THEN VIET DINH FOR AG?:

Gonzales Is Defended As Suitable for Court: Allies Call Attorney General a True Conservative (Jo Becker and Dan Eggen, September 10, 2005, Washington Post)

Supporters of Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales have launched a campaign to rebut criticism that he is not reliably conservative enough to serve on the Supreme Court, a move likely to intensify a rift within Republican circles over one of President Bush's closest confidants.

The group of former Gonzales aides and other Republicans still in the Bush administration -- most of whom are close to top White House officials -- are coordinating with one another, sharpening common lines of argument, then circulating these points on Capitol Hill, in conservative circles and with reporters, according to several people involved.

With President Bush confronting a second high court vacancy, the maneuvering suggests a determination to preserve Gonzales's viability as a potential nominee. The heart of their case is that conservative groups -- many of whom have drawn bright public lines warning Bush not to promote Gonzales to the court -- have fundamentally misread a man whose record shows he is committed to their aim of moving the judiciary to the right.

"A lot of us who worked with him in the White House counsel's office feel strongly that the opposition is misguided and rather ill-informed," said David Leitch, a former Gonzales deputy who is now general counsel for Ford Motor Co. "We're not out lobbying for the attorney general to be nominated to the Supreme Court; that's up to the president. . . . But we don't want to see a good man who has been a very solid conservative besmirched by fear and rumor."

D.C. will have to borrow the body bags that N.O. turns out not to need, because so many people's heads will explode.

MORE:
Gonzales Again Emerges As Court Contender (MARK SHERMAN, 9/10/05, Associated Press)

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has critics on the left and right but he's as popular as ever with the one-man constituency that matters most: President Bush. Their closeness and Gonzales' Hispanic heritage have again placed him among leading contenders for a job on the Supreme Court.

Bush has given Gonzales five different jobs in the past 10 years, starting in Texas as the top lawyer to the governor. Gonzales became the nation's first Hispanic attorney general in February.

The prospect of a lifetime appointment to the high court has renewed concerns among both liberals and conservatives. If anything, conservatives have been far more pointed, questioning Gonzales' views on abortion and affirmative action.

Posted by Orrin Judd at September 10, 2005 7:29 AM