Mon 27 Aug 2007
I must say that I am relieved. I think that the most importnant thing to reflect on is what we knew at the time of this man\’s confirmation. We knew that he was the author of the infamous torture memo. We knew that he drafted executive orders which flagrantly violated the constitution.
Most damning, we knew from his confirmation, that his conscience held no regret.
Despite this, he was confirmed. So, I do not lay all the blame for his infamy as Attorney General on him. Some portion must also go to us.
4 Responses to “Gonzales Resigns.”
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August 27th, 2007 at 11:27 pm
You know how I hate to argue with you, Max (sorry…I *almost* said that with a straight face!), but who, please, is “us” in that last sentence? Many alert citizens, myself included, loathed the man from day one, but I don’t recall being consulted on his confirmation, nor emphatically did I vote for any of the senators who voted to confirm him.
The feeling of helplessness and disenfranchisement that I get whenever I turn on the news and watch these yahoos acting out the reasons why I didn’t vote for them seems to be a national (indeed, at times global) malaise among those who have objected early and often to the abuses we must now watch unfold. I find it hard to believe that it’s because we didn’t try hard enough or shout loudly enough when the time was ripe.
August 28th, 2007 at 12:16 am
Oh, by ‘us’, I meant everyone _but_ you, as you are faultless in all things.
At the time I recall being opposed to, but somewhat not caring about the confirmation. I think what I want to emphasize is that I believe that this outcome was predictable, although at the time I did not imagine it. I wanted to reinforce that in my own mind, and in the reader :)
Uh, but to you I can say nothing. You are far more active, and vocal, than I.
August 28th, 2007 at 2:33 am
I read Iain’s “us” as a stand-in for “the country” as a whole, and I think it’s a reasonable point. Our process put Gonzales in place, regardless of individual dissent. I don’t see it as a criticism of the individual dissentors or even the individual apathetic or uninformed. One wonders if there are ways that the process could be improved?
September 4th, 2007 at 11:59 pm
An interesting article, tangential to the subject.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/09/magazine/09rosen.html?pagewanted=all