos. The Atlantic Monthly analysis of these memos concludes that “Gonzales repeatedly failed to apprise the governor of crucial issues in the cases at hand” these issues included ineffective counsel, conflict of interest and actual evidence of innocence.
The Attorney General is charged with protecting the civil liberties of every American. The American public must be assured that the person who holds the job is up to that task.
Call to action
Urge your senators to vote "no" on the confirmation of Alberto Gonzales unless he is able to address these extremely important questions.