Tone Down' Attacks Against Gonzalez

[Clint]

Bush: 'Tone Down' Attacks Against Gonzalez

The Associated Press

Tuesday, July 5, 2005; 10:01 AM



WASHINGTON -- President Bush on Monday defended Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who is the target of conservative critics seeking a hard-liner for the Supreme Court, USA Today reported.

The president said he will interview prospects himself after he sorts through candidates over the next few weeks to replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the newspaper said in a story posted late Monday on its Web site.

"Al Gonzales is a great friend of mine," Bush told USA Today. "When a friend gets attacked, I don't like it."

The president appealed to special interest groups running ads and mobilizing supporters for the anticipated fight over the Supreme Court nominee to "tone down the heated rhetoric."

Some congressional Republicans were cautioning against Gonzales, a close friend of Bush whom they believe isn't steadfastly conservative on issues like affirmative action and abortion.

Asked whether women and minorities are on his list, Bush said he is reviewing "a diverse group of citizens."

WILL IT BE GONZALES?

WILL THE PROCESS BE CIVILIZED?

[telaquapacky]

My greatest burden for the supremes is religious liberty. One of my firends who is an attorney for our denomination, an author, speaker and lobbyist for religious liberty in Washington tells me he heard Sandra Day O'Connor speak at a alumni function at his law school, and when she solicited questions from the audience, He asked her about the current condition of religious liberty in America and it's prognosis in the Supreme Court. Justice O'Connor took a very deep breath and said "It's hanging by a thread." Of course, anyone who has been following these developments knows how very true her words are. Up to now, O'Connor has been the swing vote that has freedom of religion in America from tipping over the edge and falling into the abyss.

I will be looking with keen interest at Gonzales' attitudes toward religious freedom and separation of church and state.

Of course, nobody else cares the slightest bit about this.

[telaquapacky]

flopstock wrote: Yeah, like i could come up with anything sounding half as intelligent as 'packy'!...okay, maybe if you give me a running head start and give 'packy' the wrong subject to write on..

But I actually agree and think that the stand the 'choice' takes on this issue is a pretty good indicator of of their openness on others.Ooh! ya called me 'Packy! I'm soooo buttered! Can I call you Floppy?

If anything I ever write sounds halfway edjoocated, it's only because of all the prattle I was going to write but left off. They'd haul me away.

I have heard that Gonzo is not as strongly anti-abortion as some other conservatives (has anyone else heard that or am I dreaming?). If so, that might mean he could cut some slack on church-state issues. Hard to say, because the church-state thing can get very complicated and it's hard to predict which way someone will go on it.