Bush's Legal Eagle, Rising With the Son
Alberto Gonzales has long fit in family plans
While that might seem to be taken from the conservative hymnal, some conservatives in Texas and Washington say that they would probably oppose his nomination to the nation's high court. They are unhappy with his vote in a Texas high-court decision last year that weakened a law requiring parental notification before minors can get abortions. "Some conservatives may actively oppose a Gonzales nomination," says one court watcher. "Others may just watch the liberals savage him."
About his Supreme Court prospects, Gonzales demurs. "I don't plan on being a candidate. . . . I am focusing on my job." That job, typically powerful but behind the scenes, took on an unusually high profile during the Clinton era. Now it is Gonzales who is charged with enforcing myriad ethics rules and vetting top administration appointments. He doesn't anticipate being quite so busy in the scandal department as his predecessors. "My client has a very good moral compass," Gonzales says.
He finds his own source of inspiration in his father, who worked two jobs to help feed his wife and eight children. The senior Gonzales, who died in a work-related accident in 1982, believed in a merit-based work ethic and was wary of welfare. "He never asked for help or a handout except from his brothers and sisters," Gonzales says.
One area in which conservatives and liberals will be watching Gonzales closely is judicial appointments. Prospective judges will not be asked litmus test questions, Gonzales says. But liberal court-watchers are wary, because Gonzales's new legal team includes members of the conservative Federalist Society and attorneys who worked for former Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr. "If we get into a fight, I need someone who can go into battle with me, and protect this president and protect this White House," Gonzales says. "That's my job."
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