Congress should reclaim Senate's authority to confirm U.S. attorneys

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Congress neglected that sage advice by including a provision in the USA Patriot Act, when it was reauthorized last year, allowing the attorney general to appoint U.S. attorneys without Senate confirmation. That was a mistake the Senate moved yesterday to rectify.

It voted 94-2 to return the law to what it was before that latest tweak. The bill it approved set a 120-day deadline for administration officials to ... Full Story »