Alberto Palin

Buried below the latest on the bailout plan debacle, the NY Times reports that Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey appointed a special prosecutor to investigate whether criminal charges should be brought against former Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and other officials in connection with the firings of nine of United States attorneys in 2006.

Make no mistake, Gonzales’ politicization of the Justice Department was one of the worst missteps by any Bush Administration official. Criminal prosecutions can ruin lives, and the decision about whether to bring one must be completely divorced from politics.

Mukasey should be credited for taking the step toward holding Gonzales accountable for his incompetence. And most importantly, Mukasey should be credited for the steps he’s taken to reverse the politicization that took place under Gonzales’ watch.

Until August, I would have been confident that no matter who is the next President, truly incompetent officials would not be allowed hold high office. To McCain’s credit, up until he started his run for office, McCain has spoken against his own party to denounce ineffective members of the administration, like Rumsfeld and yes, Gonzales. His recent and ill-advised calling to have the SEC Chairman fired was likely meant to conjure up the image of this earlier McCain.

But McCain has lost my confidence that he would never appoint another Gonzales with the nomination of Sarah Palin. By now it’s become abundantly clear, even to the most conservative publications, that Palin lacks a basic understanding of national and foreign policy issues to be an effective President. If McCain is willing to make his VP pick based on an impulsive political decision without regard to qualifications, I fear his pick for the “lesser” office of Attorney General may be more of the same.

-Law Dude