January 27, 2005
Senate will vote on Gonzales confirmation next week
In a close vote (10-8) along party lines, the Senate Judiciary Committee
forwarded the nomination of Alberto Gonzales for Attorney General
to the full Senate, whose questioning and vote on whether to confirm
may come as early as Monday, January 31. The close committee vote
shows that opposition to Gonzales's confirmation has grown, largely
due to Judge Gonzales's evasiveness in his confirmation hearing.
Please call your Senators right away and state in your own words
why you oppose Alberto Gonzales for Attorney General (contact
information).
The undecided Senators listed below especially need to hear from
their constituents.
The Attorney General of the United States must respect Congress's
role of oversight and must faithfully execute the laws of the United
States and ensure due process and equal protection of law. Judge
Gonzales's evasive answers to the Senate Judiciary Committee show
that he still holds loyalty to President Bush above the responsibilities
he would have as Attorney General. For example, few legal experts
or military leaders agree with his narrow definition of torture (that
it's not torture unless it's equivalent to the pain of organ failure
or death) or support his assertion that the U.N. Convention Against
Torture the U.S. signed does not protect non-U.S. citizens outside
U.S. borders.
The role of Attorney General in maintaining justice for all is too
important for Senators to rubber stamp. On the basis of his past
actions and his responses to the Senate Judiciary Committee, the
Bill of Rights Defense Committee does not believe Judge Gonzales
is qualified to fill that role.
Undecided Senators:
Arkansas: Sen. Mark Pryor, (202) 224-2353 and Sen.
Blanche Lincoln, (202) 224-4843
Arizona: Sen. John McCain, (202) 224-2235
Connecticut: Sen. Christopher Dodd, (202) 224-2823
and Sen. Joseph Lieberman, (202) 224-4041
Florida: Sen. Bill Nelson, (202) 224-5274
Indiana: Sen. Evan Bayh, (202) 224-5623
Kansas: Sen. Pat Roberts, (202) 224-4774
Louisiana: Sen. Mary Landrieu, (202) 224-5824
Maine: Sen. Susan Collins, (202) 224-2523 and Sen.
Olympia Snowe, (202) 224-5344
Minnesota: Sen. Norm Coleman, (202) 224-5641
Nebraska: Sen. Ben Nelson, (202) 224-6551 and Sen.
Chuck Hagel, (202) 224-4224
Nevada: Sen. John Ensign, (202) 224-6244
New Hampshire: Sen. John Sununu, (202) 224-2841
New Mexico: Sen. Pete Domenici, (202) 224-6621
New York: Sen. Hillary Clinton, (202) 224-4451
North Dakota: Sen. Byron Dorgan, (202) 224-2551
and Sen. Kent Conrad, (202) 224-2043
Rhode Island: Sen. Lincoln Chafee, (202) 224-2921
South Dakota: Sen. Tim Johnson, (202) 224-5842
Vermont: Sen. James Jeffords, (202) 224-5141
Virginia: Sen. John Warner, (202) 224-2023