Henry Cisneros, one of the very few prominent Latinos in the Clinton administration, writes in the Wall Street Journal:

In the 36 years that I have voted, I have supported and voted for only one Republican. That was when Alberto Gonzales ran for election to the Texas Supreme Court. I messaged friends about this uncommonly capable and serious man, I urged them to support his campaign financially, and voted for him. He is now President Bush's nominee to be Attorney General of the United States and I urge his confirmation. ...

Of all the positions in the cabinet, it has been traditionally understood both by the Senate and by the American public that the president needs a trusted adviser in the attorney general's job. That was understood when President Kennedy named his brother Robert to the post. The Senate has in practice respected the fact that if the president wants a key individual to anchor his inner circle of cabinet advisers, he should be allowed to have that person. The public also accepts the fact that if the nominees have proven capabilities and have no egregious disqualifying attributes, the president should get to name his team.

In this case, Judge Gonzales is better qualified than many recent attorneys general. ...

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Sorry, Miss Reno.

Editor's note: