• The 34-year-old lawyer who holds the job, Rachel K. Paulose, is routinely described by colleagues in Minneapolis and Washington as representative of much that went wrong at the department under Alberto R. Gonzales, the former attorney general. During his tenure, several United States attorneys were replaced with lawyers, like Ms. Paulose, who had relatively little experience as prosecutors or managers but were considered fiercely loyal to the Bush administration.
• She has also alienated much of the state’s Congressional delegation, including Senator Norm Coleman, a Republican who endorsed her nomination last year. Mr. Coleman said in a statement that in a recent meeting, he asked Mr. Mukasey, who was sworn in Friday as attorney general, to give priority to reviewing the operations of the Minnesota office.

If she is fired, there will be cries of "witch hunt". Let it be so. Fierce political loyalty is no substitute for competence. Or honesty (Think Rudy and Kerik).