[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 46 (Monday, November 15, 2004)]
[Pages 2812-2813]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on the Nomination of Alberto R. Gonzales To Be Attorney General

November 10, 2004

    Good afternoon. I'm pleased to announce my nomination of Judge Al 
Gonzales to be the Attorney General of the United States. This is the 
fifth time I have asked Judge Gonzales to serve his fellow citizens, and 
I am very grateful he keeps saying ``yes.''
    A decade ago, when I was elected Governor of Texas, I asked Al to be 
my general counsel. He went on to distinguished service as Texas's 
secretary of State and as a justice of the Texas Supreme Court.
    Since I arrived in Washington 4 years ago, he has served with skill 
and integrity in the White House as Counsel to the President. I have 
counted on Al Gonzales to help select the best nominees for the Federal 
courts, one of the President's most important responsibilities.
    His sharp intellect and sound judgment have helped shape our 
policies in the war on terror, policies designed to protect the security 
of all Americans, while protecting the rights of all Americans. As the 
top legal official on the White House staff, he has led a superb team of 
lawyers and has upheld the highest standards of Government ethics. My 
confidence in Al was high to begin with; it has only grown with time.

[[Page 2813]]

    Over the past decade, I've also come to know the character of this 
man. He always gives me his frank opinion. He is a calm and steady voice 
in times of crisis. He has an unwavering principle, a respect for the 
law, and he and Becky are dear friends of Laura and my--of me, and I'm 
also very friendly with Graham and Gabriel Gonzales.
    My newest Cabinet nominee grew up in a two-bedroom house in Texas 
with his parents and seven siblings. Al's mother and dad, Pablo and 
Maria, were migrant workers who never finished elementary school, but 
they worked hard to educate their children and to instill the values of 
reverence and integrity and personal responsibility. These good people 
lived to see their son, Al, study at Rice University and Harvard Law 
School. Maria still lives in humble Texas in the house her husband 
built, and I can only imagine how proud she is today of her son, Al.
    Serving as Attorney General is one of the most challenging duties in 
our Government. As the Nation's chief law enforcement officer, Al will 
continue our administration's great progress in fighting crime, in 
strengthening the FBI, in improving our domestic efforts in the war on 
terror. As a steward of civil rights laws, he will ensure that Americans 
are protected from discrimination so that each person has the 
opportunity to live the American Dream, as Al himself has done.
    With the Senate's approval, Judge Gonzales will succeed another 
superb public servant, Attorney General John Ashcroft. Attorney General 
Ashcroft has served with excellence during a demanding time. In 4 years, 
he's reorganized the Department of Justice to meet the new threat of 
terrorism. He's fairly and forcefully applied the PATRIOT Act and helped 
to dismantle terror cells inside the United States. During his watch, 
violent crime has dropped to a 30-year low and prosecutions of crimes 
committed with guns have reached an alltime high. Drug use amongst our 
students is down. Confidence in the financial markets has been restored 
because the Attorney General aggressively prosecuted corporate fraud. 
And thanks to John Ashcroft's leadership, America has stepped up its 
efforts to prosecute the cruel exploitation of children by Internet 
pornographers. The Nation is safer and more just today because John 
Ashcroft has served our country so well.
    I'm committed to strong, principled leadership at the Department of 
Justice, and Judge Al Gonzales will be that kind of leader as America's 
80th Attorney General. I urge the Senate to act promptly on this 
important nomination. I look forward to welcoming my great friend to the 
Cabinet.
    Congratulations.

Note: The President spoke at 3:40 p.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the 
White House. In his remarks, he referred to Rebecca Gonzales, wife of 
Attorney General-Designate Alberto R. Gonzales. The transcript released 
by the Office of the Press Secretary also included the remarks of 
Attorney General-Designate Gonzales. The Office of the Press Secretary 
also released a Spanish language transcript of these remarks.