Drudge is reporting that Senate Democrats are considering harrassing Attorney General nominee Alberto Gonzales during confirmation hearings by screening videos of alleged torture of prisoners in Iraq. Gonzales, when he worked in the White House, helped draft guidelines on the use of corecive methods of interrogation.

The problem is that some of the videos which have not been poreviously shown are, or could be, evidence in coming trials of those alleged to be responsible for abusive questioning. Oublicly disclosing it before trial could result in its being thrown out of court.

"Normally, I side with disclosure and openness, but in this case, the material is evidence," Sen. Schumer (D—NY) said last year.

Schumer, a Harvard—trained lawyer, is a lot smarter than the showboaters who contemplate with glee the opportunity to embarrass President Bush his nominee, who would become a landmark of achievement for Hispanic Americans. Our own Douglas Hanson has explained the seriousness of premature disclosure of evidence in military trials.

If the Senate committee Democrats are interested in justice, they should allow the trials to proceed and not allow miscreants to get off in order to score cheap political points. If they are interested in evaluating Gonzales's performance in office, they should confine themselves to examination of the regulations he drafted.

Should the showboaters prevail, there will be a backlash.

UPDATE: The estimable Jed Babbin has a valuable and insightful column today on the Gonzales confirmation  fight ahead.

Thomas Lifson  1 03 05