Things have been looking up lately for former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales after he landed his new jobs at Texas Tech University. But he told New York Times columnist Deborah Solomon last week that his time as Attorney General has not helped his reputation. Read her column here.

Alberto Gonzales (Getty Images)

“It has had an effect, a negative effect, no question about it, and at times it makes me angry because it is undeserved,” Gonzales told Solomon. “But I don’t want to sound like I am whining. At the end of the day, I’ve been the attorney general of the United States. It’s a remarkable privilege, and I stand behind my service.”

Then Gonzales told Solomon an interesting tidbit of information: he and President Bush haven’t talked since Bush left office in January. But why not give the president a call?

“I do, of course, think about our time together, and there are times when I think about doing that,” Gonzales told Solomon. “But listen, I know that he has his life to live. I’ve got challenges and my life to live as well.”

The interview also highlights some of the woes facing Gonzales.

-There’s an ongoing probe into the U.S. Attorney purge. (Gonzo: No comment.)

-He hasn’t landed a law firm job. (Gonzo: “Listen, I’ve had some interest and I’ve had some discussions, but there has been no offer made. In a tough economic climate, I can understand why a company or a firm would want to make sure that the investigations are complete and there is no finding of wrongdoing before they make a hiring decision. “)

-Gonzales has a lot of legal bills. (Gonzo: They are “substantial.”)

-He doesn’t have a publisher for his book.

-Some Texas Tech professors aren’t rolling out the welcome wagon for Gonzales. A petition signed by 70 professors said he had “ethical failings” including the U.S. Attorney purge, denying habeas corpus and supporting  Bush over the Constitution. Read our previous report here. (Gonzo: “All the inspector-general investigations, they’re now over with. They found that I had not engaged in any criminal wrongdoing.”)

Gonzales will teach a political science class and help recruit minority students at Texas Tech University. He starts Aug. 31.

Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will be on the Texas Tech University payroll for only a year. But that’s not stopping several professors from protesting their soon-to-be colleague’s new job, the college’s student newspaper reported today.

Alberto Gonzales (DOJ)

A nine-page petition signed by 70 professors and obtained by The Daily Toreador said it was unethical to hire Gonzales to teach a political science class this fall and help recruit minority students. The document said Gonzales shouldn’t have been hired because Texas Tech chancellor Kent Hance, who served in the U.S. House for six years as a Democrat before becoming a Republican in 1985, was a “good friend” of Gonzales. Professor Walter Schaller, who created the petition, told The Toreador that the chancellor’s job is only “to raise money and deal with the legislature.”

“The idea [to hire Gonzales] came from Hance and it’s very difficult to say no to the chancellor,” Schaller told the newspaper.

The petition also said the former Bush official had several “ethical failings” during his tenure as White House counsel and Attorney General that tarnish his credibility. These “failings” included the U.S. Attorney purge, denying habeas corpus and supporting President Bush over the Constitution, according to the petition.

“Gonzales’s appointment is a troubling example of a ‘celebrity hire,’” the petition said. “It is unclear what Gonzales has done that makes him deserving of employment at Texas Tech. Does he have a noteworthy academic record? Does he have a record of publishing in law reviews? Was his service to his country particularly distinguished?”

The former Attorney General told The Toreador he disagrees with the petition.

“We live in a country where, in the academic world, people can express publicly their approval and disapproval of various issues,” he said. “What I’m focused on, is demonstrating that I’m serious about this teaching responsibility. I’m also serious about promoting diversity within Texas Tech. I hope that people will treat me fair and give me an opportunity to demonstrate that.”

Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales told KCBD Newschannel 11 in Lubbock he’ll teach a course called Contemporary Issues in the Executive Branch at Texas Tech this fall.

Asked if he had been President Bush’s “yes man,” Gonzales said in an interview posted Thursday: “It’s categorically false.” He added: “The notion that one person alone would provide legal advice without input from others in the administration is just naïve.”

The nation’s first  Hispanic attorney general also said he was excited by Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination to the Supreme Court. “It was a very proud moment for the Hispanic community,” he said. “I kept the front page of the Washington Post, because it was a historic day.”