With less than four days until Alberto Gonzales’ speech at the 560 Music Building, the controversy surrounding his visit is intensifying.

In an attempt to reach all sides, the former U.S. Attorney General extended an invitation to meet with his detractors prior to his speech.

However, since the scheduling of the question and answer session conflicts with the College Democrats’ protest against the former Attorney General’s policies, most of the key leaders in the Democrats’ organization will not be attending.

“It’s unfortunate that we would put people in such a place where we would have to choose one over the other,” said College Democrats president Ben Guthorn. “Choosing to protest is not choosing not to engage in dialogue. It is choosing commitment.”

The debates about Mr. Gonzales’s visit continue to highlight the tense relations between the College Democrats and College Republicans; the Republicans said they understand the Democrat leaders’ right and desire to protest but still think this small meeting should take precedence.

“The leadership of the College Democrats just refuses to go. Their logic is that they are very committed to the protest, they organized it, are in it and they have to go. I don’t think their direct involvement in the protest is that crucial,” said Ryan Winograd, vice president of the College Republicans. “I think it’s a mistake but it’s their prerogative to do what they decide they want to do.”

Despite the fact that the College Democrats and the Washington University Peace Coalition will not fully participate in this small discussion, the session will still take place. The Republicans recruited other opponents of Gonzales on campus to participate in the event.

“I am disappointed that the College [Democrats] aren’t coming because those are the people we were targeting, and now that they aren’t coming we have to find random liberal people on campus,” said College Republican president Charis Fischer.

Dustin Palmer, the College Democrats’ director of legislative affairs, is the only officer and member of the group signed up to attend the small discussion.

He said that while it was difficult to decide between the two scheduled events, he will be attending the discussion fully and will try to be at the protest for as much of it as he can.

“I am interested to hear what he has to say. I think I am going to walk over with the protesters a little before. I’ve been involved with all the planning of the protest, and my heart will be with them. But I am going to go to the discussion in full,” said Palmer. “It did put us in the hardship of where to go and I guess I’m in the minority [with] my choice. It was a really hard decision.”

Winograd said that this discussion session would have been a good opportunity for the College Democrats to talk to Gonzales and have him address their concerns.

“I strongly believe, and I am pretty sure Alberto Gonzales believes, that there is a justification for everything he has done,” said Winograd “I strongly feel that they would come out with a very different impression of Alberto Gonzales if they actually meet with him and heard his side of the story.”

While Guthorn acknowledges the criticism that the College Democrats are declining an opportunity for discussion, he says that it is not the case.

“It is a totally valid argument and I would say that we’re not boycotting it [the discussion] because we don’t want to go. We are not attempting to make a statement out of this. I think that in the end a protest is a better way to achieve our goal because it reaches a greater number of people,” said Guthorn.

A spokesperson for Gonzales could not be reached by press time.

In addition to the meeting before his speech, Gonzales will be attending a dinner hosted by the College Republicans after the event. The Republicans initially invited the Democrats to attend the dinner but the invitation was later revoked.

“Because they rejected the offer to come to the discussion before hand, [Neil] Patel and the College Republican vice president thought that they should have seats at the dinner. Then we thought that wasn’t fair, because we already gave them the chance to talk to him and they turned that down, so we thought we should give other students a chance to attend,” said Fischer.

The discussion with a select group of detractors and Gonzales will limited to 30 students and will be on Tuesday at 5 p.m. in the 560 Building.

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