Gonzalez & Torture

It's not surprising that the administration refuses to release the actual memos that Attorney-General nominee, Gonzalez, wrote or approved regarding torture and the Geneva Convention. Obviously, they have something to hide. But what really surprises me is the defense he's using:

"I will no longer represent only the White House. I will represent the United States of America and its people. I understand the difference between the two roles."

Um, why is there a difference in relation to how we treat prisoners? I could see there being a difference if there was some specific personal action the president needed help with (like keeping assets in trust or relations with personal staff), but when does the President not represent the best interestes of the people of the United States of America with regard to how we conduct foreign policy?