I agree with Paul Loeb's position that we should vigorously oppose an Alberto Gonzales nomination to the Supreme Court, but I would argue our opposition must be based on more than Gonzales' pro-torture, anti-civil liberties record.
Gonzales' record indicates he will be biased in favor of corporate special interests, as Sandra Day O'Connor also was.
While on the Texas Supreme Court, he accepted what were known "prejudgment premiums," donations from corporations that had cases before the court. Gonzales did not recuse himself from his donors' cases, including one case involving Halliburton.
Furthermore, while the Fringe Fundamentalists on the Right do not trust Gonzales to overturn Roe, we cannot assume that means he is certain to protect Roe. Gonzales' record on reproductive freedom is thin.
Yes, he ruled in Texas in favor of minor seeking a judicial bypass under the state's parental notification law, and that upsets James Dobson. But Gonzales himself cautioned, "It wasn’t a constitutional issue. It was purely a statutory interpretation question." His ruling had nothing to do with his (unknown) view of Roe.
About 40 percent of Supreme Court cases involve corporate interests, and the corporate lobby is mobilizing to get another friendly judge. That includes forging a coalition with the Fringe Fundamentalists.
Rob McKay argued we should support Gonzales in order to split the Republican Party. But a Gonzales nomination would upset social conservatives regardless of what Dems and liberals do.
However, if we called attention to the likely motivation for a Gonzales pick -- payback to corporate donors -- that could drive a far deeper wedge in the right-wing coalition.
And if Gonzales lacked support on the left and right, the nomination would likely collapse. Bush's hand would be weakened, and the chance that he would be forced to nominate an impartial judge would increase (though Bush is unlikely to yield quickly).
But aside from the political strategizing, the principled reason to oppose Gonzales is that Americans don't want a Supreme Court biased in favor of corporate special interests, and biased against workers and consumers seeking justice. We need impartial judges that will give citizens their day in court and rule fairly.
However, if we don't make that case, if we don't explain that this is a big part of the Supreme Court Showdown, then Dems in Congress won't talk about it, the media won't talk about it, Americans will remain in the dark, and corporate hacks like Gonzales will rule our judiciary.