Bill Kristol and others are reporting that Judge Michael Mukasey may be picked by the president to succeed Alberto Gonzales as he next Attorney General. If so, that is good news indeed.
Like Bill and Andrew McCarthy, my understanding is that Judge Mukasey is outstanding in every important respect. He oversaw the trial of Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman and in doing so enhanced his reputation as one of America’s finest trial judges (after establshing a reputation as one of American’s finest prosecutors). Nominated as a federal district judge by President Reagan, Judge Mukasey has written persuasively and insightfully in defense of the Patriot Act; was respected by those who worked with him; and is the embodiment of legal excellent. He would be an outstanding attorney general (as would Ted Olson, a brilliant lawyer and legal mind, and George Terwilliger).
This pick will certain rank as among the president’s most important. The attorney general and the agency he oversees has a huge role to play in keeping the United States safe from attack. Whatever drawbacks Alberto Gonzales may have had, he was a fierce protector of the American homeland — and it’s no accident that we have not been hit in more than six years (a stunning, if little noted, achievement). Our next attorney general needs to be that, and a strong, effective public advocate who inspirits the Department of Justice. He needs to be a person who understands the nature of our conflict with radical Islam, the meaning of the American Constitution, respect for the law and the separation of powers, and a commitment to justice. He needs to be tough — and he needs to be tough-minded.
Judge Mukasey is all of those things — and if he is picked by the president, he would serve the nation in his new role as he has in his previous roles: with distinction and honor.