[Marxism] Lying and torturing does not look good on your resume

[Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxx>]

NY Times,  April 13, 2008
In Job Search, Gonzales Sees No Takers
By NEIL A. LEWIS

WASHINGTON ? Alberto R. Gonzales, like many others recently 
unemployed, has discovered how difficult it can be to find a new job. 
Mr. Gonzales, the former attorney general, who was forced to resign 
last year, has been unable to interest law firms in adding his name 
to their roster, Washington lawyers and his associates said in recent 
interviews.

He has, through friends, put out inquiries, they said, and has not 
found any takers. What makes Mr. Gonzales's case extraordinary is 
that former attorneys general, the government's chief lawyer, are 
typically highly sought.

A longtime loyalist to George W. Bush dating to their years together 
in Texas, Mr. Gonzales was once widely viewed as a strong candidate 
to be the first Hispanic-American nominated one day to the Supreme 
Court. A graduate of Harvard Law School, he carried an impressive 
personal story as the child of poor Mexican immigrants.

Despite those credentials, he left office last August with a frayed 
reputation over his role in the dismissal of several federal 
prosecutors and the truthfulness of his testimony about a secret 
eavesdropping program. He has had no full-time job since his 
resignation, and his principal income has come from giving a handful 
of talks at colleges and before private business groups.

"Maybe the passage of time will provide some opportunity for him," 
said one Washington lawyer who was aware of an inquiry to his firm 
from a Gonzales associate. "I wouldn't say 'rebuffed,' " said the 
lawyer, who asked his name not be used because the situation being 
described was uncomfortable for Mr. Gonzales. "I would say 'not taken up.' "

The greatest impediment to Mr. Gonzales's being offered the kind of 
high-salary job being snagged these days by lesser Justice Department 
officials, many lawyers agree, is his performance during his last few 
months in office. In that period, he was openly criticized by 
lawmakers for being untruthful in his sworn testimony. His conduct is 
being investigated by the Office of the Inspector General of the 
Justice Department, which could recommend actions from exonerating 
him to recommending criminal charges. Friends set up a fund to help 
pay his legal bills.

Asked about reports that law firms have not taken up feelers from Mr. 
Gonzales, Robert H. Bork Jr., a corporate communications specialist 
and his spokesman, said Mr. Gonzales was talking to many people about 
the next steps in his career. "He is considering his opportunities in 
law and business," Mr. Bork said, "but after many years in public 
service he is considering his options carefully."

He said Mr. Gonzales "looks forward to the conclusion of the 
department's inquiries and getting on with his life."

While he has not taken any full-time job, friends said he was 
probably receiving as much income from speaking engagements as he did 
as attorney general with its annual salary of more than $191,000. 
Places like Washington University in St. Louis, Ohio State University 
and the University of Florida have paid him about $30,000 plus 
expenses for appearances, and the business groups pay a bit more, 
said sources at the schools and elsewhere who are familiar with the 
arrangements. Pomona College debated inviting him and decided he was 
not worth the money, the college newspaper reported.

His first speech at the University of Florida last November was 
interrupted by protesters dressed as detainees.


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