Tiny seed of openness?

I was interested to read this piece from the Associated Press on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

Many supporters of the administration hold the childish attitude that if the American Civil Liberties Union [ACLU] advocates something, it must be wrong. Gonzales did something that must've shocked them. He met with the ACLU, one of the foremost critics of the Patriot Act and other aspects of the Bush administration's war on civil liberties.

Engaging critics, or even listening to them, is revolutionary for any member of the closed-minded Bush administration. And Gonzales' willingness to at least go through the formality of listening to critics is a welcome change from his predecessor, John Ashcroft, who stridently refused to do so.

Critics of the Bush Justice Department haven't disappeared. Even Sen. Arlen Specter, the Republican head of the Judiciary Committee, complained that Gonzales' department had not provided, even in a classified setting, detailed information about the use of surveillance provisions of the anti-terrorism Patriot Act... secrecy being the enemy of democracy.

But, in a departure from Ashcroft, he [Gonzales] repeated his call for debate on the law and defended his decision to meet with critics.

It's quite telling that there are elements of the country that object to debate and dialogue so much that Gonzales felt the need to defend his decision to do both.

While the Bush administration in general and the present Justice Department in particular have many, MANY excesses that need to be curbed, Gonzales' apparent willingness at least to listen to critics is a baby step in the right direction. One can only hope this tiny seed of openness spreads to other parts of the administration... though I won't hold my breath.