Gonzales to Succeed Ashcroft ...

President Bush has settled on the White House Counsel, Alberto Gonzales, to succeed John Ashcroft as Attorney General. Gonzales, who would become the first Hispanic American to head the Justice Department, had been thought to be a leading candidate for a seat on the Supreme Court. For a libertarian's caution about the nomination, see David Beito at Liberty & Power. Early pundits suggest that questions at Gonzales's confirmation hearing may focus on the influence of his legal advice on the chain of command that led to the abuses at Abu Ghraib.