i'm still very very busy but want to go on the record opposing the nomination of alberto gonzales for attorney general. i'm a little late for kos' call for opposition. but better late then never.
when gonzales' nomination was first announced, i was actually not opposed ("for" is too strong of a word) for the reasons set forth here. then, as time passed, it became increasingly clear that my reasons would not hold up. i started backtracking as i read more about him and then fully reversed my position later.
that all happened last november. and the past two months have done nothing but solidified my opposition to this nomination. the administration has to be held accountable for its endorsement of torture. if the guy who, to this day, refuses to rule out torture and who developed dubious arguments that such practices are legal actually becomes our nation's highest law enforcement official, this country loses any pretense of having the high moral ground.
my initial position on gonzales was strategic, not moral. i evaded the torture question by arguing that by shunting gonzales off to the AG's office, it would keep gonzales from doing more damage as supreme court justice later. not only has that theory proven to be completely wrong, but i now realize that, even if it were right, it is simply unacceptable to have someone with gonzales' record elevated to such a high position in the u.s. government. furthermore, if gonzales is confirmed as attorney general, that act would have its own negative practical consequences. for it would say to the world that abu ghraib does not matter. that the architects of those policies are rewarded, not punished, and that the u.s. is paying nothing but lip service when it condemns torture chambers abroad. right now, this country needs more, not less, credibility on human rights issues as it tries to build democracies in iraq and afghanistan. confirming gonzales will damage that credibility in the eyes of the muslim world, and frankly, we cannot afford any further blows to this nation's credibility in that part of the world.
