Justice for all

Politics | Bush’s attorney general nominee has inspired unusual bipartisan cheering—and consequent bipartisan suspicion | Mark Bergin

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., right, meets with Attorney General-designate Michael Mukasey, left, on Capitol Hill

Attorney general nominee Michael Mukasey boasts the kind of Democratic endorsements that might disqualify him in some conservative circles. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), a fierce critic of the Bush administration and departing attorney general Alberto Gonzales, has all but endorsed Mukasey's confirmation. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) has likewise voiced support, calling the nomination "a chance for a fresh start."

But such potential demerits cannot undermine the longtime federal judge's conservative credentials. Mukasey has a consistent track record as a principled and deliberate jurist who is tough on terrorists. House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) has urged the Senate to speedily confirm a nominee he says "will help strengthen the department—putting our nation in a better position to defend against attack, and ensuring the impartial administration of justice for every citizen in this country."