Alberto Gonzales to 'Set Record Straight' in New Book

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales took umbrage with the widespread public disapproval of his performance in office. "What is it that I did that is so fundamentally wrong," Gonzales asked, "that deserves this kind of response to my service?" He went on to say, "[I] am portrayed as the one who is evil in formulating policies that people disagree with. I consider myself a casualty, one of the many casualties of the war on terror."

Gonzales reserved his harshest criticism for James Comey, the man who was acting Attorney General when Gonzales, serving as White House counsel at the time, and former White House Chief of Staff Andy Card made their infamous visit to the bedside of ailing then-Attorney General John Ashcroft in March of 2004. Comey's account of that visit in his testimony before Congress resulted in loud calls for Gonzales's resignation. "[Comey] didn't have the decency to notify anyone what he was about to testify," Gonzales said. "That was extremely disappointing." How dare Comey not warn the administration that he was going to expose their misdeeds?

Gonzales is writing a book that he says will set the record straight. Gonzales doesn't have a publisher lined up yet, but indicates that writing the book is worth the effort if it's only "for my sons, so at least they know the story." So far the parts of the story regarding the administration's surveillance program have yet to be written, partially because Gonzales is still under investigation regarding the alleged politicization of the Justice Department.