Attorney General

Trial judges are, on the books, elected officials, and even the vast majority of those whose names never appear on a ballot are subject to election challenge every six years. Should voters not call them to account for their performance, as they do with any other politician, on election day? Should they not encourage opponents to challenge incumbent judges? Or are judges different from members of Congress or city councils? Judges are most definitely different. The last thing we want or need in California is trial judges who sit on the bench with one eye on justice and the other on how any particular ruling is going to play with the public.

WASHINGTON - The Justice Department began a criminal investigation Tuesday into overzealous scrutiny by the IRS of applications for tax exemptions by conservative groups, an improper targeting that an inspector general's report blamed on a confused staff and lax oversight. The improper activities "were not influenced by any individual or organization outside the IRS," the auditors said they were told by Internal Revenue Service officials. Instead, the report painted a picture of an IRS unit based in Cincinnati that used "inappropriate criteria" for deciding which applications to examine, without any review by senior managers.

WASHINGTON - President Obama forced out the head of the IRS on Wednesday, seeking to restore the public's faith in the tax agency while asserting a measure of control over a rapidly growing political problem. Making a hastily scheduled statement at the White House, Obama denounced the targeting of conservative groups by the Internal Revenue Service as "inexcusable" and pledged to "do everything in my power to make sure nothing like this ever happens again. " "Americans are right to be angry about it, and I am angry about it," he said.

The Medical Board of California on Friday embraced a host of reforms aimed at combating prescription drug abuse and reducing overdose deaths but balked at a proposal to strip it of its authority to investigate physician misconduct. The board, meeting in Los Angeles, voted to support proposed legislation that would upgrade the state's prescription drug monitoring system, require coroners to report prescription drug overdose deaths to the board, and give the panel new power to halt a doctor's prescribing in some cases.

California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris doesn't seem to have a problem with President Obama calling her "by far the best-looking attorney general in the country. " The remark touched off a firestorm, with some calling Obama's words sexist. On Friday, the president apologized for the remark. "He called her to apologize for the distraction created by his comments," White House press secretary Jay Carney said. Harris has not commented. But according to PolitiCal, her communications director, Gil Duran, issued a statement saying "the attorney general and the president have been friends for many years.

By all accounts, Michael B. Mukasey is not someone who is easily intimidated. As a federal judge, he stared down convicted terrorists. He presided over a fiercely independent Manhattan federal court nicknamed the "Sovereign District of New York." He is little interested in politics or politicians. And if confirmed as attorney general, his independent streak could pose problems for President Bush.

In Mexico's drug war, Gen. Sergio Aponte Polito racked up crime-fighting credentials worthy of the Dark Knight, making record seizures of drugs and weapons and forcing out top Baja California law enforcement officials he accused of corruption and of having links to organized crime.

Alaska Atty. Gen. Talis Colberg, who defended Gov. Sarah Palin's administration in the "Troopergate" abuse-of-power investigation, resigned Tuesday in what he said was the "best interest" of the state. The move came less than a week after an acrimonious showdown with the Legislature, which found the governor's husband and nine state employees, including several top administration aides, in contempt over their delay in responding to subpoenas in the investigation.

Wanted: attorney general, no experience necessary, must do own cleaning and child care. HOWARD B. SCHIFFER Santa Barbara

Eric H. Holder Jr. won Senate confirmation Monday as the nation's first African American attorney general, easily overcoming Republican concerns about his commitment to fight terrorism and his unwillingness to back the right to keep and bear arms. The vote was 75 to 21, with all the opposition coming from Republicans. Holder's chief supporter, Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), said the confirmation was a fulfillment of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.'

The Medical Board of California would be stripped of its power to investigate physician misconduct under a sweeping reform plan by legislators who say the agency has struggled to hold problem doctors accountable. The medical board has come under fire for failing to discipline doctors accused of harming patients, particularly those suspected of recklessly prescribing drugs. Under the proposed legislation, amended Thursday, investigations of doctors would be handled by the California attorney general, leaving the board to deal mostly with licensing doctors.

President Obama says he's learned a lesson about complimenting a woman's appearance in public. The president caused a stir earlier this month when he said California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris was "the best-looking attorney general in the country. " In an interview aired on Wednesday by NBC's "Today" show, Obama said the whole episode "was a useful teaching moment for me and for the country. " Obama was speaking at a Bay Area fundraiser when he made the remark about Harris' appearance.

MEXICO CITY - Operation Cleanup was a showcase effort to stamp out corruption within Mexico's elite organized-crime bureau. Twenty-five top law-enforcement officials were arrested in the weeks after the operation was launched in 2008, most accused of acting as highly paid moles for a leading drug cartel, the very villains the officials were supposed to be chasing. Today, the cases against them are a shambles, yet another example of Mexico's systemic corruption and a weak judiciary unable to fix it. The operation is also the most high-profile prosecution among the many that fell apart under the government of President Felipe Calderon, which ended nearly five months ago. This week, a federal judge freed the highest-ranking of those ensnared by Operation Cleanup.

President Obama 's description of California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris as "by far the best-looking attorney general in the country" at a public appearance has divided even some of his strongest supporters. Some found the comment sexist, others harmless. On Friday, the president apologized for the remark. "He called her to apologize for the distraction created by his comments," spokesman Jay Carney told reporters. The president “did not want in any way to diminish the attorney general's professional accomplishments and her capabilities.

WASHINGTON -- President Obama apologized to California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris for commenting on her appearance during a fundraiser earlier this week, an aide said Friday. During an event in Northern California on Thursday, Obama referred to his fellow Democrat as “the best-looking attorney general,” drawing laughs from the crowds but later creating a stir among critics. A few hours after the fundraiser at a private residence, Obama called Harris to say he was sorry for creating a distraction, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Friday afternoon.

SACRAMENTO - It was the compliment that spawned a million tweets. And before long, President Obama was apologizing for it. On Thursday, Obama said California's Kamala Harris was the "best-looking attorney general," and commentators raced for their keyboards and smartphones to denounce the remark as sexist or defend it as benign. The next day, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said the president had called Harris to apologize for the remark and the distraction it caused. The comment, made during a Bay Area fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee, had become grist for the nonstop, politically charged news cycle.

President Obama in no way mean to "diminish" California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris' credentials when he described her as "by far the best-looking attorney general in the country" during a talk, his spokesman said Friday. The White House was responding to criticism over the remark, which some found to be sexist. On Friday, the president apologized for the remark. "He called her to apologize for the distraction created by his comments," spokesman Jay Carney told reporters. The president “did not want in any way to diminish the attorney general's professional accomplishments and her capabilities.

SACRAMENTO -- It was the compliment that spawned a million tweets. On Thursday, President Obama said California's Kamala Harris was the "best-looking" attorney general in the country, and commentators raced for their keyboards and smartphones to discuss whether the remark was sexist or benign. Harris appears to be brushing off the whole episode. Her communications director, Gil Duran, issued a statement saying "the attorney general and the president have been friends for many years.