American Hispanic of the Year 2005: Attorney General Alberto Gonzales
No national Hispanic political figure in recent years has reached such heights and stirred as many emotions

WASHINGTON (By Tim Chávez, Hispanic) January 1, 2008 — Pinning down Alberto Gonzales about his feelings on being passed over for two U.S. Supreme Court vacancies is like trying to hit a well-swung piñata. Even bringing up a recent Saturday Night Live skit—in which President Bush tries to woo his way back into Gonzales’ good graces—elicits little from the real attorney general. “I don’t watch Saturday Night Live,” he says simply. But when pressed about how much longer Hispanic Americans must wait to see one of their own on the highest court in land, he is very certain: “It’s inevitable; it’s going to come.”

When the time does come, it may not be Gonzales who’s headed to the Supreme Court. Despite his mild-mannered, intelligent approach to his post as the nation’s attorney general—the first Hispanic figure in that position—Gonzales has become a lightning rod for some on both sides of the ideological divide. No national Hispanic political figure in recent years has been given such public attention and stirred such deep emotions.

A Storybook Rise

The son of migrant workers, Alberto R. Gonzales, 50, grew up in Humble, Texas. His two-bedroom childhood home—where his mother still lives—was built by his father and uncle. As a child, he sold soft drinks at Rice University football games and dreamed of enrolling there.

Years later, he did. Gonzales became the first in his family to go to college, earning a bachelor’s degree at Rice before heading to Harvard Law School. Upon graduating, he was promptly snatched by the prestigious Houston law firm of Vinson & Elkins, where he quickly became one of the firm’s first minority partners.

It was there that the Mexican-American first became interested in politics—and in joining the more conservative political party. “I got involved with various groups where I met Republicans,” he recalls.

“I like the notion of self-reliance. My father relied completely on himself to take care of a family of 10 and never once asked government for any kind of help. So the notion of less government, being able to take care of yourself, shoulder responsibility is something that had great appeal to me.”

By the mid-90s, Gonzales had come to the attention of Texas Gov. George W. Bush, who in 1995 appointed him general counsel. Just two years later, Bush named him secretary of state; two years after that, he was promoted to Texas Supreme Court justice; and another two years later, he found himself traveling to Washington to become Commander-in-Chief Bush’s top lawyer. It was in that post that Gonzales became identified with several of the most controversial policies in Bush’s first term. To this day, Gonzales speaks in glowing terms of his longtime friend and ally. Perhaps much more than party, Gonzales is loyal to this president even after being passed over for two Supreme Court vacancies. “He rarely makes a bad decision,” he says.

Gonzales was instrumental in drafting and defending the Patriot Act, the anti-terrorism initiative that expanded federal power; and he wrote a controversial memo that set guidelines for the treatment of suspected terrorists.

The ensuing political divide over these issues, and several others, led to a closer-than-expected confirmation vote on February 3, 2005. The Senate voted 60-30 in his favor, with some Democrats fearing a vote against the well-qualified candidate might be interpreted as anti-Hispanic.

Standing Firm

Even after his appointment to A.G., Democrats have continued to rail against Gonzales’ actions as the president’s counsel, arguing that his famous memo facilitated the torture of detainees in Iraq. Today, Gonzales stands by his words, though he regrets that the controversy “might have created the perception that I or this president, or this administration, doesn’t believe in the rule of law, that we don’t respect basic human values. ... Nothing could be further from the truth,” he says.

But Gonzales is accustomed to dealing with opponents on both sides of the political aisle. Conservative Republicans, for example, found some of Gonzales’ votes on the Texas Supreme Court troubling— including a majority vote not requiring some teenage girls to get parental permission for an abortion.

“He is attacked a lot,” observes Larry Sabato, a political analyst and the director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, who adds that the numerous political spats “virtually eliminated him from the Surpreme Court chase.”

And yet many give the new attorney general high marks for his performance so far. Hector Flores, national president of The League of United Latin American Citizens, says that Gonzales has been open and receptive as attorney general to civil rights issues LULAC has brought to him. And he has made Department of Justice appointments reflective of the diversity needed to address these needs. “He is an American leader who happens to be Hispanic,” Flores says. “When you are breaking new ground, especially in the attorney general’s office, representing all of the federal government, he is ruling on his knowledge of the law, whether you like or don’t like it.”

For his part, Gonzales is philosophical about all the commotion. “It’s unavoidable,” he says. “I will make decisions that are going to make some people unhappy. But you know that’s going to happen when you assume a position in government with responsibility.

“If you worry about the criticism, you can’t be effective in doing your job. I’ve got to feel comfortable with myself and I am very comfortable with the decisions I’ve made.”

He is focused, instead, on the “tremendous impact” he’d like to have on Hispanic America and the country in general. While the career of another high-profile Hispanic public servant, Henry Cisneros, disintegrated in scandal, observers such as Sabato see plenty of time ahead of him to make a lasting political impression.

His greatest opportunity to make that “tremendous impact” could come very soon. As one of the nation’s top anti-terrorism officers and Hispanic member of the Bush Cabinet, Gonzales is on a collision course early next year with congressional GOP efforts topass tough border security legislation.

Recently, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist announced that immigration reform will not be considered simultaneously in February with legislation aimed at toughening border security. That goes against Bush administration plans. Frist is responding politically to the growing outcry from conservative groups for strong action to halt illegal immigration. The timing could not be more ironic. No one is more qualified than Gonzales in the administration to address the human and law enforcement complexities of immigration reform and border security.

As the nation’s 80th attorney general and first Hispanic one, Gonzales is the face of law enforcement in America. Meanwhile, the face of lawbreakers in this nation—as portrayed by some activists—is that of Latinos illegally crossing into the United States. And south Texas, where Gonzales grew up, has always had a give-and-take of human populations seeking a better life across the border.

“I get confused when I hear ... talk about immigration apart from border security,” Gonzales admits. “I consider it all the same.” He and Bush, Gonzales says, “have a unique perspective in that we come from Texas, a border state. Obviously I am Hispanic and that’s natural, but ... [the president also] understands about the realities of life along the border. People cross every day just so they can provide for their families.”

As part of its effort to secure the borders, the administration wants a work permit program that brings an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States out of the shadows, ushers them under the protection of American wage laws, gets them to register so authorities can check for terrorist links, requires they pay a fine to acknowledge breaking the law, then asks them to return to their country after five years.

Despite skepticism from the right, Gonzales does not see that kind of immigration reform as encouraging terrorism. “The president has said that fighting terrorism and protecting America is the No. 1 priority of the Justice Department, and I’m most proud of the fact that we have been successful—working with other agencies and, of course, due in part to the success of our military overseas— in protecting America from another domestic attack.”

A Public Servant

Gonzales hopes that, when he eventually returns home to Texas, his tenure as attorney general will inspire young Latinos. Gonzales’ job and family responsibilities (he has three sons with his wife Rebecca Turner Gonzales) don’t leave much time for other pursuits, but he enjoys addressing Hispanic audiences.

“What I like to talk about is education,” he says. “To me, that’s the gateway to freedom. That’s why I am able to accomplish what I’ve done. It’s so obvious, but yet we still have so many problems in keeping our kids in school. We still have too many parents who consider college education, even a high school education, a luxury for middle-class kids across town.

“Hispanic parents have to understand: You have to get a high school education. You really need to go to college.”

And where will this interest in public service lead him next?

Sabato sees Gonzales as helping initiate the next era in Hispanic political evolution in the United States—more Latinos running for and winning election to major state offices. “He certainly has a political future,” he says. “Both parties are actively seeking Hispanics to run. [All the] attacks from the Left and Right are not going to matter back in Texas. He will have the support of Bush’s organization. And Gonzales, being the first Hispanic attorney general, is in excellent position to run for office. If you look at the future in Texas, Latinos will be elected to most major state offices.”

But right now, with a political battle looming in Washington over illegal immigration, Bush’s decision to pick his friend as A.G. instead of Supreme Court justice could have the “tremendous impact” that Gonzales seeks—while perhaps further elevating a national political figure to new heights.