First of all, the President does not make policy based on the opinion of one individual. Secondly, Al Gonzales did NOT make the public statement...
Two senior administration officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said White House counsel Al Gonzales advised Bush earlier this month that the Constitution gives the president authority to wage war without explicit authority from Congress.
They DID NOT have the permission to make those statements or they would have come forward with their identities intact instead of hiding behind the "anonymous White House officials" cloak of secrecy. It is just a case of someone trying to muddy the waters for Bush.
Sadly, there are those among us who bill themselve as "conservative" who will believe anything...as long as it reflects badly on Bush. 'Course, most of them are sitting in a haze of smoke from a substance they'd like to have legalized, too.