Hearing provides glimpse of Justice nominee's management agenda

Attorney general nominee Alberto Gonzales outlined the priorities he would pursue if confirmed to the post during a Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday.

During the first round of the hearing, Senate Judiciary Committee members questioned Gonzales about abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, his role in advising President Bush on the rights of prisoner detainees, and his position on balancing civil rights and security if confirmed.

The nominee told legislators he was "sickened and outraged" by photographs of prisoner abuse in Iraq, adding "our policy is we do not engage in torture."

"If people have done things that they shouldn't have done, in violation of our legal obligations, they are going to be held accountable," he said.

While spending much of his time addressing the questions on torture and civil rights, Gonzales also hinted at some management objectives he would pursue if confirmed.

The nominee noted that more information sharing is needed within the Justice Department and with state and local officials.

"In many ways this war on terror is a war about information. If we have information, we can defeat the enemy," he said. "I think there needs to be greater cooperation within the department itself. There needs to be more sharing of information, in order to maximize the efficiencies that are possibly there."

Gonzales defended the need for the 2001 Patriot Act, but said he would review certain aspects of it, such as a provision that does not require authorities to have probable cause for seeking library records. He added that he would also review standards for detaining immigrants.

Gonzales also pledged to work on upgrading FBI information technology, adding that he "won't be shy" about giving lawmakers an accurate description of the technology or asking for more resources.

"As a member of the president's Cabinet, I am a member of the president's team … Obviously, his priorities will become my priorities in terms of policy making," Gonzales said.