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So Ari Shapiro’s NPR story yesterday placed then-White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales — a.k.a. God‘s gift to Talking Points Memo — at the center of the decision to torture Abu Zubaydah in the spring of 2002. Gonzales didn’t respond to Shapiro’s request for comment. But I notice in the Senate intelligence committee’s recently declassified narrative of the legal underpinnings of the CIA torture program, there’s this account of the first wave of legal deliberation:
In April 2002, attorneys from the CIA’s Office of General Counsel began discussions with the Legal Adviser to the National Security Council and OLC concerning the CIA’s proposed interrogation plan for Abu Zubaydah and legal restrictions on that interrogation. CIA records indicate that the Legal Adviser to the National Security Council briefed the National Security Adviser, Deputy National Security Adviser, and Counsel to the President, as well as the Attorney General and the head of the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice. [Emphasis added]
This does not seem like the direct connection implied by Shapiro’s piece. Indeed, it treats Gonzales as a bit player. And that seems plausible: as White House counsel, he was President Bush’s lawyer, not the government’s. But it still places Gonzales in the thick of the decision making, where he would stay all through the deliberations leading to the Office of Legal Counsel’s July 24 approval (and August 1 memo) of the torture regime.
Crossposted to The Streak.
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Thanks Spencer
Thanks Spencer.
The positive side… I bet it would not take too much pressure to get Gonzo to talk…
The one thing that the bushies forgot is that secrets do not remain secrets in WaDC. There are, no matter how hard one tries to prevent it, memos, meeting transcripts and many other papers that detail all the crimes committed by the rethugs. Not only that, there are all those “little people” the permanent govt workers who are usually the ones that the “political” bosses make do the drty work.
As a former worker bee it might surprise many here to discover that the vast majority of civil service workers want very much to do a good job. That they know exactly what their jobs are and also what the laws and rules are.
In most cases the worker bees have to wait until the administration has departed before they can tell the truth about what they were forced to do. The only thing that surprises me is how long it is taking to get the truth out.
After reading Obamas speech this am-tried to listen to it, but there was this echo that made it difficult, where were the advance people on this-I am still under the impression that Obama oes not want to open the can of worms called torture. I do believe that the DoJ should be the ones to handle it-use the civil service people not the politicals to do all of it-not a “special prosecutor” due to all of the problems with that office during the Clinton years-the congress rethugs perverted the entire concept of what a special prosecutor should be.
What really pisses me off-and Obama touched on this-is the spineless dems in the senate. Reid really needs to be fired and someone with some balls needs to be put in his place.
Interesting. This would explain his hurried appearance at Ashcroft’s hospital bedside. He was trying to cover his own ass, not the President’s…
klynn, I must disagree. My belief is that Gonzales’ primary utility is/was his intense loyalty to George W. They go back a quite a ways together, here in Texas. Gonzales has been a close counselor and friend to W for many years. While the former AGAG might not be the most gifted attorney, however, he is tough and he is shameless.
After all, he had the temerity to stage the infamous “I can’t recall” performance! As I do recall the Senate Judiciary Committee was incredulous. My favorite part was the gentleman in the gallery who maintained the tote board, recording 74 lapses of memory on the part of AG.
I think Ari’s ‘getting in the arena’ per what Alex Jones has been calling for. Or, per TimR above, how’s it all ever going to come out, unless we get a patriot like Deep Throat again. Also, I think too much {9/11 inside job} is becoming so irrefutably known by everyone, they got to saturate the media with more of their filler. I mean when you got a bunch of 20th Century Nixon/Ford cronies, never brought to justice, in an administration with a rich, self-indulgent, criminal, despotic son as its puppet president calling the shots ( when daddy’s buddy would let him know what’s going on ). Old Dick was halfway around the world with his spin, before Alberto VO-5 could get his boots on in the morning in that White House.