Gonzales gone

8226; Gonzales worked as a corporate attorney for a Houston law firm before being named general counsel to then-Texas Governor George W Bush.

8226; He served as secretary of state of Texas from 1997-1999 and was appointed to the Texas Supreme Court in 1999.

8226; After Bush won his first term as president, Gonzales was named White House counsel in January 2001, holding that job until becoming Attorney General in February 2005.

8226; Gonzales eventually won confirmation as the 80th Attorney General but he squeaked through with the second highest number of 8220;no8221; votes ever for a successful nominee for the post.

8226; The battle over Gonzales8217; suitability as attorney general focused largely on an August 1, 2002, memo he approved that stated that only the most severe types of torture were not permissible under US and international agreements. The memo was withdrawn and rewritten after a public outcry.

8226; Gonzales also drew fire for writing in January 2002 that parts of the half-century-old Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners of war were 8220;obsolete8221; and some provisions were 8220;quaint.8221;

8226; He was criticised for Bush8217;s warrantless domestic spying programme adopted after the September 11 attacks. In January he reversed himself and said the programme would be subject to court approval.

8226; Gonzales was at the centre of a political firestorm for Bush over the dismissals of eight federal prosecutors, which critics in Congress complained were politically motivated.

8226; Both Democrats and Republicans in Congress called for Gonzales to quit. In a hearing in July Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont said Gonzales had 8220;lost the confidence of the Congress and the American people8221; while Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania told him, 8220;I don8217;t trust you.8221;