lily
09-17-2007, 03:54 AM
Sounds like things could get interesting. (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20809762/)
Source: Bush selects ex-judge for AG post
Michael Mukasey in line to succeed Alberto Gonzales
Updated: 1 hour, 24 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - President Bush has settled on Michael B. Mukasey, a retired
federal judge from New York, to replace Alberto Gonzales as attorney general
and will announce his selection Monday, a source familiar with the president’s
decision said Sunday evening.
Mukasey, who has handled terrorist cases in the U.S. legal system for more
than a decade, would become the nation’s top law enforcement officer.
The 66-year-old New York native, who is a legal adviser to GOP presidential
hopeful Rudy Giuliani, would take charge of a Justice Department where
morale is low following months of investigations into the firings of nine
U.S. attorneys and Gonzales’ sworn testimony on the Bush administration’s
terrorist surveillance program.
Bush supporters say Mukasey, who was chief judge of the high-profile
courthouse in Manhattan for six years, has impeccable credentials, is a
strong, law-and-order jurist, especially on national security issues, and
will restore confidence in the Justice Department.
Bush critics see the Mukasey nomination as evidence of Bush’s weakened
political clout as he heads into the final 15 months of his presidency. It’s
unclear how Senate Democrats will view Mukasey’s credentials, but early
indications are that he will face less opposition than a more hardline,
partisan candidate like Ted Olson.
Mukasey has received past endorsements from Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer,
who is from Mukasey’s home state. And in 2005, the liberal Alliance for
Justice put Mukasey on a list of four judges who, if chosen for the Supreme
Court, would show the president’s commitment to nominating people who could
be supported by both Democrats and Republicans.
Last week, some Senate Democrats threatened to block the confirmation of
Olson, who represented Bush before the Supreme Court in the contested 2000
election. Democratic senators have theorized that Bush might nominate
Mukasey, in part, because he wanted to avoid a bruising confirmation battle.
The possibility that Bush would nominate Mukasey, however, inflamed some
supporters on the GOP’s right flank, who have given Mukasey
less-than-enthusiastic reviews. Some legal conservatives and Republican
activists have expressed reservations about Mukasey’s legal record and past
endorsements from liberals, and are already drafting a strategy to oppose
his confirmation.
Source: Bush selects ex-judge for AG post
Michael Mukasey in line to succeed Alberto Gonzales
Updated: 1 hour, 24 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - President Bush has settled on Michael B. Mukasey, a retired
federal judge from New York, to replace Alberto Gonzales as attorney general
and will announce his selection Monday, a source familiar with the president’s
decision said Sunday evening.
Mukasey, who has handled terrorist cases in the U.S. legal system for more
than a decade, would become the nation’s top law enforcement officer.
The 66-year-old New York native, who is a legal adviser to GOP presidential
hopeful Rudy Giuliani, would take charge of a Justice Department where
morale is low following months of investigations into the firings of nine
U.S. attorneys and Gonzales’ sworn testimony on the Bush administration’s
terrorist surveillance program.
Bush supporters say Mukasey, who was chief judge of the high-profile
courthouse in Manhattan for six years, has impeccable credentials, is a
strong, law-and-order jurist, especially on national security issues, and
will restore confidence in the Justice Department.
Bush critics see the Mukasey nomination as evidence of Bush’s weakened
political clout as he heads into the final 15 months of his presidency. It’s
unclear how Senate Democrats will view Mukasey’s credentials, but early
indications are that he will face less opposition than a more hardline,
partisan candidate like Ted Olson.
Mukasey has received past endorsements from Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer,
who is from Mukasey’s home state. And in 2005, the liberal Alliance for
Justice put Mukasey on a list of four judges who, if chosen for the Supreme
Court, would show the president’s commitment to nominating people who could
be supported by both Democrats and Republicans.
Last week, some Senate Democrats threatened to block the confirmation of
Olson, who represented Bush before the Supreme Court in the contested 2000
election. Democratic senators have theorized that Bush might nominate
Mukasey, in part, because he wanted to avoid a bruising confirmation battle.
The possibility that Bush would nominate Mukasey, however, inflamed some
supporters on the GOP’s right flank, who have given Mukasey
less-than-enthusiastic reviews. Some legal conservatives and Republican
activists have expressed reservations about Mukasey’s legal record and past
endorsements from liberals, and are already drafting a strategy to oppose
his confirmation.