The fall of Attorney General, Alberto “Fredo” Gonzales, is but the
latest evidence of rats fleeing a sinking ship.
Gonzales, George W. Bush’s consigliere, was a man more loyal to his
patron than to his country or the U.S. Constitution.
Years ago, before coming to Washington, Gonzales served his patron by
adding the illusion of inclusion by performing as a Texas Supreme Court
judge, his general counsel, and the Texas Secretary of State. In gratitude,
or perhaps misplaced loyalty, Gonzales did his boss’s will, first and
foremost.
While loyalty is admirable, the question is, loyalty to what?
In performing his duties, he betrayed his oaths (both state and federal)
to protect and defend the Constitution, from all enemies–foreign and
domestic.
For there is no greater foe of the Constitution in the United States,
than George W. Bush.
His terms as president have been marked by an unprecedented hostility to
the legislative and judicial branches. It has only been exceeded by his
contempt for the American people.
Moreover, his damage will be long-lasting. It matters little who is
elected in November 2008, for they will inherit the powers and prerogatives
of a prince.
Secret prisons, secret wiretaps; a dictatorship of one uber alles
(German: “over all”).
Gonzales was an Attorney General for Torture, not the “equal justice
under law” claimed by the Dept. of Justice.
As Bush’s counsel, he advised him that the Geneva Conventions against
torture were “quaint”, and no longer relevant. It took the nation’s highest
court to prove him wrong.
Can you imagine his performance on the Texas Supreme Court? In one of
America’s premier killing states, it is hard to imagine how judges such as
he read briefs and pleadings from criminal appellants.
Perhaps they reasoned that ideas such as “due process” were also
“quaint.”
What Americans experienced during the Bush Regime has only been an echo
of what people in Texas experienced under Bush as Governor.
While Gonzales, as an Hispanic appointee, allowed Bush to play
“compassionate conservative”, and a “uniter, not a divider”, the record of
cold, political decision-making, and more importantly, naked cronyism is
quite abundant.
Gonzales was a crony, who brought Texas-style ‘good ole boy’-ism with
him, to the White House, and to the Dept. of Justice.
Above his titles of prosecutor, or judge, was his duty to his boss–Bush.
And America is the poorer for it.