It’s been a busy week in Washington. Attorney General John Ashcroft announced his resignation, as did Secretary of State Colin Powell. White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales has been tapped to fill Ashcroft’s spot. For Americans concerned about civil liberties, it would be hard to envision an attorney general worse than Ashcroft, but the president deserves credit for trying. Gonzales, who once served as general counsel for Enron, believes the Geneva Conventions are “quaint” and “obsolete” and worked to bend the law so the United States could use torture in the war on terror. The National Lawyers Guild recently condemned Gonzales for his stance on torture and recommended he not be appointed. Is this the best man to head the country’s law enforcement?

Powell and Ashcroft aren’t the only ones jumping ship, however. Some people are being shoved overboard. On Sunday, Newsday reported that the White House is purging the Central Intelligence Agency of “disloyal” agents. One former CIA official said “the CIA is looked on by the White House as a hotbed of liberals and people who have been obstructing the president’s agenda.” They have to be kidding. Hotbed of liberals? This is an organization of professional spies, analysts and assassins, not Greenpeace. It’s bad enough the president made supporters sign loyalty oaths to gain entrance to his campaign events; now he wants civil servants to do it, too. The fact the president places a higher premium on personal loyalty than on the country’s safety is asinine.

The CIA isn’t the only organization on the Republicans’ chopping block; the long knives are out for the party’s moderates, as well. Mainstream Republicans, concerned about the hard right-turn the party is taking, have been told to get with the program or leave. The hounding of Sen. Arlen Specter continues unabated, with the conservative grassroots organization Concerned Women For America’s Jan LaRue warning Republican moderates, “If they can’t agree and support the president and the platform, then they ought to go over to the Democrats.” It’s good to see that “with us or against us” applies to one’s elected representatives, too.

And finally, in the “Too Little, Too Late” department, 9/11 Commission member Bob Kerrey laid the blame for the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks at the president’s feet last week in an interview with Paula Zahn. From the transcript, Kerrey rhetorically addresses the president: “You were warned by the CIA. You knew in July they were inside the United States. You were told again by briefing officers in August that it was a dire threat. And what did you do? Nothing, so far as we could see on the 9/11 Commission … and we took an oath not to talk about it during the campaign.” In God’s name, Mr. Kerrey, why?

It’s time for us to take a long, hard look in the mirror and ask ourselves if this is what we want to be. What kind of country declares itself the vanguard of liberty while torturing captives and squelching citizen dissent? What was the point of defeating the Soviet Union if we were just going to turn into them?

Columns reflect the opinion of the author and not necessarily that of the Northern Star staff.