It's ironic that all the controversy surrounding Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is being aired in the media during Sunshine Week, a time dedicated to emphasizing the importance of open government and the freedom of information.
There's certainly little sunshine these days in Washington, where Gonzales remains on the hot seat and faces an increasing number of calls for resignation. On Wednesday, Gonzales said the decision on whether or not he should remain Attorney General is up to George W. Bush. He also said on NBC's "Today" that "we are going to work with Congress to make sure they know what happened" and that he felt his office's record was "outstanding."
"Outstanding" seems well off base at this point, and it's becoming abundantly clear one doesn't have to be a Republican or Democrat to see that. After all, it's been a nightmare of a last few days for the Attorney General's office.
First, last week, Gonzales and FBI Director Robert S. Mueller admitted that the FBI had improperly -- and sometimes illegally -- used the Patriot Act to secretly obtain information about Americans in terrorism investigations. Days later, Gonzales -- who served as President Bush's secretary of state in Texas -- acknowledged mistakes were made in the handling of the eight U.S. attorneys' firings, which critics cite as politically motivated.
President Bush has been been hammered by his antagonists with the same types of accusations Gonzales now faces -- not being forthright, ignoring the reality of situations, doing as he sees fit. It would be appropriate for the president to use Sunshine Week as an occasion to celebrate the importance of open government by asking for Gonzales' resignation -- and then further commit his administration to a free exchange of public information.
