The Gonzalez nomination is one excellent example of how Democrats should be able to show off their true values and proudly stand up to the moral decay of this administration. As a result,
this made my blood boil:
And after assuring Gonzales that his confirmation was in the bag, Joe Biden found himself groveling before the nominee, calling him the "real deal" -- remember when they said that about John Kerry? -- even as he pleaded with him to tell the truth about something. "We're looking for candor, old buddy," Biden told Gonzales Thursday morning. "We're looking for you, when we ask you a question, to give us an answer, which you haven't done yet. I love you, but you're not being very candid so far."
Having been rudely reminded by Chris Bowers of the need to "own" the party, I thought I should offer the Senator some input.
Therefore, I just sent this email to the Senator at senator@ biden.senate.gov:
Senator Biden:
I am writing with concerns about your remarks during
the Gonzales hearings yesterday. I am not from
Delaware, but I am very concerned because the choice
of the next Attorney General affects ALL Americans.
I appreciate that you were trying to be tough with Mr.
Gonzales and did point out that he was strikingly
evasive in his answers. However, in an attempt to be
cordial I believe that you went far beyond what was
appropriate:
[From Salon:] 'And after assuring Gonzales that his
confirmation was in the bag, Joe Biden found himself
groveling before the nominee, calling him the "real
deal" ... "We're looking for candor, old buddy," Biden
told Gonzales Thursday morning. "We're looking for
you, when we ask you a question, to give us an answer,
which you haven't done yet. I love you, but you're not
being very candid so far.'
Sir, Mr. Gonzales is frankly a despicable and
dangerous character. By helping to spread a
permissive ethos toward torture throughout our
government he has participated in the destruction of
two centuries of legal and moral tradition in this
country. His efforts have helped create the scandals
of torture at Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, and other places
where large numbers of civilians and insurgents have
been detained by our military. These scandals have
done enormous damage to the image or our military and
our country as a whole throughout the world, putting
our soldiers at risk wherever they may be held
prisoner in any future conflict, and of course causing
innumerable tragedies among those innocent people
erroneously caught in our military's sweeps.
I have trouble thinking of anyone anywhere who has
done as much damage to our country as Alberto
Gonzales. Mr. Gonzales appears not to notice this, or
to care. And no Democrat anywhere, no American who
truly cares about real American values, should ever
call him 'the real deal' or to confess to 'love' for
the man.
Senator, we need to make it very clear that we are
appalled at the moral poverty of this administration.
We do not have power, but we have the moral high
ground, and we must make that crystal clear. I
implore you to choose your words differently in the
future. Thank you.
Very respectfully yours, **
Maybe we should all offer our two cents? I strongly believe that when our Democratic leaders hear from the rank and file, especially when the people they hear from are ticked off, that will have an effect on their behavior. (In the same vein, I look forward to sending some love to Barbara Boxer, as many here have done.)
