Spring Break
Amnesia In Washington
The Justice Department "On Trial"
Bryan Cockrell
Issue date: 10/16/07 Section: Opinion
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When I embarked on my spring term at Cambridge University, I thought I would be distancing myself from constant news of the Bush administration's failures. Lent term passed smoothly: some occasional glances at The New York Times online left me with my typical frustrations about Bush, Cheney, Rove, the familiar gang. But hearing word that U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales would be testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee, I instantly purchased a ticket for the next British Airways flight out of London to go back to Washington. (Or perhaps I simply wanted to visit home during Cambridge's ridiculously long Easter break).
So, with great enthusiasm, I headed down to the Hart Senate Building on Capitol Hill, stood in line for a surprisingly short time, and took a seat among all of the federal workers on their lunch breaks who couldn't resist seeing the show. Gonzales was being questioned for the motivation behind the firings of eight U.S. Attorneys last year, a historically unprecedented removal. The majority of the attorneys fired were engaged in public prosecution of prominent conservatives.
From my seat, Gonzales' coiffed hair was barely visible above the mass of cameras in the press area. The questioning was tough, mainly because several of the senators on the committee are themselves former prosecutors. The chair, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), offered some strong criticisms, but he talked so slowly that his arguments lost their punch. By far the most impressive interrogator was Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), who made it clear that district attorneys historically have an independence in their jobs that allows them to administer of justice effectively. As Whitehouse argued, the firings that Gonzales condoned tampered with this independence and tarnished the position of district attorney. The most embarrassing performance was given by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), who pretended that Gonzales was doing a fine job as attorney general.
Gonzales insisted that he was present at the hearing in order to provide the senators with information about the process of the firings. I can't pinpoint one response he made that lacked some version of "I don't recall." He provided no clarity on the issue, and Sen. Leahy and Sen. Specter requested that he submit written reports to fill in the blanks. The hearing was a spectacle, and my attendance was richly rewarded. I especially enjoyed the wave of protestors, mainly women dressed in pink police uniforms intending to "arrest" Gonzales. They stood up to yell: "Fire him!" "Does he remember habeas corpus?" "He's too young to have senior moments!" Audience members could leave whenever they wished, and some would yell a few parting thoughts to the committee, an act which inevitably resulted in a policeman hastening their departure from the room. One protestor wore a large mask of Gonzales' face along with an orange jumpsuit. Another, a veteran of the Iraq conflict, maintained a tally of the times that Gonzales said "I don't recall" on a placard for all to see.
So, with great enthusiasm, I headed down to the Hart Senate Building on Capitol Hill, stood in line for a surprisingly short time, and took a seat among all of the federal workers on their lunch breaks who couldn't resist seeing the show. Gonzales was being questioned for the motivation behind the firings of eight U.S. Attorneys last year, a historically unprecedented removal. The majority of the attorneys fired were engaged in public prosecution of prominent conservatives.
From my seat, Gonzales' coiffed hair was barely visible above the mass of cameras in the press area. The questioning was tough, mainly because several of the senators on the committee are themselves former prosecutors. The chair, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), offered some strong criticisms, but he talked so slowly that his arguments lost their punch. By far the most impressive interrogator was Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), who made it clear that district attorneys historically have an independence in their jobs that allows them to administer of justice effectively. As Whitehouse argued, the firings that Gonzales condoned tampered with this independence and tarnished the position of district attorney. The most embarrassing performance was given by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), who pretended that Gonzales was doing a fine job as attorney general.
Gonzales insisted that he was present at the hearing in order to provide the senators with information about the process of the firings. I can't pinpoint one response he made that lacked some version of "I don't recall." He provided no clarity on the issue, and Sen. Leahy and Sen. Specter requested that he submit written reports to fill in the blanks. The hearing was a spectacle, and my attendance was richly rewarded. I especially enjoyed the wave of protestors, mainly women dressed in pink police uniforms intending to "arrest" Gonzales. They stood up to yell: "Fire him!" "Does he remember habeas corpus?" "He's too young to have senior moments!" Audience members could leave whenever they wished, and some would yell a few parting thoughts to the committee, an act which inevitably resulted in a policeman hastening their departure from the room. One protestor wore a large mask of Gonzales' face along with an orange jumpsuit. Another, a veteran of the Iraq conflict, maintained a tally of the times that Gonzales said "I don't recall" on a placard for all to see.
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