Under any circumstances, the Bush administration’s sudden, explicitly political dismissal and replacement of United States attorneys in judicial districts across the country would be very troubling — both as a violation of American law enforcement traditions and as a triumph of patronage over competence. But as the story behind these strange decisions unfolds, a familiar theme is emerging. Again, the White House and the Justice Department have been exposed in a secretive attempt to expand executive power for partisan purposes. And again, their scheming is tainted with a nasty whiff of authoritarianism. There is much more at stake here than a handful of federal jobs. Leading senators of both parties are disturbed by these incidents because U.S. attorneys — the powerful officials appointed by the president to prosecute federal crimes and defend federal interests in each of the nation’s judicial districts — are supposed to be as nonpartisan as possible. Democrats mostly appoint Democrats and Republicans mostly appoint Republicans, but the U.S. attorneys are usually chosen with the advice and consent of the senators from their home states, and then confirmed by the full Senate, with a decent respect for skill and experience as well as political […]