I’ve been watching the confirmation hearing for Alberto Gonzales for the position of Attorney General. I think that it is a shame that he has to vow to follow international treaties and disavow torture.
I’ve also been annoyed that questions are rarely answered. Gonzales steadfastly dodged a question posed to him on whether the President could grant immunity to someone who committed abuses that may have been discussed in the memos on torture. Gonzales’ response was that the President would never do that. This is not an answer.
It also appears that although he requested memos on torture, he seems to have no opinion on whether these memos were correct or followed. When questioned on a memo he wrote for then Governor Bush summarizing the case of a death row inmate where his attorney slept during large parts of the trial, he said that he couldn’t remember whether or not he and the Governor discussed the fact the attorney slept through trial. This fact was not mentioned in his memo. Gonzales said that even though it wasn’t in the memo doesn’t mean it was not discussed and that he couldn’t remember if they did or not. What? This means that as Attorney General, he could generate memos that do not in fact reflect discussions the document is supposed to reflect.
This confirmation hearing process is really a show to a large extent. Senators have ten minutes each to ask questions and for the nominee response. There are multiple rounds however. Just when it seems the inquiry is getting good, the Senator’s time is up and they must move on. If the nominee is not made to answer questions forthrightly, then what is the purpose of these hearings but as a show-a show for the public to make them feel at ease about our process.
I would change the process such that instead of multiple rounds (I think it may be 2 or 3), give the senator the full 20-30 minute block to really questions the nominee. They could really go into depth with this amount of time instead of hitting and running as they are now. However, we must deal with the democracy we have and not the one we want.
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