Firing lawyers: When it is actually bad...

So the Bush Administration decided to clean house with the Justice Department forcing the resignation of many federal attorneys recently. Now the battle begins to make sure Bush isn't (as he has with the Federal Judiciary) stacking the department with prosecutors who are buddy-buddy with the Bush Administration. Here's what I mean (From AP today):

Senate Democratic leaders sent Attorney General Alberto Gonzales a letter Thursday asking him to publicly answer several questions about the matter, including any role that presidential adviser Karl Rove might have had in replacing Arkansas U.S. Attorney Bud Cummins with former Rove adviser Tim Griffin.

Senate Democrats accuse the administration of slipping the provision into the Patriot Act reauthorization that took effect last March with the intent of circumventing the Senate confirmation process and rewarding political allies. Specter, who wrote the reauthorization as chairman of the committee, says he was unaware of the provision and opposes it.

The Democrats cite the firings since March of seven U.S. attorneys from Arkansas to California, some without cause, as evidence that the administration is punishing prosecutors whose work targeted Republican allies and rewarding those faithful to the GOP.

This is more than some partisan squabbling on the part of the Democrats. The Senate is being bypassed each day. It is relieving to see Democrats recognizing the importance of Congress's roll in the Government. Here are some details of the bill proposed by Sen. Feinstein (D-CA):

U.S. attorneys serve at the pleasure of the president and may be dismissed for any reason, or no reason at all. It's the process of replacement that, the bill's proponents argue, should prevent political cronyism.

Sponsored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif., the measure would eliminate a provision in the antiterror Patriot Act that gave the attorney general new power to replace fired U.S. attorneys indefinitely, avoiding the Senate confirmation process.

Feinstein's bill would allow the attorney general to appoint an interim U.S. attorney for 120 days. If after that time someone had not been nominated and confirmed by the Senate, authority to appoint an interim U.S. attorney would fall to the district court.

The Administration and Republicans are opposed because someone else other than the President can choose the interim lawyers. Makes sense to oppose something so temporary as a 120-day appointment when you only have so many days left in power...