http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2007/images/08/27/t1home.chertoff.ap.jpg

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/08/27/gonzales-replacement-speculation-in-full-force/

WASHINGTON (CNN) – As often happens with high level administration resignations, it wasn’t too long after news broke of the departure of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales before speculation over his replacement reached a feverish pitch.

Senior administration officials were quick to tell CNN's Suzanne Malveaux that Homeland Security head Michael Chertoff would likely get the nod.

Chertoff, 53, previously sat on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which handles appeals from New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania and the Virgin Islands. Before becoming a judge, he was assistant attorney general in the Department of Justice's criminal division from 2001 to 2003.

Chertoff received his law degree from Harvard University and was a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice William H. Brennan Jr. in 1979 and 1980. He first stepped into a prosecutorial role as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York from 1983 to 1987.

But while some senior administration officials are strongly floating Chertoff as a candidate, others are waiving CNN off, saying that because of his role during Hurricane Katrina, the nomination could run into problems.

Chertoff has taken heat from both Democrats and Republicans for the government's slow response in providing relief to victims of the 2005 storm.

Meanwhile, a congressional source familiar with deliberations about Gonzales' replacement tells CNN's Dana Bash the impression is that it will not be Chertoff and that the administration is "playing you guys,"referring to the media.

Furthermore, a source close to Chertoff told CNN's Kelli Arena that the Homeland Security chief isn’t aware if he is being considered for the top Justice post.


"This would be a surprise to Mike," the source said.

Regarding the search itself, a senior administration official tells CNN's Jessica Yellin that White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten has been working overtime looking for a so-called “establishment type” to replace Gonzales.

Another name being floated is Larry Thompson, the former deputy Attorney General until 2003, and now a general counsel at PepsiCo Corporation.

Thompson has been spotted at the Justice Department in the last couple of weeks, according to another congressional source with close connections to the DOJ.

CNN’s John King, however, reports that, according to senior administration officials, when Larry Thompson has been approached in the past to return to the government, he has turned down offers, saying he is content in the private sector.

A spokesperson for PepsiCo tells CNN that Thompson has not indicated he is interested in leaving the company. "He's doing a great job here at PepsiCo," the spokesperson said. "He is very happy in his role here."

Other names mentioned as a possibility are Ted Olsen, the former United States Solicitor General, and George Terwilliger, a former deputy Attorney General.

With only 16 months left in the White House, George Bush can nominate a new and uncontroversial attorney general who would win swift Senate confirmation.

The path of least resistance would be to select a justice department insider who could slot into the top job, vacated by Alberto Gonzales, with a minimum of fuss and disruption.

However, that would not be in the president's style - he has never shied away from unpopular positions, with the military "surge" in Iraq being a case in point.

Meanwhile, the Democrats, who now control Congress, have already laid down markers for Mr Gonzales's successor.

The Democratic House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, has said Mr Bush's nominee for attorney general must pledge "to cooperate with ongoing congressional oversight into the conduct of the White House in the politicisation of federal law enforcement."

An ardent critic of Mr Gonzales, Senator Charles Schumer, from New York, said it was time for Mr Bush to choose a replacement who was "a professional, not a partisan, not a pal".

The Democrats also pledged to continue their investigations into his tenure, including his role in the firing of eight US attorneys last year, which Democrats claim was done on political grounds and on orders from the White House.

Early speculation on possible replacements has focused on the Homeland Security secretary, Michael Chertoff, a former assistant attorney general and federal judge who has the legal expertise found lacking in Mr Gonzales.

However, Mr Chertoff blotted his copybook - and faced calls for his own resignation - after his department's slow response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Others mentioned include Theodore Olson, a Washington lawyer and former solicitor general whose wife, Barbara, was killed on the September 11 flight that crashed into the Pentagon and Larry Thompson, the general counsel of PepsiCo and formerly the No 2 at the justice department.

Both men served under the former attorney general John Ashcroft in Mr Bush's first term.

One of the more intriguing names to have emerged is that of the Democratic senator Joe Lieberman, from Connecticut, who is generally loathed by Democratic activists for vocally supporting Mr Bush on Iraq.

His nomination would be politically mischievous on several counts. Not only would such a move put Democrats in an uncomfortable position should they oppose one of their own for a top administration job, but it would also allow Connecticut's Republican governor to appoint his replacement, taking away control of the Senate from the Democrats by splitting it down the middle.

Whoever is appointed attorney general can expect a rough ride, particularly over the administration's plans to permanently overhaul the domestic wiretapping law, which the Democrats strongly oppose. The law is going to be a major source of contention when Congress returns to work next month.

In any case, the job of attorney general traditionally attracts plenty of political flak. Mr Gonzales was just the latest controversial appointment in a long line that goes back to Robert Kennedy, who was appointed by his brother Jack, and Edwin Meese, chosen by Ronald Reagan.

Like Dr.Kikenssinger, once they get on the public stage, the enmey alien press promote and protect them for life.

Like Dr.Kikenssinger, once they get on the public stage, the enmey alien press promote and protect them for life.

Well. Then that's the key word, is it not? ;)