Mukasey Is No Gonzales

Michael Mukasey, President Bush's candidate to succeed embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, has an independent streak that could end up changing the way the Justice Department is run. This could make things sticky for Bush in dealing with the congressional probes into activities under the previous AG's reign, suggests the Los Angeles Times.

Although Mukasey's politics are a fair match with Bush's on matters of national security and immigration, he is not expected to bend to the White House's desires if he doesn't consider them to be strictly legal. "He is not going to be pushed around," a law-school classmate of Mukasey cautions. "He's very much a serious judge. The administration cannot afford to antagonize him."