ok...mea culpa. I meant well.
I've read an awful lot about Gonzales' nomination now, much of the commentary contradictory, with the result that I can now say my initial hopefulness was misplaced. I am still very glad that John Ashcroft is gone (his most recent idiotic comments only reinforced this feeling; how did this man obtain power? what's wrong with Missouri?). But Gonzales seems to have been nominated on the strength of being a loyal yes-man, whose fealty to the rule of law may be questionable. Bush may, or may not, be grooming him for an eventual supreme court nomination. His future tenure as attorney general may be an attempt to make him more palatable to the right wing constituency who abhor his socially moderate (relative to them anyway) positions on affirmative action and abortion. It is worth noting that there's been lots of anxious grumbling among the Christian right that Bush may stiff them on the bill now that they've gotten him elected. And make no mistake: it is a good thing that Ashcroft no longer has an active hand in steering America. I'm off to smoke crack now.
