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Could Alberto Gonzales Have an Impact on the 2008 Election?
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has become another contentious figure in the Bush administration that is pitting Democrats against Republicans. On Friday the number three Democrat in Washington Chuck Schumer, called for Gonzales' resignation from his post as Attorney General citing recent information coming to light about the FBI using illegal methods to obtain information and the Justice Department's firing of Federal Prosecutors. Shumer's comments branded the Attorney General as one of the most political attorney generals in recent history. While not saying outright that the firings were politically motivated, Schumer stated of Gonzales "Attorney General Gonzales is a nice man, but he either doesn't accept or doesn't understand that he is no longer just the president's lawyer, but has a higher obligation to the rule of law and the Constitution even when the president should not want it to be so"
The question arises if this current flap over Gonzales will carry over into the 2008 election. With many of the Republican presidential candidates having been supporters of Gonzales' nomination as Attorney General and the apparent scandals coming to light now over the actions of the Justice Department under Gonzales' supervision, the Democrats may try to use this as one more example of Republicans' poor judgment and a need for change in Washington. Some within the Republican ranks have already begun to distance themselves from Gonzales with Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania intimated that the time for the Attorney General might be at hand. While saying "Before we come to conclusions, I think we need to know more facts." Sen. Specter also said of the possibility of Gonzales' resignaton that it was a "question for the president and the attorney general."
Friday's admissions by both Gonzales and FBI Director Robert Mueller that the FBI had in fact broken the law in their obtaining of personal information in the pursuit of suspected spies and terrorists sparked the Schumer call for Gonzales' resignation stating "this department has been so political that I think for the sake of the nation, Attorney General Gonzales should step down,". The admission from Gonzales came in the wake of a report released by the Inspector General of the Justice Department that found agents improperly obtained telephone records and demanded sensitive data. The information was obtained via security letters, which are special warrants issued without judicial approval. In light of the report and the criticism of the Washington lawmakers, Gonzales agreed to let Congress hear from supervisors involved in the recent terminations of the US Attorneys and to tighten the guidelines for how to replace attorneys in the future.
In an appearance on Face The Nation Sunday, both Senators Spector and Schumer called the FBI actions unacceptable. Schumer noted "What we found in the Justice Department over and over again is a lack of respect for the rule of law," "There's a view that the executive should be almost without check." "And that is so wrong," he said. "That's one of the reasons I think we need a change at the top in the Justice Department."
While there is little doubt that this will cause for a spirited debate in Washington over the coming weeks it will remain to be seen if it has any impact on the presidential race. With races often coming down to association, there will likely only be luke-warm support for Gonzales from potential Republican presidential candidates as he faces the Judiciary Committee hearings.
Is the "Battle Cry" Movement a Factor in Deciding the 2008 Election?
With the growing movement of evangelical Christians in America does the "Battle Cry" youth movement favor Democrats or Republicans at the polls?
With the protests by liberals of the organization's recent stop in San Francisco, questions of how the movement might impact the voting of young voters has to be raised. The organization that is clearly conservative in its social values has not really been vocal about other issues that have historically been Christian mainstays such as helping the poor and caring for the sick that favor more liberal leaning candidates. How will young voters in this type of organization vote? While Republicans claim the fundamentalist ideals of the church, their fiscal policies have flown in the face of charity and care for the less fortunate and Democrats who favor aide programs for the poor and disabled tend more towards religious freedoms and supporting equal rights for gays and lesbians as well as supporting abortion rights, which flies in the face of the core conservative values of fundamentalists.
How will these young potential voters see the issues and will their growing numbers impact the elections? There is no doubt that both the Republicans and Democrats present a dichotomy of spirit to Christian voters. While they want to support Christian values regarding the family they also have to make charity and fairness a part of their decisions in selecting leaders if they are to stay true to the teachings of Christ. Where will they ultimately decide their priorities lie?
Unfortunately for Democrats, the liberal base of the party is overshadowing the charitable and supposedly "open-minded" ideals of the liberal movement by protesting the gatherings as being anti-gay and contrary to liberal values. It likely would make for a better dialog if the protesters were to spend less time hurling insults and more time actually talking to the attendees about the issues calmly and rationally. Apparently the "open-minded" part of being a liberal only applies when you like the things the other person is saying. By some standards, Jesus would be likely considered a liberal today and just as likely would be shunned by many "Christians" and would certainly be disliked by many "liberals" of today. People who have actually studied all of the Bible and not just selected passages that promote their own designs know that the teachings of Christ were those of acceptance and loving one's enemies. Conversion through acceptance and dialog were his methods if you believe the accounts in the Bible. It appears that neither side of this debate has taken that part of Christianity to heart.
At the end of the day, the young voters in the "Battle Cry" camp will have to decide which of their values take precedence when they vote, if they choose to vote at all.
