Senate confirms Gonzales as next attorney general
Nominee approved on 60-36 vote, with all of the "no" votes coming from Democrats.
The Senate Thursday confirmed Alberto Gonzales to be attorney general, 60-36.
Lacking the votes to sustain a filibuster of his nomination, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., decided Tuesday to back away from threats of a Democratic blockade, clearing the way for Thursday's vote. All 36 "no" votes were from Democrats.
Gonzales replaces John Ashcroft as the country's top law enforcement official.
"This is a breakthrough of incredible magnitude for Hispanic-Americans,'' said Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla. Martinez said Gonzales, a former member of the Texas Supreme Court, was "a role model for the next generation" of Hispanics in the United States.
When President Bush announced his intention to promote Gonzales from White House counsel to attorney general, both sides of the aisle praised the nomination.
"When Mr. Gonzales was nominated several weeks ago, I didn't know a single member of this body, Republican or Democrat, who had expressed any intention to vote against this nominee," said Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn.
His confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee brought up questions about his role in drafting rules governing the extent of interrogation methods against suspected terrorists or witnesses. This spawned Democratic opposition.
"Mr. Gonzales was at the heart of the Bush administration's notorious decision to authorize our forces to commit flagrant acts of torture in the interrogation of detainees," said Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.
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