What was he thinking?

Washington Post: A recently released report from the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General raises some fundamental questions: Was Alberto R. Gonzales the least intellectually gifted attorney general in history? Did he possess the worst memory? Was he incapable of telling the truth? All of the above?

Mr. Gonzales has been out of office for nearly one year. But the inspector general’s report brings back all too clearly the deep and varied flaws Mr. Gonzales exhibited while serving as the nation’s top law enforcement officer.

The report, made public last week, focuses on Mr. Gonzales’ handling of notes he took of a March 2004 congressional briefing on a National Security Agency warrantless wiretapping program. Mr. Gonzales, then White House counsel, placed his notes — which included uncontrovertibly sensitive information about the program — in one envelope, which he then tucked into another. Mr. Gonzales labeled the outer envelope, “AG — Eyes Only — Top Secret.” Mr. Gonzales carried those notes with him when he began work as attorney general on Feb. 3, 2005.

Briefing

Upon arriving at the Justice Department that day, Mr. Gonzales was briefed on how to handle classified information and told that he could store sensitive information in the department’s command center. So what did Mr. Gonzales do with the notes? He took them home. Despite his own labeling of the package as top secret, he told the inspector general he didn’t realize the notes contained classified information. Problem is, Mr. Gonzales’s house was not equipped with the required secure facility for storing such documents.

In short, programs described by Mr. Gonzales as being among the most sensitive in operation could have been compromised by his irresponsibility and lack of judgment.