Reply #61: No, but each of my suggestions works for one set of ethics

[Lydia Leftcoast]

The personally ethical thing to do would have been to resign, probably the less effective course, since Gonzales would, of course, have been prevented from ratting on Bush, due to attorney-client privilege.

The legally ethical thing would have been to say, "There is no justification for torture under international law." An attorney can facilitate a client's evil intentions ("Look, here's a loophole that will let you dump your toxic waste in the lake"), but is he obliged to, especially if, as in this case, it seemed to involve making up "legal principles" as he went along?