Who IS Alberto Gonzales?

by Adam Lambert (Clammyc)
for ePluribus Media

In his ePluribus Media Journal article Who Is Alberto Gonzales, Lambert compiles the political background of Alberto Gonzales, the Atty General whose most recent work has been the forced resignations of U.S. Attorneys, allegedly to make way for up and coming GOP loyalists to get resume building in before President Bush’s second term expires.

Admittedly, there is much information publicly available regarding Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, his rise to White House Counsel and then to his current position of Attorney General. His impact on the direction of the country over the past six years is immense.

His documents — his advice and his counsel — have been considered by some to lay the foundation for torture, suspension of habeas corpus, warrantless wiretapping, the expansion of power in the Executive Branch and, most recently, what at least appears to be the politically motivated replacement of many U.S. Attorneys with Administration loyalists, in order to pad their resumes, as William Mercer in his capacity as Associate Attorney General (not as U.S. Attorney for the Montana District) apparently suggested to two of the resigning U.S. Attorneys(1).

However, little attention has been given to just how the second of eight children who shared a two bedroom house with his siblings and parents, rose to the level of the nation’s top prosecutor. Additionally, there has not been much exposure as to how such a highly intelligent, hardworking individual who gained many honors and accolades during his early career would ultimately craft legal positions that changed the basis for what is considered torture and the interpretation of the Bill of Rights.

School and the Early Years

Gonzales went to public school, Rice University and Harvard Law School. He spent two years serving in the US Air Force (1973 – 1975) and then attended the Air Force Academy for two years (1975 – 1977). He received many honors as well as participated in countless professional and civic activities. From his bio on the White House website:

Among his many professional and civic activities, Gonzales was elected to the American Law Institute in 1999. He was a board trustee of the Texas Bar Foundation from 1996 to 1999, a board director for the State Bar of Texas from 1991 to 1994, and President of the Houston Hispanic Bar Association from 1990 to 1991. He was a board director of the United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast from 1993 to 1994, and President of Leadership Houston during this same period. In 1994, Gonzales served as Chair of the Commission for District Decentralization of the Houston Independent School District, and as a member of the Committee on Undergraduate Admissions for Rice University. Gonzales was Special Legal Counsel to the Houston Host Committee for the 1990 Summit of Industrialized Nations, and a member of delegations sent by the American Council of Young Political Leaders to Mexico in 1996 and to the People’s Republic of China in 1995.

Among his many honors, in 2003 alone, Gonzales was inducted into the Hispanic Scholarship Fund Alumni Hall of Fame, was honored with the Good Neighbor Award from the United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce, and received President’s Awards from the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the League of United Latin American Citizens. In 2002, he was recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus of Rice University by the Association of Rice Alumni and was honored by the Harvard Law School Association with the Harvard Law School Association Award. Gonzales was recognized as the 1999 Latino Lawyer of the Year by the Hispanic National Bar Association, and he received a Presidential Citation from the State Bar of Texas in 1997 for his dedication to addressing basic legal needs of the indigent. He was chosen as one of the Five Outstanding Young Texans by the Texas Jaycees in 1994, and as the Outstanding Young Lawyer of Texas by the Texas Young Lawyers Association in 1992. Gonzales was honored by the United Way in 1993 with a Commitment to Leadership Award, and received the Hispanic Salute Award in 1989 from the Houston Metro Ford Dealers for his work in the field of education.

Political Career

Gonzales didn’t work with George W. Bush until 1994, when he became a senior adviser to the governor, chief elections officer, and the governor’s lead liaison on Mexican and border issues. Prior to this, Gonzales was with the law firm Vinson & Elkins LLP from 1982 – 1994, and ultimately became a partner with the firm. There were reports that Gonzales initially turned down an offer to work as part of George H.W. Bush’s administration but then later accepted an offer from then-Governor George W. Bush to work for his administration. In 1997 he was appointed as Bush’s Secretary of State, and in 1999, he was appointed by Governor Bush to the Texas Supreme Court and then White House Counsel in 2001.

If there is one word that describes Gonzales’ relationship with George W. Bush and his rise to Attorney General, it is loyalty. Since being appointed to Secretary of State, Gonzales has taken numerous actions that can only be justified as extreme loyalty to the man who has put him in positions for which, some say, that Gonzales had few prior qualifications.

Read the rest of the article on the ePluribus Media Journal …

Many many contributors:

Thanks to RenaRF for being ePluribus Media’s representative at the press table during the House Hearings Tuesday and to BRJanet, BarelyContained Fury, Ellicat, jancw, Cliffy, Shayera, madgranny, Avahome, kfred, BeverlyinNH, standingup, and roxy for liveblogging the event. Many others, JeninRI, biblio, cho, roxy, wanderindiana, GreyHawk, Chris White, luaptifer, Rayne Today, Connecticut Man 1, Aaron Barlow, Bronxdem, Timroff, Duke1676, clammyc; on Kos: The Maven, Dc Pol Sci, macdust, carolita, MarkeTrustee, The Fat Lady Sings, madgranny, ellicatt, welshman

have been contributing to the research on this ongoing series. Please let us know of any one we may have missed.