Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' replacement - whoever that may be - faces a potentially nasty Senate confirmation and a beleaguered Justice Department badly in need of leadership.
Gonzales' resignation, announced Monday, cheered his critics who for months had demanded the attorney general quit over questions about his credibility.
Filling his job could lead to a new standoff between White House Republicans and the Democratic-led Congress, experts said, even as names of possible successors began to surface.
"Selecting a successor to Gonzales will be a challenge because the Senate is unlikely to confirm anyone as aggressive as Gonzales in the defense of executive power and the practice of secrecy," said Peter Shane, professor at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.
(Snip.) Article goes on to name possible choices like Sen. Jack Danforth, Lieberman(!), Orrin Hatch, and Hutchinson.
more at
http://apnews1.iwon.com//article/20070828/D8R9VMBO0.html