Chron editorial board member calls Attorney General a liar
The Chronicle Editorial LiveJournalists sat down with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales recently, and if Sunday's editorial was any indication, they seemed more inclined to beat him up (perhaps for the supposed sins of the Bush Administration?) than to have any sort of constructive visit with him:
The government's highest-ranking Latino, Gonzales often has spoken compellingly about his Houston upbringing and humble immigrant origins. But his background also gives him a unique chance to amplify the moderate, generally realistic principles the president voices on immigration.
Unfortunately, Gonzales has let this chance pass. In recent interviews, he has said that he knows nothing of the circumstances in which three of his grandparents came here from Mexico. That's perfectly believable. Immigrants who flee violence or poverty, as well as those who enter illegally, may choose not to dwell on those experiences after they arrive here.
Still, Gonzales' personal history provides him an insider's perspective, a view he could draw upon more skillfully to elevate the debate on immigration law. Like the president, he has good leadership to offer on this issue. On Friday, Gonzales rightly endorsed employer enforcement, critiqued the practicality of a border-long fence, and insisted he opposes punishing Good Samaritans.
With more thoughtful answers about his background, Gonzales also could have shown respect for the work ethic fueling immigration, a point Bush has emphasized consistently in his lobbying for reasonable immigration reform.
As usual with the Chronicle editorial board, it seems like two writers with different opinions wrote this snippet! It starts with the hope that Gonzales' background will give him authority if he speaks out on immigration reform. Then it says he has squandered any chance to speak out, seemingly faulting him for not knowing more about his grandparents' immigration. Then it says it's perfectly believable that he doesn't know. Then it says he could have have "more thoughtful answers about his background!"
Goodness, they seem to be taking a page from a certain Chronicle sports columnist who frequently changes his mind, although he usually does so after several columns, and not from one sentence to another.
Since the Chronicle doesn't actually record its editorial board meetings (it's hard to blame them for not wanting a public record of the performance of their stellar board), its difficult to know exactly how the meeting with Gonzales went. However, we have some idea from Chronicle reporter and immigration blogger Tracy Eaton, who posted an account of at least part of the meeting:
Gonzales, who told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Tuesday that he wasn't sure if his grandparents immigrated legally to the U.S. from Mexico (see transcript), also got into a spirited exchange with Veronica Bucio, an assistant opinion page editor at the Chronicle.
Moving to another country is a momentous event, something that Gonzales' relatives must certainly remember, Bucio told Gonzales. And when the attorney general says he isn't sure if his grandparents immigrated legally or not, that doesn't ring true, she said.
"You think I'm being untrue?" Gonzales asked Bucio.
"Yeah," she said.
Gonzales explained that both his grandparents and his father are dead -- so they can't be asked -- and his mother doesn't know. And that's why he told CNN he wasn't sure about his grandparents' immigration status.
"I was trying to be honest," he said.
He said the only clue he has is that his mother remembers having to go to the post office regularly in the United States. That, Gonzales contends, could mean that family members were taking care of residency paperwork.
But he doesn't know for sure.
For the record, Bucio said after the meeting with Gonzales that her grandfather immigrated from Mexico to the United States when he was a child, and she doesn't know whether he was an illegal immigrant, either.
But whatever his status, she said, her point is this: "It's nothing to be ashamed of." And so Gonzales should just 'fess up.
In other words, a member of the Houston Chronicle's editorial board called the Attorney General of the United States a liar, advised him to "'fess up," and then admitted she doesn't know if her own grandfather was illegal or legal either?
That's a jaw-dropper of a bad performance from Veronica Bucio, who owes the Attorney General and Chronicle readers an apology.
One can understand why that crew wouldn't want their meetings recorded and transcripts posted for all to see, if that sort of boorish treatment of respected public servants is the norm.
ANNE LINEHAN ADDS: Wow.
Ms. Bucio needs to step back and remember that she's not on a college campus, or in a Daily Kos forum, or even in a Houston City Council meeting. She IS representing a major national newspaper in a meeting with the attorney general of the United States.
That was disgraceful.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/22/06 08:38 PM | Print |
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