Gonzales' Struggle Predictable

[babylonsister]

While this might hit some historical highlights, it's a wee bit short on facts, me thinks. And doesn't mention Gonzales a whole heckuva lot either. :eyes:


http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0307/3163.html

Gonzales' Struggle Predictable

By: Andrew Glass
March 16, 2007 11:51 AM EST


Whatever fate awaits Alberto Gonzales in the uproar on Capitol Hill over the firing of eight U.S. attorneys, it has become clear once again that attorneys general of the United States must grapple with conflicting loyalties. Since the dawn of the Republic, nearly all the 79 people who preceded Gonzales in the top post at the Justice Department have become ensnared at one time or another in the inherent conflicts that go with that job.

Some of Gonzales’ congressional critics have accused him of never having shed his mind set as White House counsel to President Bush to step into his new role as the nation’s chief law enforcement officer, beginning a new chapter independent from his past career.

Bush began his second term by selecting a known loyalist, Gonzales, to replace John Ashcroft as attorney general. On many scores, Ashcroft also attracted heavy criticism. Not all that disapproval, however, originated from such liberal voices as the American Civil Liberties Union. At times, the Bush White House also looked askance at him for pursuing an independent course on a number of issues.

Ashcroft had a political career of his own before joining the first Bush Cabinet. Indeed, that fact might have accounted at least in part for his frequently autonomous approach. He had previously served both as a Republican governor of Missouri from 1985 to 1993 and as a senator from that state from 1995 to 2001. By contrast, Gonzales has been associated for virtually all time in public life with George W. Bush. In 1994, then Gov. Bush named him as his general counsel. Gonzales then rose to become Texas secretary of state in 1997 and finally to be named to the Texas Supreme Court in 1999. Bush made all of these appointments.

The built-in tension between serving dual masters also defined the tenures of many of Gonzales's predecessors. Broadly speaking those tensions arise from the need to interpret the U.S. Constitution -- both in the administration of justice and in bringing cases before the federal courts -- and looking out for the often more parochial interests of the president who had nominated him or her to be attorney general.

That dilemma continually faced Robert F. Kennedy who served as attorney general in his brother’s administration. A Republican-led Congress subsequently enacted an anti-nepotism statute to prevent that kind of close family relationship from ever arising again at the top rungs of the executive branch.

more...

[yellowcanine]

1. Yeah well Bobby Kennedy was a good AG by all accounts. He went after organized crime and

sent in the FBI to investigate the Klan and other racist outrages in the South. He was also eminently qualified to be AG - it wasn't as if it was his first high profile job (unlike Gonzolas)

[Kagemusha]

2. By all accounts? Then why the massive outrage over him?

Not that I've heard first hand what the outrage concerned, really, aside from the mafia not liking him very much, but Republicans rose up in a fury to ban any similar appointment, ever.

[babylonsister]

3. Odd that, and I don't know the facts. I wish someone would pipe in

that does.

[yellowcanine]

4. First of all, the "Massive outrage" was Republican by and large. Second, their outrage had

zero to do with what kind of AG he turned out to be or his qualifications for the appointment - they had to do with wanting to score political points. Maybe I should have said, Most historians would rank RFK as an able AG."

[LiberalFighter]

5. Possibly clarify that with "Most able historians"