Wednesday, January 05, 2005

Top Secret: The White House is refusing to hand over memos written by Alberto Gonzales about the legality of torture. Now that Gonzales is the nominee for attorney general, the Democrats want to know what hand he had to play in the Abu Ghraib torture scandal and other incidents.

It's true, if the Democrats get their hands on these memos then they'll most likely use them as political ammunition against the Bush administration and Gonzales. But that's the price you pay when you play in politics.

Gonzales wants to be the top law enforcement official in the country. He needs to disclose all his official views on a wide range of legal issues. If something incriminating does come out, it's the administration's job to defend it. But the public can only make informed decisions if all the information is available. And in such a sensitive situation as this, the White House should not hide its misdeeds from the public.