Bush announced his new Attorney General nominee on Monday: Michael Mukasey. The nominee, who might actually be acceptable for both Democrats and Republicans, met with Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) yesterday. Leahy, who will preside over Mukasey's confirmation hearing as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, made positive comments about the meeting.

But Leahy is not forgetting the Gonzales scandal, or, as he calls it, "the dark period". He signaled that before the nominee can be considered, Gonzales' involvement in the U.S. attorney firings and the administration's warrantless wiretapping program needs to be resolved.

In other words: it might take a while until we see a new Attorney General.

Today is Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' last day of work. However you feel about the way he acted (me: very angry), I think we can all agree that the next Attorney General needs to be a person of character who can rise above the scandal and restore integrity at the DOJ.

From the New York Times' editorial board:
And speaking of persons with integrity and character, today is also the last day of work for Jon Goldin-Dubois, Common Cause's Executive Vice President. He's an incredible leader and friend, and after his 10 years of service here, we'll miss him tremendously.

To Jon: all the best. To Mr. Gonzales: Well, I can't quite recall what the appropriate sentiment should be.