What’s changed is the fact that the AG can indefinitely appoint interim replacements. Before, they were of limited duration, and permanent replacements required Congressional approval.

Firing all prosecutors back in 2005 would have been an end-around on the appointee approval process, thus consolidating even more power in the Oval Office. And doing so midstream is very unusual (and clearly prompted by the rule changes put into effect by the Patriot Act).

Mahablog hit a frickin’ grand slam on this back in January, and somehow I missed it until now.

FWIW, I’m not opposed to a new administration coming in and doing some housekeeping prompted by policy differences. The firings that did happen appear to be politically motivated, and that’s some serious weak sauce. Firing everybody would have allowed the defacto appointment of political operatives in every federal judicial district in charge of prosecuting federal crimes due to the virtual elimination of Congressional oversight ability. Frankly, I’m surprised Rove didn’t think the idea brilliant.

However, the U.S. Attorneys at issue were all Bush appointees. This purge isn’t similar to a change in Administration as Clinton did in 1992 or Bush did in 2001. This is a purge to get political hacks behind the wheel of the federal criminal justice system.