John Dean on Abu Gonzales

John Dean, who has had up-close experience with Republican officials who think they can roll over the law and the Constitution, delivered a harsh verdict on our current Attorney General, who is known in the liberal blogosphere as Abu Gonzales, in The Controversy over Curtailing Habeas Corpus Rights: Why It Is a Bad Day For The Constitution Whenever Attorney General Alberto Gonzales Testifies Findlaw.com 01/26/07 (before the current scandal over the firing of US Attorneys broke):

In the history of U.S. Attorney Generals, Alberto Gonzales is constantly reaching for new lows. So dubious is his testimony that he is not afforded the courtesy given most cabinet officers when appearing on Capitol Hill: Congress insists he testify under oath. Even under oath, Gonzales's purported understanding of the Constitution is historically and legally inaccurate, far beyond the bounds of partisan interpretation.

No wonder that with each appearance he makes on Capitol Hill, Gonzales increases his standing as one of the least respected Attorney Generals ever, in the eyes of both Congressional cognoscenti and the legal community. His most recent appearance bordered on the pathetic.

On January 18, Gonzales appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), now the committee's ranking minority member and former chairman, asked him a series of questions. With no wish to be snide, nor less than respectful of the post Gonzales holds, I must confess that watching his testimony makes me deeply uncomfortable. Gonzales does not seem to know when he is making a fool of himself, and I can't tell if he is suffering from empty-suit syndrome or an unhealthy case of hubris.

Whatever the explanation, one thing is clear: Gonzales's latest testimony provided a micro-moment of how the Bush/Cheney Administration does business, and how it plays fast and loose with Americans' fundamental rights. (my emphasis)

Dean has been a perceptive and outspoken critic of the authoritarian takeover of the Republican Party.

In this article, Dean explains who Abu Gonzales is little more than a flack for the Cheney-Bush administration's power grabs. Yet another disgrace to his office in an administration that has seen no shortage of them.

Tags: alberto gonzales, bush administration, john dean