What is the New York Times smoking?

The NY Times today expressed hope that Bush's choice to replace Ashcroft, Alberto Gonzales, will restore evenhandedness and some semblance of bipartisanship to the Attorney General's office. One wonders if they've been paying attention the last four years. It's unlikely that a man who has been giving Bush awful legal advice on death row inmates and prison torture is suddenly going to be a paradigm for integrity in the Bush administration.

Does the nomination of Gonzales deserve to be challenged? Of course. Will progressives expend the political capital to do so? Unlikely - and it's probably for the best. The real battles will be over Supreme Court nominations. Until then, progressives should remind the public about Mr. Gonzales's past legal opinions and caution Gonzales on the dangers of a partisan administration of justice.