I don't care what the tissue-thin "justifications" are for untrammeled torture during the ever shifting Bush/Cheney War on Whatever.

Every sane, sentient, experienced person from seemingly opposite sides abhors and opposes torture, even as a desperate eleventh hour means to collect intelligence. Whether it's human rights workers, foreign policy and foreign aid experts, intelligence analysts or military personnel: torture is not only inhumane, socially regressive and against every ideal and promotion of democracy abroad, it doesn't glean reliable information.

Even in emergencies -- perhaps especially then -- it's unreliable.

Gonzales' contribution to this historical low point was in providing a shabby legal framework for the administration to use torture when and where it wanted, without oversight or thought, and, should it ever come to light, with glib built in excuses to dodge accountability (as if that were possible with torture.)

Thus agents of this administration, whether in the military or from "private" goon squads and militia untethered from the higher ups directing this, demonstrably and routinely engaged in torture to harvest factesque statements to spin into support, after the fact, for purely rhetoric-based war hype.

Gonzales promoted torture being practiced on people held in detention, and who by long held treaty the state was entrusted to maintain a certain standard of humane treatment. Torture was used for nothing more than a fishing expedition for information that might be useful.

This isn't just lamentable, corrupt or criminal but monstrous. It's as bad as torture used experimentally, possibly even worse; it's torture used idley.

Gonzales applied his training, ability and opportunities in life to gin up the frailest legal cover for crimes against humanity. He did it rathionally in the cold light of day just so the perpetrators could cover their own asses.

And, foolish man, he's blind to the likelihood that he'll be a main patsy should the sudden appearance of an actual opposition call the admin to account on this when full details emerge from the most opaque Executive ever. (There will be more than a full accounting on this; there'll be reckoning, whether domestically generated or from the shambles of post-war Iraq.)

To my mind, there's plenty in Gonzales' long trail to make him the worst in his post, though the torture alone would settle it.

however, as a non lawyer with only a street sense of what 'justice' should be -

I can NOT imagine that these guys did much of anything to make the legal system operate fairly for all, fairness meaning to this unwashed peee-on that this under the median income peee-on gets treated as well as those who have lots of gold coins to drop into lady justice's scales.

Sure, gonzo is gone - now the lame pathetic Dems can forget about the Justice Dept and the AG ...

and the thugs will nominate some low profile white collar criminal with years of twisting the law to insure that the legal system works for the rich, by the rich, of the rich ???

what did we actually 'win'?

Lyin', cheatin', hurtin, that's all you seem to do.
Messin' around every lobbyist in town,
Puttin' me down for thinkin' of some-president new.
Always the same, playin' your game,
Drive me insane, trouble is gonna come to you,
One of these days and it won't be long,
We'll look for you but Georgie,  you'll be gone.
This is all I gotta say to you Dubya:

[Chorus]
Your Time Is Gonna Come [X4]

Made up my mind to break you this time,
Won't be so fine, it's your turn to cry.
Do want you want, we won't take the brunt.
It's fadin' away, can't feel you anymore.
Don't care what you say 'cause you're goin' away to stay,
Gonna make you pay for that great big hole in my country.
People talkin' all around,
Watch out Georgie, no longer
Is the joke gonna be on our hearts.
You been bad to us Dubya,
But it's coming back home to you.