Gonzales bobs and weaves during questioning

From Yahoo News:

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales failed on Monday to convince the Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and other lawmakers that
President Bush had the legal authority to conduct warrantless eavesdropping against U.S. citizens.

"I do not think that any fair, realistic reading of the September 14 resolution gives you the power to conduct electronic surveillance," the committee chairman, Sen. Arlen Specter (news, bio, voting record) of Pennsylvania, told Gonzales at the end of a grueling day.

Specter also called for investigations by the full Senate and House of Representatives intelligence committees, saying only a thorough closed-door examination of the program could determine whether Bush had the inherent authority to conduct warrantless surveillance.

"It's the equilibrium of our constitutional system which is involved," Specter said. "And the al Qaeda threat is very weighty ... but so are civil rights."

During often testy proceedings, Gonzales fielded scores of questions but repeatedly rebuffed lawmakers' attempts to elicit facts of the program, saying the disclosure of operational details could ruin the government's ability to monitor contacts between militants and their affiliates.

Gonzales refused to discuss the scope of the program that Bush authorized in 2002, any successes, possible abuses or any safeguards in place.

Visibly frustrated, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Patrick Leahy (news, bio, voting record) of Vermont, abruptly broke in at one point: "Of course, I'm sorry, Mr. Attorney General, I forgot you can't answer any questions that might be relevant to this."

Leahy accused the administration of acting "illegally without safeguards."

New York Democrat Charles Schumer told Gonzales: "I know it's been a long day for you. Especially with all that bobbing and weaving, it's not so easy."

Ohio Republican Mike DeWine said the administration would stand on firmer ground if it had sought specific congressional backing and Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham (news, bio, voting record) of South Carolina said he never envisioned such eavesdropping to be part of the post-September 11 legislation he helped pass.

Gonzales' defense is that the President can do whatever he wants which in reality is no defense. Arlen Spector should have placed Gonzales under oath if he was truly concerned about the legality of this. Obviously the Republicans feel Gonzales and the Bush administration have something to hide or they would have made him testify under oath. It's ashame that the Republicans are being partisan on this issue to protect the President. In the end these hearings mean nothing. Gonzales can lie all he wants and the Bush administration will continue to ignore the courts and laws.