Herb Kohl: “in many ways, Judge Gonzales's life story is the American dream--rising from humble beginnings to being nominated to be…”

“in many ways, Judge Gonzales's life story is the American dream--rising from humble beginnings to being nominated to be our Attorney General. Yet, Judge Gonzales must be evaluated on more than his life story; indeed, the decisions he has made in his public capacity must be closely scrutinized. We are, after all, being asked to confirm him as the Nation's chief law enforcement officer. We begin with a standard of granting deference to the President to surround himself with the people he chooses for his Cabinet. But that deference is not absolute. The Attorney General is not the President's lawyer, but the people's lawyer. As I listened to the nominee's answers at his confirmation hearing, read his responses to our additional questions, and examined the facts, I found that my deference was challenged. Indeed, we are being asked to confirm the administration's chief architect of its legal policies in the war on terror--policies with questionable legal support that have proven harmful to the conduct of the war and injured our reputation abroad. We must expect more from our Attorney General. The war on terrorism has proven more clearly now than ever before that the Justice Department's mission is too central to our democracy to be entrusted to someone who leaves us with such doubt. As the President's chief legal officer in the White House, Judge Gonzales's advice sadly fell short time and again. For these reasons, I must vote no.…”