Law.com has "Will Michael Chertoff Be the Next Attorney General," from Legal Intelligencer.
Lawyers had wildly different responses when asked about the prospect of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff replacing Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.
Liberal talk radio has given Chertoff the nickname "Skeletor," derived from the evil character in the Masters of the Universe comics, but, according to many lawyers, Chertoff is a villain only to the far left and is widely respected on both sides of the aisle in Washington.
While some said Chertoff is the clear front-runner for the nod due to his impressive resume and his close ties to President Bush, others said they would be shocked by the pick if only because Chertoff faces a torturous confirmation battle that could focus on the government's bungled response to Hurricane Katrina and his leading role in drafting the Patriot Act.
Gonzales is set to depart on Sept. 17, a date that one lawyer considered "ironic" because it is also Constitution Day. Until his successor is confirmed, Solicitor General Paul Clement is expected to serve as acting attorney general.
Several other names have been mentioned for Gonzales' replacement, including former Solicitor General Ted Olson, now with Gibson Dunn & Crutcher in Washington; former Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson, now at PepsiCo Inc.; Senior U.S. Circuit Judge Laurence H. Silberman of the District of Columbia Circuit, who was named by Bush to be co-chairman of the Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction; and George J. Terwilliger III, a former deputy attorney General and acting attorney general who was a leader of Bush's legal team during the Florida election recount.
But in recent days, Chertoff has emerged in press accounts as the front-runner.
One Washington lawyer said she would be flabbergasted if Chertoff were picked.
"I would run naked down K Street if that happened," the lawyer said, explaining that Chertoff would be a "politically disastrous" choice because his confirmation hearing "would dredge up things this administration would like to forget."
Washingtonians didn't stop for Joshua Bell (in an experiment conducted by the Washington Post.) Perhaps that would make them stop.
Mike Allen at Politico.com has, "Attorney general list stands at five."
President Bush is expected to choose a successor to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales this week, an official involved in the selection process tells Politico.
White House aides have narrowed the possibilities to five finalists, according to the official: Michael Mukasey, Theodore B. (Ted) Olson, Laurence H. Silberman, George J. Terwilliger and Larry D. Thompson.
The official said people involved in the selection process expect the nominee to come from that list unless Bush forces a late swerve.
By coincidence, three of the five - Mukasey, Olson and Thompson — are on Rudy Giuliani's Justice Advisory Committee.
White House counsel Fred Fielding has been consulting Democrats on Capitol Hill in an effort to smooth the way for the nominee's confirmation. The 81st attorney general will face a huge task in trying to reestablish morale, efficiency and credibility in a department that has been crippled by the controversies engulfing Gonzales.
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