Free Republic

In the days following Sept. 11, 2001, President Bush charted a course of action to respond to the worst attack on our homeland in history. He promised to use every tool available to defeat al Qaeda and pledged to take the fight to the enemy abroad as he worked to prevent another attack. As he said in the State of the Union address, "Our country must remain on the offensive against terrorism here at home." The president has the constitutional responsibility--and authority--to lead this response. After Sept. 11, Congress immediately confirmed the president's constitutional authority to "use all necessary and...

Gonzales open to running for office in Texas WASHINGTON — Attorney General Alberto Gonzales suggests he would be open to running for office in his home state of Texas after leaving the Justice Department. "I wouldn't close the door, no," Gonzales said in today's editions of the Dallas Morning News. While Gonzales didn't indicate which office he would consider, he wouldn't choose the Senate. "There are other things I'd rather do than be a senator," he said. He pointed out that his absence from the Texas political scene since 2001 could make seeking office difficult. "It would be kind of...

Democrats on the Judiciary Committee complained late Tuesday that the White House was refusing to turn over documents that illuminated Gonzales' role in crafting memos on prisoner torture. Sen. Patrick Leahy, the committee's ranking Democrat, accused Gonzales of "stonewalling" in providing access to key documents, the WASHINGTON POST is planning to report on Wednesday, sources tell DRUDGE. MORE "In fact, I and other Senators have requested a number of documents from you and other administration officials that have not been released," Leahy said in a letter. The missing documents, according to the Leahy letter, include a copy of the final...

Al Gonzales' sister was in my Sunday School class this morning, and we discussed at length his pro life views. She reassured me that he is pro life. She said it was very hurtful to hear people saying that he is not, and that he was following the law when he ruled on the parental notification law. She said our beef is with the legislature and how the law was written. She emphasized several times that Al is pro life.

Conservative activists think so, but their campaign against the likely Supreme Court nominee is a waste of time. In George W. Bush's world, loyalty trumps ideology—and no one has been more loyal than his San Antonio-born consigliere. IN THE FALL OF 1996, George W. Bush, 21 months into his first term as governor, made a surprise decision: He would show up for Travis County jury duty. He made a very public appearance at the jury screening, telling reporters, "I'm just an average guy showing up for jury duty." When he arrived at the county courthouse a week later for...

Bush's Supreme Challenge With a court retirement likely, Al Gonzales is a Bush favorite. But is that enough? By JOHN F. DICKERSON AND VIVECA NOVAK Monday, May. 26, 2003 Even for a White House in which staff members pride themselves on being low-key, Alberto Gonzales is inconspicuous. The flashiest thing he has done recently is briefly regrow his mustache. And yet the modest, Harvard-educated lawyer has a riveting story. The son of migrant workers in Texas, he grew up in a house his dad built, sharing two bedrooms with seven siblings. With no running hot water, the family boiled their...