President Bush Names Alberto Gonzales Attorney General

President George Bush named White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales as the successor to former Attorney General John Ashcroft this week. The decision came the day after Ashcroft officially resigned from his post. The Senate is expected to confirm Gonzales without any problems. Pending confirmation, Gonzales will be the first Hispanic to serve as Attorney General in United States history.

This position marks the fifth time Gonzales has been named as a political appointment by Bush. As Texas governor, Bush selected Gonzales as his chief counsel in 1995 and then the Secretary of State for Texas. Two years later, he became a justice in the Texas Supreme Court. Gonzales came to Washington in 2001 as the top lawyer in the White House, advising the President on legal opinions and judicial nominations. He was also considered to be a candidate for a U.S. Supreme Court nomination in Bush's second term. Prior to his ascension into politics, Gonzales was a partner at a private law firm in Houston, Texas and was an adjunct professor at the University of Houston Law Center.

Reactions to the nomination were generally positive. The President highlighted Gonzales' qualifications for the job and his commitment to the law and government ethics. Senate Democrats Charles E. Schumer and Patrick Leahy commended the President for his choice, claiming the relatively moderate Gonzales' appointment over Ashcroft will help depolarize the American public. Gonzales' received criticism from other Democrats and lobbying groups who claim Mr. Gonzales' track record on the “War on Terror” and dismissive attitude towards the Geneva Convention led to prison abuse like those in Abu Ghriab .

Gonzales' critics rest their claims on a January 2002 legal opinion drafted by the nominee's office. The statement read, "The war against terrorism is a new kind of war, a new paradigm that renders obsolete Geneva's strict limitations on questioning of enemy prisoners and renders quaint some of its provisions." Critics are also concerned about the limbo status the Bush administration, led by Gonzales, have placed detainees in Guantamano Bay.

Reaction statements:

"His sharp intellect and sound judgment have helped shape our policies in the war on terror, policies designed to protect the security of all Americans while protecting the rights of all Americans. As the top legal official on the White House staff, he has led a superb team of lawyers and has upheld the highest standards of government ethics. My confidence in Al was high to begin with; it has only grown with time."
President George W. Bush

“[Alberto Gonzales' record raises] doubts about his commitment to the rule of law. Even Secretary of State Powell objected to Mr. Gonzales' memorandum undermining the Geneva Conventions, which Mr. Gonzales called 'obsolete' and 'quaint."'
Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.)

"It's encouraging that the president has chosen someone less polarizing. We will have to review his record very carefully but I can tell you already he's a better candidate than John Ashcroft."
Senator Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senate Judiciary Committee


“The board, staff and more than 400,000 members of the ACLU do call, however, for a full and thorough Senate confirmation process… Particular attention should be devoted to exploring Mr. Gonzales' proposed policies on the constitutionality of the Patriot Act, the Guantanamo Bay detentions, the designation of United States citizens as enemy combatants and reproductive rights.”
American Civil Liberties Union Press Release

"I strongly believe that Judge Gonzales would be a worthy candidate to lead the Justice Department into the future as our government faces the critical tasks of restructuring our law-enforcement resources to keep America safe.”
Senator John Cornyn (R-Tex.), Senate Judiciary Committee

“Alberto Gonzales' role in the development of policies that ultimately led to the Abu Ghraib prison scandals in Iraq is deeply troubling.”
Ralph Ness, People for the American Way

"We are pleased that one of the first acts since President Bush's re-election both rectifies and marks an historic milestone for the Latino community,"
National Council of La Raza , leading Hispanic lobbying group