In some ways, I hve given up on the Washington Post, but their columnists still do good work from time to time. Witness Ruth Marcus today with her take down of Alberto "Torture Board" Gonzales.
Alberto Gonzales is achieving something remarkable, even miraculous, as attorney general: He is making John Ashcroft look good.
I was no fan of President Bush's first attorney general, who may be best remembered for holding prayer breakfasts with department brass, hiding the bare-breasted statue in the Great Hall of Justice behind an $8,000 set of drapes, and warning darkly that those who differed with administration policy were giving aid to terrorists.
But as I watched Gonzales testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, it struck me: In terms of competence (the skill with which he handles the job) and character (willingness to stand up to the president), Gonzales is enough to make you yearn for the good old Ashcroft days.
Gonzales is an amiable man, not nearly so polarizing or ideological as his predecessor. If you were given the old desert-island choice between the two, he would be the better option -- more likely to share the rainwater, less likely to make you listen to him sing. (If you've ever heard Ashcroft's "Let the Eagle Soar," you know what I mean.)
Checkout the full column here
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...