http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=16842&action=1516
Demand Tough Questioning of Alberto Gonzales for His Troubling Civil and Human Rights Record
The extensive damage done to Americans' rights and liberties during John Ashcroft's tenure as Attorney General makes your senators' duty to confirm a qualified replacement all the more important. Given his role in a number of Bush administration attacks on civil and human rights, Alberto Gonzales, President Bush's top legal counsel, is a troubling choice.
When hearings on his nomination begin in January, Gonzales' fitness to be our next Attorney General must be judged on his entire record, including:
* His advocacy for the position that, in the war in Afghanistan, the United States is not bound by the Geneva Conventions' prohibition on torture and other inhumane treatment.
* His arrogant assertion, later rejected by the Supreme Court, that President Bush can indefinitely detain "enemy combatants," including U.S. citizens, without charges, counsel or judicial review.
* His frequent omissions of important information about ineffective counsel, conflicts of interest, mitigating evidence and even evidence of innocence when advising then-Governor Bush on death-penalty clemency applications.
In addition to answering questions about his record, senators must demand that Gonzales address his plans to continue or end Ashcroft's harmful policies, including implementation and review of the USA PATRIOT Act.
Stand for the truth - don't let Gonzales' record be sanitized during his hearings. We know all too well the record John Ashcroft is leaving behind, but this doesn't excuse senators from asking tough questions about the justice Americans would get under Gonzales.
