Posted on 11/20/2007 5:32:43 PM PST by Dane
Former AG Gonzales Speaks at U. of Fla.
By RON WORD – 19 hours ago
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales endured screams of "criminal" and "liar" during a speech at the University of Florida on Monday evening.
About 730 students and community members listened to Gonzales defend his career as White House counsel and head of the Justice Department. He also spoke about immigration and terrorism.
"No one is perfect. What is important is that we identify our mistakes and correct them," he said.
Gonzales' appearance was the first by a high-profile speaker at the university since a student was Tasered on Sept. 17 at a speech by Sen. John Kerry. An investigation found that campus police acted appropriately, and charges were dropped against the student.
Gonzales resigned earlier this fall in the face of an uproar on Capitol Hill over the dismissals of a slew of federal prosecutors and in connection with the administration's warrantless wiretap program.
Early in his speech, two people climbed on the stage in hoods. Gonzales stopped talking for a few minutes as police led them away without incident, though there were several outbursts from the crowd.
The hooded demonstrators were charged with interruption of a public event, said Steve Orlando, a university spokesman. Several other people were ejected for yelling, and more than a dozen people stood for most of Gonzeles' hour-long speech with their backs toward him.
Gonzales repeatedly defended the Bush administration's treatment of foreign prisoners.
"We don't condone torture," he said.
Students were not allowed to ask questions directly, as they were at the Kerry event. Instead questions were submitted and read by a university law professor. One question asked about Gonzales' views on immigration.
"Because of 9-11, we have to get this right. We have to know who is in this country," he said.
Gonzales also said it was perfectly appropriate to replace U.S. attorneys, because they are political appointees.
University officials said it was Gonzales' first appearance at a university since he left office in late August. He was paid $40,000 for his speech.
A few protesters carried signs protesting the appearance.
"It is abhorrent that they would spend that amount of money. This man is a criminal," said Glenda Allen, of Jacksonville
But of course there are some on FR who will be supporting these brains full of mush, because, IMO, of Mr. Gonzales's surname.
Dane, that crap is getting old. Talk about an old record that keeps spinning in circles saying nothing. Geeze, give it up.
Laura Ingram covered this in detail tonight and she was magnificent.
Uh you mean the crap like a misdemeanor committed by a person with a hispanic surname being posted on FR as the end of the USA?
Laura Ingram covered this in detail tonight and she was magnificent.
BTW, did you post a thread about her magnificent defense, or did the hispanic surname get in your way?
He was useless. Difi gave billions to family in no bid contracts and he did nothing.
I spent time in the Army with more than a few guys with “hispanic surnames” and nobody made a big deal about it. They were American citizens serving their country. Let it go, Dane. You’ll feel much better.
That was one dopey chick she was debating. I loved the way Laura made fun of her shirt.
[But of course there are some on FR who will be supporting these brains full of mush, because, IMO, of Mr. Gonzales’s surname.] You have your head planted firmly up your a$$. You should be banned from FR.
You sound anti-hispmetic. FR is not the place for that kind of stuff.
Gonzalez was a truly lousy Attorney General, and that has nothing to do with his hispanic surname. The one good thing that came out of the whole mess is that he is discredited with both left AND right, and he will never be appointed to SCOTUS, which was where Bush hoped to put him, although he produced a lousy pro-abortion decision denying parental rights for minors while he was a judge in Texas.
What makes these speeches worth that much? College is far too expensive these days, much of it wasted.
He was paid $40,000 for his speech.
That’s some nice coin for one of the worst speakers in the Western hemisphere. I wonder how long he can knock that back?
Oh really...and what crime did he commit we ask? What was "criminal' was appointing him to AG in the first place....Incompetent? ..yes...criminal? No way.
“Gonzalez was a truly lousy Attorney General, and that has nothing to do with his hispanic surname. The one good thing that came out of the whole mess is that he is discredited with both left AND right, and he will never be appointed to SCOTUS, which was where Bush hoped to put him”
Yeah, that didn’t work : )
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