Both Andrew Sullivan and Josh Marshall are speculating about who might replace Attorney General Alberto Gonzales if Gonzales is forced to step down. I think the most likely pick would be Larry Thompson, the Deputy AG (the #2 person at Justice) from 2001 to 2003. Thompson was in the running for the AG slot last time, and he was also mentioned as a possible Supreme Court pick in 2005. However, Thompson was passed over both times and now serves as General Counsel of PepsiCo.

  Thompson seems like a natural pick if Gonzales is forced out. On one hand, he's an experienced former insider who is apparently very well-liked in the Administration. On the other hand, he has enough independence from the Administration (having been out of government for 4 years, and himself being a former U.S. Attorney) that it would give DOJ a fresh start.

   Of course, we don't yet know Gonzales's future, so right now this is just a hypothetical question. But hey, we law professors love our hypothetical questions. (Incidentally, the title of the post is a quote from a speech president Bush gave in 2005 in Buffalo, as detailed in this story.)