Alberto Gonzales has resigned as the US Attorney General. His term in the position was one that was marked by questions over how or why several federal prosecutors were fired (it was badly mishandled despite the Executive's unassailable privilege to fire those prosecutors at will), and issues arising out of the treatment of enemy combatants. The official announcement will come later today.
I can't say that I'm sorry to see him go, because as a advocate for the Department of Justice, he did a poor job and did not communicate US policy clearly or concisely, which made the job of the Administration all the more difficult.
The resignation is effective upon the confirmation of his replacement.
There have been rumblings that President Bush would tap Michael Chertoff, the current head of Homeland Security, to become the next Attorney General, but I think that's an extremely bad idea given how poorly Chertoff has done at DHS. As Captain Ed notes, moving Chertoff from DHS to Attorney General raises the issue of not one confirmation hearing, but two. There have to be well qualified candidates from outside the Administration that President Bush can tap for the position.
UPDATE:
Hot Air points out that the President may seek to sidestep matters with recess appointments. That's entirely legal and possible, but is Chertoff really the most qualified candidate for the job? I don't think so.
No comments:
Post a Comment