Gonzales' Confirmation Hearing

Human Rights First is live blogging Gonzales' confirmation hearing and Patrick Leahy is nailing him to the wall.

Laehy: Do you think the President can suspend the law on torture and immunize tortures. I think the law is clear. No. But your answer shows you disagree. You say only that the President has not done so. I think this is something we need to understand, this is so fundmanetal, and would set in motion a lot of other things.

This goes back to Nuremberg, allowing people to say simply "We were just following orderes?"

I'll ask you again: Can the President immunize those who comitt torture from prosecution by ordering it?

Gonzales: i will take an oath of office to defend the laws of this ocuntry and that means the laws passed by the Congress. I was answering a hypothetical.

Leahy - I am not asking a hypothetocal. I am asking about the torture sttaute.

Gonzales - That is a hypothetical question. The President is not going to order torture. We don't condone it. That Augsut opinion has nbeen rekected. It has been reoplaced with an opinion that does not have that discussion. I am not prepared to give you an answer -

Leahy - That opinion stood for two years; there was a leak; and a new opinion only emerged a week ago