Gonzales: I'm a Casualty of War on Terror

Controversial ex-AG defends White House role

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Dec 31, 2008 6:46 AM CST

(Newser) – Controversial former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales didn't deserve the flak he got as a high-ranking Bush administration official, he tells the Wall Street Journal. Gonzales was pilloried for his involvement in the government's "war on terror" policies, but he denies drafting the legal opinions that supported harsh interrogation techniques and holding "unlawful combatants" indefinitely. "What is it that I did that is so fundamentally wrong?" he asks.

Gonzales, who hasn't been able to land a job since leaving the administration 16 months ago, is writing a book to tell his side of the story. Chapters about the more controversial aspects of his work, including the politically motivated firing of nine US attorneys and the administration's eavesdropping program, remain blank for now, however, because some of those issues are still under investigation.

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Alberto Gonzales addresses the Detroit Economic Club in Dearborn, Mich., last year. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announces his resignation at a press conference last year. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais )

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For some reason, I am portrayed as the one who is evil in formulating policies that people disagree with. I consider myself a casualty, one of the many casualties of the war on terror. - Alberto Gonzales

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Gonzales: I'm a Casualty of War on Terror