Gonzales Launches PR Campaign

By CBSNews.com's Jennifer Hoar

Gonzales has found himself at the center of a Justice Department imbroglio following the firing of eight U.S. Attorneys for what many believe were politically motivated reasons. Gonzales admitted last week that "mistakes were made" in the handling of the issue.

"The attorney general's attempts to assuage his critics and admit mistakes is probably helpful in building short-term empathy and good will," says Democratic strategist Stephanie Cutter. "But as more incriminating facts come to light, no amount of apologies or political outreach can sustain the backlash."

In a list of "talking points" released Wednesday, a Justice Department official enumerated steps Gonzales is taking to mitigate backlash. They include: a conference call to U.S. attorneys, personal meetings and lunches with senators and members of Congress and an impromptu appearance at the National Hispanic Leadership Summit.

Ron Christie, a former special assistant to President Bush, believes that the most significant and useful public move Gonzales will make is his testimony on the Hill. In the meantime, Christie said, Gonzales should stick to honesty and industry. The more people focus on what he does as attorney general, the more the firings scandal will be diminished.

"The Justice Department handled this poorly from the outset; there were too many interpretations, too many stories," Christie says. Gonzales should be "as forthcoming, open and transparent as possible and continue to do his job. Then he should be able to put this behind him."

That idea is echoed on the left.

"If he can put himself in a position as urging honesty and openness from this White House, it would help him build allies in Congress and, more importantly, set him apart from the corruption the American people believe has encompassed Washington," Cutter says.

Gonzales says that his work as attorney general is his top priority, as he told CBS News Radio's Dan Raviv on Friday.

"I've got to remain focused on the issues that are important to American families. As attorney general I'm going to stay focused on that," Gonzales said.

Also this week, Latino groups and law enforcement organizations joined the effort to burnish Gonzales' image. The U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Hispanic Alliance for Progress Institute and the Fraternal Order of Police, among others, came forward with letters of support Wednesday. They lauded Gonzales' record as a judge and as a member of the Bush Cabinet and called for fairness in judging him.

The Justice Department confirmed that it helped distribute the glowing letters, but said it did not request them.

"Beginning last week, our public liaison office began receiving statements of support from law enforcement and Hispanic groups," Justice Department spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said.

The effectiveness of these written displays of affection is questionable, though, as Gonzales' support in the Hispanic-American community is far from unanimous.

Many Latinos are disappointed with the Bush White House, and that does not help Gonzales in this situation, says communications strategist Marc Campos, whose Houston-based firm handles Hispanic community relations. Roughly 60 percent of Hispanic voters chose Democrats in the November election, a reflection of their disdain for the administration's handling of the Iraq War and its relations with Latin America, among other things.

"Gonzales is a nice guy, but he represents an administration that is cause for disillusionment," Campos says. "If he is asked to resign, there are not going to be a whole lot of tears shed."

Plus, touting Gonzales' stature in the Hispanic-American community when his current predicament has nothing to do with his heritage won't spare him much grief.

"His ethnicity is obvious," says public relations consultant Mike Collins, "I'm skeptical that it would play any more than an incidental role in his current situation."