Professor Gonzales Regrets

Alberto Gonzales has expressed regret over calling The Geneva Conventions “quaint.”

Then White House Counsel, Mr. Gonzales wrote, in a 2002 memorandum that is said to have caused Secretary of State Colin Powell to “hit the roof”:

“In my judgment, this new paradigm renders obsolete Geneva’s strict limitations on questioning of enemy prisoners and renders quaint some of its provisions.”

Next stop, Abu Ghraib.

The memo also advised President Bush that denying detainees protection under the Geneva Conventions would “substantially reduces the threat of domestic criminal prosecution under the War Crimes Act” and “provide a solid defense to any future prosecution.”

Starting August 31, 2009, Mr. Gonzales will teach 15 undergraduates at Texas Tech at a salary of $100,000. This will be his first university teaching job.

86 Tech faculty members have signed a petition objecting to the appointment of former Attorney General Gonzales. “His years in the White House were characterized by conduct which, whether or not it was illegal, demonstrated significant ethical failings,” according to the petition.

 

Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here.Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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Tags: Alberto Gonzales, Gonzales, higher education, torture