Ashcroft in the Rovegate morass

Who could've imagined? The man who refused to be tempted by the exposed breast of a statue, the man who wasn't going to rest until the eagle soared again, the man who anoints himself with oil (well, Crisco) in the tradition of Biblical kings, and the man who fears the occult powers of calico cats. They're all the same man: former Attorney General John Ashcroft. And he only condones criminal activity in the White House if it involves his party. John Conyers is the coolest.

As the Ranking Member of the Committee on the Judiciary and a Member of the Committee on Appropriations, both of which have oversight jurisdiction over the U.S. Department of Justice, we write to request that your Office immediately investigate whether then-Attorney General John D. Ashcroft violated explicit rules on conflicts of interest when he failed to recuse himself from, and in fact was briefed on, the CIA name leak investigation despite his personal connection to Karl Rove, a person of interest to investigators. This investigation would not conflict with the investigation by Special Prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald into the actual leak; instead, it would focus on Mr. Ashcroft's failure to recuse himself at the appropriate time in the case. Furthermore, the investigation into the recusal delay would be a logical extension of the request that you also investigate the Department's failure to comply with proper procedures by not ensuring the preservation of documents and other evidence connected with the leak.

It couldn't happen to a more deserving guy.