Frankly, this is a move that should have been made when John Ashcroft resigned from office. That it is happening now is a good thing -- but it comes with the cost of the Alberto Gonzales debacle.

President Bush is expected to choose a replacement for Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales by the middle of next week, and former solicitor general Theodore B. Olson has emerged as one of the leading contenders for the job, according to sources inside and outside the government who are familiar with White House deliberations.

Other candidates still in the running include former deputy attorney general George J. Terwilliger III and D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Laurence H. Silberman, according to the sources, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the discussions.

Ted Olson is a great legal mind and a principled individual. The death of his wife, Barbara Olson, on 9/11 will also serve to highlight the fact that the Justice Department is a critical part of the Crusade Against Jihadism.

Oh, yeah -- and the Democrats hate him, and will put on a show of petty partisan politics that will show how unprincipled they are. You know, just to remind the American people how unfit they are to govern.