Update: George Allen is a Tool

Sen. George Allen responded to my letter (see below) in his usual fashion. As usual, he spouts off the party line while not actually addressing any of my charges against Alberto Gonzales. But he also tips off the Republican reaction in case Gonzales' nomination is upheld: Democrats are racists.

Senator Allen is a guy who has built his entire political career on the fact that his father was head coach of the Washington Redskins... and who plans to parlay that career into a run for the White House in 2008.

Dear Mr. Kachur:

Thank you for contacting me regarding President Bush’s nomination of Alberto Gonzales to become the next Attorney General of the United States. I appreciate your concerns and value to opportunity to respond.

I applaud President Bush’s nomination of Alberto Gonzalez. He is the embodiment of the American dream, a man whose hard work, legal sense and intellect have already lifted him to some of the highest positions of trust in our nation. I look forward to his confirmation hearings and a fair vote before the U.S. Senate. I am confident that he will make an outstanding U.S. Attorney General.

Once again, I appreciate you contacting me regarding this matter and hope you will not hesitate to contact me again about issues important to you. If you would like to receive an e-mail newsletter about my initiatives to improve America, please sign up on my website (http://allen.senate.gov/). It is an honor to serve you in the United States Senate, and I look forward to working with you to make Virginia and America a better place to live, learn, work and raise a
family.

With warm regards, I remain

Sincerely,

Senator George Allen

They pulled the same stunt before when Democrats filibustered a hispanic judge. If Gonzales is blocked, the GOP will play the race card. But of course we only oppose Gonzales because of his support for torture and his sacrificing sound legal principles in order to advance his political agenda. It is really the GOP that is being racist, trying to use Gonzales' (and others) ancestry to shield conservative idealogues from scrutiny.