by Sean Curtis

Created on: August 27, 2007

Attorney General is the highest law enforcement position in this country. This position must be occupied by an individual who swears to uphold the law before any other influence. Through the unfolding of recent events, including the firing of a number of U.S. attorneys and the Bush administration emails that subsequently surfaced, it has become clear that Alberto Gonzales was motivated by political reasons above the law.

Our justice system has been severely damaged by this. The law was not written to play politics. Of course, certain laws are bent to favor the right, while others are bent to favor the left. But it is not the job of the Attorney General to decide which side is favored.

The Attorney General is also part of the system of checks and balances upon which the Constitution relies. If this individual has a political affiliation, he or she is unable to effectively perform the checks and balances required. If the Executive Branch breaks the law, the Attorney General needs to have the political independence to taken investigative action.

Alberto Gonzales had clear political ties to the Bush Administration. It would be naive to believe otherwise. This country needs an Attorney General who can set politics aside and serve and interpret the law the way our Founding Fathers intended. The announcement of his resignation today is a step in the right direction. We as a country can only hope that one day this president will do what is right for the country, not just himself and his party, and nominate a truly independent Attorney General.

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