Gonzales Disavows Torture Tactics

That's the AP headline. It SHOULD read, "Gonzales Gives Half-Assed Answers."

"[Gonzales ]repudiated torture tactics and vowed at a contentious confirmation hearing to abide by international treaties on prisoner rights.

"I will no longer represent only the White House. I will represent the United States of America and its people.

So you approved of torture only because you were representing the White House?

What does that say about this White House?

"As Gonzales' confirmation hearing got under way, the White House refused to provide senators additional documents his role in the decision to allow aggressive interrogations of terrorism detainees."

The Democrats should draw a line in the sand on this one: either the White House provide that relevant documents by which they can make an informed decision, or this clown doesn't get a single Democratic vote. He probably shouldn't anyway, but this should make that a certainty. I'm not holding my breath, though.

"Asked about the torture scandal at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison, Gonzales said he was "sickened and outraged by those photos."

And what did you THINK would happen when you said that such behavior was justified? If you were sickened and outraged by it, why did you give it the green light?

"This is not about your intelligence, this hearing is not about your competence, it's not about your integrity — it's about your judgment and your candor," said Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del. "We're looking for candor, old buddy. I love you, but you're not very candid so far."

Biden, old buddy, I love you , but get your sorry, worthless ass out of the Senate and let a Democrat who has at least one testicle take your place. Ok, old buddy?

Leahy asked Gonzales if, as a lawyer, he believed the president had the authority to override the government's non-torture policies and international treaties.

"The president has said we're not going to engage in torture. That's a hypothetical question," Gonzales said tersely. "`The president has not authorized or condoned torture," he added.

Are the Democrats actually going to let this guy get away with such an obvious sidestep of a plain, direct question? That's wasn't a "yes" or a "no" - and you know what THAT means. It means that Gonzales DOES think that the President has the authority to override non-torture polices and international treaties.