According to the "News Alert" on
NYTimes.com:
Attorney General John Ashcroft and Commerce Secretary Don Evans Have Resigned (5:51 PM ET)
This was rumored before, but who's going to replace him? Might we get a more moderate voice, or are we going to have someone with an even worse history of racism and less respect for general human rights? God, I hope things don't get worse.
Some suggestions at who will succeed him:
Well-placed Republican sources say the President has gone out of his way to take the spotlight off [Ashcroft] at high-profile law-enforcement-related events. It was Ashcroft's former deputy, Larry Thompson, now a visiting law professor at the University of Georgia, who joined Bush at a recent event promoting the Patriot Act in Buffalo, N.Y. And the White House prevailed upon Thompson to sit near Ashcroft during his testimony before the 9/11 commission in an attempt to soften the Attorney General's hard edge with commission members, who have grown contemptuous of his imperious manner and methods.
Thompson, an African American, left Justice after serving almost two years under Ashcroft. Many believe Thompson may be back and in the top job if Bush wins a second term. In Buffalo, Bush extolled Thompson's credentials before a crowd and implied that Justice needs him back. "Larry, we miss you over there," Bush said. "Don't get too comfortable."