They threw softballs at Gonzoles in the afternoon session...

[Iwasthere]

... they were on a roll this morning then abrubtly halted their line of attack and gave him time to breathe (hmmmm)... off the hook, going to get away??... We can only hope that Leahy's anger will be televised.

[Blue_In_AK]

1. I think they're just warming up...

Whitehouse's questions were deliberate, and it seems to me like he's setting Gonzo up.

[ncrainbowgrrl]

2. link?

[Blue_In_AK]

6. I don't have one.

I was just watching the hearing and was quite impressed with the way Sen. Whitehouse was framing his questions, talking "hypothetically" about witnesses in trials who "bob and weave" rather than answering questions and asking whether an inquiring senator can go to the Chairman, like a lawyer would to a judge, to insist that the witness give a straight answer. It was pretty obvious who he was referring to.

[helderheid]

10. here

http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearing.cfm?id=2473

[pnorman]

3. Here's from Sen. Leahy's blog:

The Attorney General Represents All Americans, Not Just One
January 18th, 2007

The Attorney General is a different kind of Cabinet position. He is not the Attorney General of the President; he is the Attorney General of the United States. This individual must be independent of the President.

Regrettably, Attorney General Gonzales has championed policies that are in fundamental conflict with decades of law, sound military practice, international law, and human rights. He remained silent for almost two years about a deeply flawed and legalistic interpretation of our Nation’s torture statute. He also accepted a patently erroneous interpretation of the torture convention and apparently believes that the President, when acting as Commander in Chief, is above the law.

Nothing is more fundamental about our constitutional democracy than our basic notion that no one is above the law. This is about as extreme a view of Executive power as I have ever heard. I believe it is not only dead wrong as a constitutional matter but extremely dangerous. The rule of law applies to the President, even this President.

Ultimately, the Attorney General’s duty is to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law — not to work to circumvent it. Both the President and the Nation are best served by an Attorney General who gives sound advice and takes responsible action, without regard to political considerations — not one who develops legalistic loopholes to serve the ends of a particular administration. The Attorney General cannot interpret our laws to mean whatever the President wants them to mean. To do so would deny us the constitutional protections upon which this Nation was founded. The Attorney General is supposed to represent all of the American people, not just one of them.
.
.
.

http://blog.thehill.com/2007/01/18/the-attorney-general-represents-all-americans-not-just-one

I don't think the A.G. will be enjoying himself during these hearings.

pnorman

[CrazyOrangeCat]

4. Thanks!

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

5. Whitehouse had several questions

regarding testimony--like others, I think he's setting AG up for charges, because it was obvious that Gonzo was lying this morning, I thought.

[Blue_In_AK]

7. That was my first exposure to Senator Whitehouse.

I was very impressed.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

8. Same here

I hadn't heard him speak before, but his bulldog style reminds me of a very determined Jack McCoy on Law & Order.

[glarius]

9. Just saw a clip of Sen. Leahy on CBC and was impressed with his questioning

of Gonzales (who always comes across as slippery), with regards to the U.S.A. government sending Maher Arar (a falsely accused suspected terrorist) to Syria where he was tortured for a year. Sen. Leahy was loudly vocal in asking why Arar, a Canadian citizen, was not sent back to Canada, where they knew he would not be tortured but woud be investigated, rather than Syria, where they knew he would be tortured. Leahy pointed out that many of the U.S.A's oldest and best friends are being alienated by the actions of this government. Very impressive!

Here's a clip from YouTube about Arar:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ufVGyHb0Gc