Seeking Justice

In ordinary times, no one would be surprised -- or critical -- if a president-elect chose as his attorney general someone who combined first-rate legal credentials with a close relationship with his boss. But in the aftermath of the reckless politicization of the Justice Department under George W. Bush, the wisest course for Barack Obama would be to choose an eminent lawyer who shares the administration's legal philosophy but can't be caricatured as a presidential insider.

November 19, 2008