Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is under intense scrutiny these days
over the firing of eight federal prosecutors, with lawmakers on both sides of
the aisle calling for Gonzales�s resignation. Not only does it appear that the
firings were politically motivated (which is illegal), but Gonzales may have
gone so far as to lie about it to Congress.
Prior to this latest scandal, Gonzales was perhaps most notorious for
his semantic gymnastics to justify the use of torture on detainees in U.S.
custody and to protect the torturers from prosecution for war crimes -- moves
that paved the way for the abuses at Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, and elsewhere.
Later, so that other countries could do the dirty work for us, Gonzales
defended the Bush administration�s policy of extraordinary rendition, which is
the practice of sending prisoners to other countries (most of which are
notorious for their use of torture) for interrogation. Gonzales said that these
other countries promised not to torture the people we turn over to them. Right.
But you don�t have to be a Muslim to get a taste of the attorney general�s
war on human rights. Back in February, Gonzales went before the Senate
Judiciary Committee and tried to justify his warrantless spying on American
citizens. It�s apparently too much trouble for Gonzales�s team to get the
required court warrant for wiretapping. (Getting one requires that you
demonstrate reasonable cause.)
Now let�s go back further, to the 1990s, when Gonzales served as legal
counsel to Texas Governor George W. Bush. According to a statement by the
National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (NCADP), Gonzales�s track
record on death penalty cases in Texas failed to demonstrate a commitment to
fairness, due process, and equal protection under the law. �Time and again,�
reads the statement, �the legal analysis he provided to then-Gov. George W.
Bush on the eve of executions failed to include any discussion of the most
salient issues, including severe mental retardation and mental illness,
abysmally poor legal representation and, in more than a handful of cases, even
credible claims of innocence.�
So there you have it: Gonzales failed to disclose evidence that may have
prompted then-Governor Bush to seek to commute the death penalty for a possibly
innocent person.
In short, Gonzales�s long-term track record has proven him to be an
eager participant in George W. Bush�s culture of death, disregard for human rights,
and disdain for the rule of law.
The federal prosecutor scandal resulted in eight lawyers losing their
jobs for no good reason. That�s bad enough. But Gonzales�s previous
transgressions have resulted in unlawful detentions, torture, and death.
If this latest scandal is what finally calls Gonzales to accountability,
then it�s a positive step towards restoring true justice in the U.S. But we
must not lose sight of Gonzales�s other offenses, and he should be held
accountable for all of them.
Gonzales�s position is that of the nation�s highest law enforcement
official. As such, he was entrusted with the responsibility of protecting our
rights and freedoms, and defending the Constitution. Instead, he has built a
career on finding creative ways of ignoring or undermining the rules while
evading accountability for himself and for those he served.
It�s time to give Mr. Gonzales a refresher course on U.S. and
international law, and the consequences of breaking them.
Mary
Shaw is a Philadelphia-based writer and activist. She currently serves as
Philadelphia Area Coordinator for Amnesty International, and her views on
politics, human rights, and social justice issues have appeared in numerous
online forums and in newspapers and magazines worldwide. Unless otherwise
noted, the ideas expressed in this article are the author�s own, and do not
necessarily reflect the opinions of Amnesty or any other organization with
which she may be associated. E-mail: mary@maryshawonline.com.