White House Floats Names For AG Pick

White House officials have begun quietly circulating among key Senators a short list of potential replacements for outgoing Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, one that appears aimed at avoiding a lengthy confirmation fight with Senate Democrats, according to senior GOP and Democratic aides.

Although several Republican leadership aides said the White House has indicated President Bush likely will unveil his choice on Sept. 17 -- the last day of Gonzales' tenure -- White House counsel Fred Fielding has been making the rounds in the Senate the past several days and met with Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Wednesday afternoon. Although Leahy would not comment on the meeting prior to speaking with Fielding, he did say that Bush's top legal adviser has reached out to numerous Judiciary Committee Senators to vet names and gauge feedback over possible nominees.

Fielding also has discussed possible replacements of Gonzales with GOP leaders in the Senate, aides said.

According to senior Republican and Democratic leadership aides, the White House has floated six potential replacements -- former Solicitor General Ted Olson; former Attorney General Bill Barr; former Deputy Attorney General George Terwilliger; D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Laurence Silberman; former Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson; and Michael Mukasey, a former judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Mukasey -- who was recommended by Senate Judiciary member Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) -- is considered a long shot. Democratic sources said Olson and Terwilliger, both well-known, strongly conservative Republicans, likely would run into significant opposition from Democrats, while Thompson is believed not to want to leave his corporate job at PepsiCo.

Although members of both parties likely would be receptive to Silberman, aides in both leadership camps cautioned that because confirming him would open a seat on the crucial D.C. Circuit Court -- providing Bush a chance to nominate another federal judge to a lifetime appointment -- Democrats could end up blocking him. Nevertheless, a senior Democratic leadership aide said Silberman would "have a good chance of confirmation."

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Comments

[anastasiabeaverhousen]

To make my worst nightmare, I keep hearing LEIBERMAN.

Think about the chaos that would cause with a republicon governor in CT......

I truly hope I'm wrong on this.

[getoffmedz]

When Gonzalez first resigned the suggestion was made that Bill Barr, ex-AG under Poppy and honcho attorney at Verizon would be selected.

He knows how to spy on y'all better than anyone.

You read it on HuffPo first.

[Libertysconscience]

Rewind!
Judge Laurence Silberman is steeped in conflicts of interests matters that range from the 1980's when Silberman and McFarlene worked the Ronald Reagan presidential election campaign. The same Silberman, now elevated to a justice with aid of Rehnquist et. al., failed to recluse himself from controversy of being seen as using his position to repay those whose influence had helped launch his (Silberman's) judicial career by serving on the Appeals Court bench involving cases of convicted Iran Contra plaintiffs and McFarlane, which resulted in overturning the convictions of North and Poindexter. I believe justice Silberman was one of the two majority opinions for the case as well. Google it. Remember Iran-Contra would have also involved father Bush's administration because he was then VP Bush. What is interesting about Justice Silberman is that the son, president Bush, appointed a commission to investigate the intelligence failures leading up to the Iraq invasion naming Silberman, as co-chair who many felt was clearly a longtime GOP operative from the Reagan era who assisted the GOP and support groups with strategies that was used against Bill Clinton et. al. thought to lay the groundwork for strikingly similar to the way the republican attorney working for the Bush/GOP 2004 presidential campaign instructed the Swift Boaters how to effectively attack the DNC presidential candidate John Kerry's patriotism ( and by extension other DNC electorial candidates' races) and military record in Vietnam cynically setting aside evoking homosexuality or the Ten Commandments, that the Vietnam war still is the third rail electrically divisive issue amongst veterans, their children of that era, and American voters.
While it is important who the next AG is, what endangers our republic is ensuring Lady Justice is not converted into an inflexible ideological fascist stacking of America's courts that adheres to, reinforces through its votes, case selections, and judicial precedence, a solely Federalist, or Eurocentric Christian only dogmatic interpretation of the Constitution.

[Libertysconscience]

Judge Laurence Silberman is steeped in matters of conflicts of interests ranging as far back as the 1980's when Silberman and McFarlene worked the Ronald Reagan presidential election campaign. The same Silberman, now elevated to a justice with aid of Rehnquist et. al., failed to recluse himself from controversy of being seen as using his position to repay those whose influence had helped launch his (Silberman's) judicial career by taking part as a justice in the Appeals Court cases involving convicted Iran Contra plaintiffs and McFarlane, which resulted in overturning the convictions of North and Poindexter. I believe justice Silberman was one of the two majority opinions for the case as well. Google it, but remember this would have also involved the administration of father Bush as well because he was then VP Bush. What is interesting about Justice Silberman is that the current president Bush appointed a commission to investigate the intelligence failures leading up to the Iraq invasion naming Silberman, as co-chair who many felt was clearly a longtime GOP operative from the Reagan era who assisted the GOP with strategies that was used against Bill Clinton, that is thought to be strikingly similar to the way that republican attorney working for the current Bush/GOP 2004 presidential campaign instructed the Swift Boaters how to effectively attack the DNC nominee John Kerry's patriotism and military record in Vietnam understanding other than evoking homosexuality or the Ten Commandments, the Vietnam was and still is an third rail issue that is still an electrically divisive amongst veterans and American voters and their children of that era.
While it is important who the next AG is, what endangers our republic is ensuring Lady Justice is converted into an inflexible ideological fascist stacking of America's courts that adheres to, reinforces through its votes, case selections, and judicial precedence, a solely Federalist, or Christian Eurocentric only dogmatic interpretation of the Constitution.

[KansAmerican]

I believe Laurance Silberman is one of a panel of three judges on a appeal court that over- turned the Oliver North and John Poindexter convictions on their crimes commited in the Iran-Contra scandal. If this is the same Silberman, I'm amazed any Democrat would consider approving him. According to Gary Sick, the author of "October Surprise", Silberman almost certainly made illegal contact with a foreign government concerning releasing the American hostages held by Iran. If this item is true, and remembring his other sorry activities , I can only believe George Bush would have to consider him being the leading, if not only, candidate for Attorney General.

[DonB]

Olson and Silberman are both members of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy. I don't see either one getting confirmed.

[YellowDogDemocrat]

I understand Larry Craig may be available soon.

[BrickSykes]

Think fast, everybody...How many of these "nominees" are members of The Federalist Society? That will be a key factor.

Olson is, and I think Silberman. Under NO conditions should any member of that "austere" group even be considered. That group is the moving force behind the entire Bush/Cheney Conspiracy!

IMHO!

[elleng]

Brick, the moving force is Cheney imho; lets not waste time on 'false' targets.

>>> PNAC