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The Indiana Daily Student

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President Bush chooses retired federal judge to replace Gonzales

APTOPIX Bush Attorney General

President Bush, seeking to avoid a possible confirmation fight over a fiercely partisan candidate, chose retired federal judge Michael B. Mukasey on Monday to replace Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Democrats said Bush made a wise choice and raised no immediate objections.\nAs chief judge of the busy U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Mukasey had presided over high-profile terrorism cases.\n“He knows what it takes to fight this war effectively and he knows how to do it in a manner consistent with our laws and our Constitution,” Bush said, standing next Mukasey in the Rose Garden.\nThe president urged the Senate to quickly confirm Mukasey, who would be Bush’s third attorney general.\nIf approved by the Senate, Mukasey 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.\nMukasey said he was honored to be Bush’s nominee to take the helm of the department.\n“My finest hope and prayer at this time is that if confirmed I can give them the support and the leadership they deserve,” he said.\nThere had been rampant speculation that Bush might turn to former Solicitor General Ted Olson for the job, but key Democrats on Capitol Hill said they believed Olson too partisan a figure and indicated they would fight his nomination. The White House acknowledged that Bush had interviewed others for the job besides Mukasey.\nThe White House said that ease of confirmation was a factor, but not the decisive one, in Bush’s selection. Bush critics contended that Mukasey’s nomination was evidence of the president’s weakened political clout as he heads into the final 15 months of his term.\nSenate Democrats declared no outright opposition to Mukasey. But they made clear that there would be no confirmation hearings until the administration answers outstanding questions about the White House’s role in the firings of federal prosecutors over the winter.\n“Our focus now will be on securing the relevant information we need so we can proceed to schedule fair and thorough hearings,” said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “Cooperation from the White House will be essential in determining that schedule.”\nSen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said the answers Leahy seeks are important, but not enough to delay the installation of someone to stabilize a leaderless Justice Department hobbled \nby scandal.\nSenate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he believes the president listened to Congress and decided against a more partisan replacement for Gonzales. He said Mukasey had “strong professional credentials and a reputation for independence.”\n“A man who spent 18 years on the federal bench surely understands the importance of checks and balances and knows how to say no to the president when he oversteps the Constitution,” said Reid, D-Nev. “But there should be no rush to judgment. The Senate Judiciary Committee must carefully examine Judge Mukasey’s views on the complex legal challenges facing the nation.”\nSome legal conservatives and Republican activists have expressed reservations about Mukasey’s legal record. Even before he was nominated, Mukasey met on Sunday with six conservative leaders to answer \ntheir questions.

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