John Ashcroft, who recently announced his resignation as Attorney General, is set to be replaced by Alberto Gonzales, President Bush's presidential counsel. As has been the case with many Bush appointees (for example John Negroponte replacing Bremer as the top US official in Iraq), Gonzales quite possibly may be worse than John Ashcroft. Gonzales in part laid the groundwork for the torture of detainees in Iraq at Abu Ghraib. Gonzales endorsed arguments made by lawyers in the Bush administration that the Geneva Conventions were "obsolete" and that they are a "'quaint' institution that obstructed the supreme powers of the presidency" (source).
In addition, Gonzales is a strong supporter of the USA PATRIOT Act, favors altering the 1978 Presidential Records Act to restrict access to presidential documents, supports the use of military tribunals to try prisoners in "the war on terror" and is dismissive of international law. According to Democracy Now, the Center for Constitutional Rights, People for the American Way, and Human Rights First have announced opposition to Gonzales nomination. Gonzales appointment must be confirmed by the Senate.
