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Alberto Gonzalez is disturbed over Eric Holder's unambiguous confirmation hearing statement: "Waterboarding is torture." NPR interviewed Gonzalez and you can find a summary at The Swamp. I've annotated it here with notes from inside Alberto's head: Gonzales, in an interview airing on National Public Radio's Tell Me More today, voiced his concern about "Making a blanket pronouncement like that.'' He noted "the effect it may have... on the morale and the dedication of intelligence officials and lawyers throughout the administration." Voice Inside Alberto's Head (VIAH): It's hurting my morale. Plus, I can't get a job as it is. "My reaction was very similar to General Mukasey's reaction, which was concern about making a pronouncement like that,'' Gonzales said, pointing to the "concern that would arise in the minds of intelligence officials and lawyers at the department, who all acted in good faith, working as hard as they can under very difficult circumstances, to give advice and make decisions to protect our country... VIAH: It was those intelligence officers and lawyers I worked with who wanted to do all those bad things, not me. "I don't know whether or not, in making that statement, Mr. Holder had access to all of the opinions, all of the underlying documentation supporting the opinions'' that the Justice Department had issued on the question, he said - noting also "the threat that existed at the time these opinions were offered, and the opinions of the intelligence officials about their belief in a particular detainee having very important, valuable intelligence information that might save American lives.'' VIAH: There was a ticking time bomb you see, and we had "opinions" that torture was okay. W had opinions, Rummy had opinions. John Yoo had some really great opinions. On the question of prosecuting officers who employed any of the "extreme tactics'' that the Bush administration has acknowledged, without admitting to any "torture'' of detainees: "I don't think that there's going to be a prosecution, quite frankly.'' Gonzales said. "Because again, these activities.... They were authorized, they were supported by legal opinions at the Department of Justice.''
VIAH. Duh! You people are so stupid. We said we could torture people, don't you get that? We gave ourselves the authority so we had the authority. I could poke you in the eyes right now because I still have the authority to do that. John Yoo said so. Continued inside.
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