Conason: The yes man (Gonzales)

[kskiska]

Ever faithful to his boss, George W. Bush, Alberto Gonzales dodged his Senate critics Thursday with the company man's eternal defense: See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.

Genial and mild-mannered yet insistently evasive, Alberto Gonzales yesterday did what tainted presidential nominees often do when facing a turbulent confirmation: He denied, denied, denied what everyone knows is true -- and he forgot everything else that might be inconvenient to remember.

Chosen to serve as attorney general by the newly reelected George W. Bush, and graced with an inspiring rise from working-class Latino poverty to the White House, the man known as "Judge Gonzales" was understandably confident that he would win approval by the Republican majority (and most Democrats) in the Senate. His only potential pitfall is the same personal characteristic that spurred his climb to prominence. Gonzales is a company man who always and instinctively provides the answers his boss wants to hear. Whether the subject is execution of a Texas felon or torture of foreign prisoners, he raises no discomforting issues and erases all embarrassing problems.

He is the kind of counselor that this president prizes most highly. He is the ultimate yes man.

Gonzales did his ingratiating best to "yes" all of his inquisitors at the Senate Judiciary Committee, too. He deplored the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison, which have stained the honor of the United States. He denounced the use of torture and promised to prosecute any officer guilty of that offense. He endorsed the Geneva Conventions, traditional civil liberties, civil rights and even abortion rights as "the law of the land."

(snip)

The nominee's bland evasions conform perfectly to his role as the yes man of the torture scandal. As White House counsel, Gonzales convened meetings to deliberate on the issue, and according to the Washington Post, he purposely excluded lawyers from the State Department and the Army who might dissent from such radical findings -- as they eventually did with great vehemence. Again, Gonzales knew what his boss wanted and he delivered.

more…
http://salon.com/opinion/conason/2005/01/07/gonzales/index.html

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Conason is always good. Thanks for posting.

[struggle4progress]

2. kick