Dare to Hope

Former US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales took quite a beating from the Democratic congressional majority after having been accused of ignoring the needs of the people by serving the needs of the Bush administration in the ongoing war on terror. In the interests of the nation as a whole, then, Mr. Gonzales decided it best to resign his position. Since his resignation, the Democrats have been demanding a candidate who will be qualified for the position and who respects the rule of law.

In this unique moment in US history, President Bush has nominated a candidate who can meet all the requirements of the office, all the expectations of the Democrats, and all the needs of the people of the United States during this time of war. And during this time of war in this unique moment in US history, we are presented with a gentleman who is uniquely qualified to lead the Justice Department. Judge Michael Mukasey has been presented to the people of the United States and will soon be presented to the US Senate for confirmation.

Let us hope that the Democrats are as serious about their commitment “not to obstruct or impede” as they claim to be about the rule of law and public service in this country. Let us hope that the irresponsible talk of holding up the nomination of Judge Mukasey in an ongoing effort to locate the ever-allusive “smoking gun” of the US attorney matter is just that: talk. Let us hope (dare we hope?) that the Democratic leadership is as serious and as committed to the rule of law and sound leadership at the Justice Department as they claim to be. Let us hope that they recognize during this time of war and the unique legal challenges this country has faced for the sake of national security that we have been presented with a genuine leader who has faced these unique challenges with “extraordinary skill and patience, assuring fairness to the prosecution and to each defendant, with helpfulness to the jury” (US Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, in congratulating Judge Mukasey in his exceptional handling of a terror trial).

It will not get much better than this.