Ok folks here's my first ever diary. To my own amazement I have written a letter to Senator McCain urging him not to vote to confirm Gonzales, and decided to share it here. As a diary newbie forgive me for anything I do wrong
Senator McCain;
I am not one of your constituents; I don't belong to your party, or live in the state you represent. But I have considered you a unique figure in the body of the Senate, because you consistently projected personal integrity and independent thought, discipline and endurance. Even if I did not agree with you, I felt you took the positions you did out of sincere belief and concern for the nation. Your most vigorously fought cause, for campaign finance reform, was an action to attempt to keep our political process in the hands of the people it belongs to, American citizens.
One thing that has also struck me about you, is the strong makeup you demonstrate as one who has survived the severe and vicious crime of torture. That you endured intentionally inflicted pain and permanent injury, with total discipline, emerged with continued faith in our country is a testament to a strong character that is beyond my own imagination to comprehend.
That is why I would urge you, during the confirmation hearings of Alberto Gonzales, to not vote to confirm one who has stood for using these tactics against others. Particularly since it is known that torture is still actively being carried out, and his briefs supporting it have shaped our policies. The job of Attorney General is to be the face for the law of our land, to speak for the spirit of justice that our country is meant to embody and demonstrate for the entire world. No matter how contrite he may be now, no matter what other fine qualities he may posses, Alberto Gonzales is too compromised to be our Attorney General.
To give that job to a man who has advocated for changing the meaning of torture to be so narrow as to constitute only the pain of organ failure and death, and to advocate its use to be so broad, with unchecked authority by the chief executive, worldwide in any forum, would be to change the very nature of the department he would head. The Justice Department would become the Injustice Department, and our men and women in uniform, and civilians abroad would be in danger. Our reputation and integrity would be sullied and key principles which have united us as a nation would be underwater. I was raised in an America where we believed even our worst enemies did not deserve to be tortured, and it was written into our law and in our hearts. We are already on a slippery slope, far away from those ideals and I truly fear for what the next generation will think of us if we do not correct our current path.
You, Senator McCain have perhaps a unique authority and gravitas on this subject as probably the only person in that body, which has first hand experience of the crime of torture. I understand that you are a politician, and a loyal partisan, and must place yourself firmly within your party on most things. But I truly think my heart will be broken if someone such as you votes to confirm Mr. Gonzales. I dearly hope that whatever retractions Mr. Gonzales makes of his previous statements, that you of all people will understand that they come too late, and you will stand up for what is right.
Sincerely,
(my real name)