Solving Conflict of Interest Problems, the John Ashcroft Way

According to, well, pretty much all the news sources, Attorney General John Ashcroft will recuse himself from the investigation into who leaked the name of a covert CIA operative to Robert Novak (and a host of other journalists, apparently) in July.

Justice Department #2 James Comey said: "The attorney general in an abundance of caution believed that his recusal was appropriate based on the totality of the circumstances and the facts and evidence developed at this stage of the investigation."

Heading up the investigation now is a new special prosecutor, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, US Attorney for Chicago. All well and good, great that this conflict of interest has been dealt with, maybe these people aren't the rank criminals they present themselves as, right? Wrong. Patrick J. Fitzgerald was appointed on September 19, 2001 by George W. Bush and approved on October 23, 2001 by the Senate.

Ashcroft is a Bush appointee who recused himself because of possible conflicts of interest. Fitzgerald is also a Bush appointee. How is this less of a conflict?

I'm not trying to impugn Fitzgerald in any way. All I know of him I got from Google. But really, if the point is to put in a special prosecutor who can be impartial, do you go with the guy who was appointed by the president being investigated?

Another excellent flub and shady deal, brought to you by President George W. Bush.