http://www.denverpost.com/portlet/article/html/fragments/print_article.jsp?article=2843611Gonzales: "I'm not a candidate"
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AG still may be nominee for court
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By Jim Hughes
Denver Post Staff Writer
DenverPost.com
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(snip)
"This is an important decision, and I understand there's a lot of pent-up anticipation," Gonzales said in an interview after meeting with Justice Department officials in Denver. "People have been waiting for 11 years, and so people have very strong views about this. This is America, and people have the right to speak their mind. It's all part of the process, as far as I'm concerned."
A longtime friend and adviser to the president, Gonzales has been answering questions about the Supreme Court for years, he said. And though he would not rule out the possibility of being nominated, saying that was up to Bush, his answer now is the same it's always been, he said.
"I've been asked since 2001 whether or not I'd consider going on the court, and I've consistently said, 'I'm not a candidate for the Supreme Court' - and that remains true today," Gonzales said. "I love being attorney general. My job, currently, is to help the president make this decision."
The opening conservative salvo against Gonzales is sure to be followed by intense volleys from all sides in the coming months, said University of Virginia political science professor Larry Sabato.
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