Less than an hour before his formal speech was set to begin last night, Alberto Gonzales met with a small group of 25 students for a session of questions and answers.

The session was moderated by Professor Ronald Levin from the Washington University School of Law.

Among the group of students were President Charis Fischer and Vice President Ryan Winograd from the College Republicans, President Ben Guthorn and Vice President Dustin Palmer from the College Democrats, Student Union President Neil Patel and several students unaffiliated with any students group.

According to Levin, the session was organized primarily for the benefit of the students and critics of Gonzales.

Although students present at the question-and-answer took the opportunity to interrogate Gonzales, many walked away disappointed.

“It was what I expected. I just think the whole environment was designed to show that he is a nice guy, that he is just like everybody else,” said senior Steven Hoffmann. “To me, it was a phony event.”

Winograd of the College Republicans praised the responses of Gonzales despite the many difficult questions thrown at him.

“He was doing a very good job of answering the questions. I’m glad they gave him tough questions,” said Winograd. “I thought he was extremely open. It was very informative, and I hope the other students there got something out of it.”

Gonzales had specifically asked for more liberal-minded students to attend the session, because he knows his actions are justifiable, says Winograd.

“I think he gave more than sufficient answers,” he said.

Senior Matt Adler disagreed.

“I wanted to know exactly what he thought of torture. I wanted a specific example of when he thinks torture would be appropriate, but I don’t think he answered that question,” he said.

As part of one of his questions for Gonzales, Hoffmann read a verse from poet and writer Wendell Berry’s “Blessed Are the Peacemakers: Christ’s Teachings About Love, Compassion & Forgiveness.”

“I think the whole Bush administration has run on the idea that it’s a Christian administration, and a lot of Americans have bought that,” sad Hoffmann. “How can you reconcile your Christian beliefs with torturing people?”

Hoffmann was not the only student dissatisfied with Gonzales’ responses.

“The best thing we can do is acknowledge he has little to offer us in terms of interpreting the Constitution or viewing current events,” said sophomore Greg Allen, layout editor of the Washington University Political Review.

Adler said he was grateful for the unique opportunity to hear Gonzales speak, but still perceives Gonzales as an unsuitable figure for his former role as Attorney General.

“I think Mr. Gonzales is a prime example of what we need to avoid in selecting people for positions with responsibility,” said Adler.

“He has been given an extraordinary amount of power, which he misused,” said Hoffmann.

Adler says he was disconcerted by Gonzales’ response to the question of whether he wanted to be a judge in the Supreme Court.

“[Gonzales] said that Bush asked him, ‘Do you want to go the courts?’ and he answered with, ‘Do you want me to go?’” said Adler. “This answer really struck me. For me, that says a lot about him. It shows a lack of independent resolve and a lack of standing up for himself.”

“It’s a very odd response that speaks to a sense of submissiveness and the failure to acknowledge responsibility,” said Adler.

Gonzales gave the appearance through his responses as a soldier claiming only to be following orders in war crime scenarios, says Adler.

“[His] job as an Attorney General for the United States is not to just be a consultant-your job is to take leadership. This is a fundamental problem in his approach to politics. It speaks to why we need an administration in place that respects the rule of law and the idea of democracy,” said Adler.

Adler also expressed concern for Gonzales’ rhetoric. According to him, the former Attorney General frequently used the word “serve” and “client” to refer to President Bush.

“But his ‘client’ should really be the American people,” said Adler.

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