New Attorney General
Yesterday, Attorney General John Ashcroft announced his resignation. I was personally hoping to see Rudy Giuliani take over the post, as he served as the state Attorney General in New York before being elected to mayor. It would also have helped him get some experience on the federal level before his anticipated 2008 presidential bid.
Today, however, the administration announced that the next man to fill the post would be Alberto Gonzales, a native of Texas and former chief counsel for then-Governor Bush. Gonzales will also be the first Latino to hold this position (this will probably help the Republicans some with that voting block, which is still largely up for grabs, split 44-54 in the 2004 election).
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,138160,00.html
Some far-left bomb-throwers have speculated that Bush will appoint Ashcroft as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court when Rehnquit retires or dies. This is just silly; even if 5 more Republicans are elected to the Senate in 2006, Ashcroft would never receive the Senate's approval, and Bush would never try to appoint him. Interestingly enough, there is another article which states that Ashcroft, while he has taken some of the heaviest criticism with regards to the Patriot Act and the treatment of terrorist detainees, has actually been a voice of moderation in opposition to the Pentagon, which is actually responsible for most of the actions for which Ashcroft has been criticized.
Other probable resignations will include Powell, Rice, and Ridge. Powell and Ridge will most likely leave government work altogether (at least until 2008 in the latter's case), but there have been speculations that Rice will replace Powell as SOS. Bernie Kerik, the former police commissioner of New York, who has done much to aid in combating the insurgent fighters in Iraq, is a possibility for DHLS. Rudy Giuliani is a contender for this office as well. There have also been talks of Rumsfeld resigning somewhere farther down the road (after Iraq has become more stable), at which point I believe either John McCain or Tommy Franks (or possibly Norman Schwarzkopf) could be appointed as SOD.
Today, however, the administration announced that the next man to fill the post would be Alberto Gonzales, a native of Texas and former chief counsel for then-Governor Bush. Gonzales will also be the first Latino to hold this position (this will probably help the Republicans some with that voting block, which is still largely up for grabs, split 44-54 in the 2004 election).
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,138160,00.html
Some far-left bomb-throwers have speculated that Bush will appoint Ashcroft as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court when Rehnquit retires or dies. This is just silly; even if 5 more Republicans are elected to the Senate in 2006, Ashcroft would never receive the Senate's approval, and Bush would never try to appoint him. Interestingly enough, there is another article which states that Ashcroft, while he has taken some of the heaviest criticism with regards to the Patriot Act and the treatment of terrorist detainees, has actually been a voice of moderation in opposition to the Pentagon, which is actually responsible for most of the actions for which Ashcroft has been criticized.
Other probable resignations will include Powell, Rice, and Ridge. Powell and Ridge will most likely leave government work altogether (at least until 2008 in the latter's case), but there have been speculations that Rice will replace Powell as SOS. Bernie Kerik, the former police commissioner of New York, who has done much to aid in combating the insurgent fighters in Iraq, is a possibility for DHLS. Rudy Giuliani is a contender for this office as well. There have also been talks of Rumsfeld resigning somewhere farther down the road (after Iraq has become more stable), at which point I believe either John McCain or Tommy Franks (or possibly Norman Schwarzkopf) could be appointed as SOD.