Jack Who Off?

By all accounts, Noel Hillman, the chief of the public integrity department at the Justice Department, has been doing a bang up job with the Abramoff investigation. A Patrick Fitzgerald-esque prosecutor, he's turning over every stone, and was able to get Abramoff to cop to a plea.

He's doing such a good job, in fact, that Bush just yanked him out of there.

Will Alice Fisher be his closer?

You remember Alice. Never been a prosecutor before, reported ties to DeLay's defense team, worked with Senate Republicans to go after Clinton over the Whitewater non-scandal, used to lobby for Frist's family company . . . yeah, that Alice. The one Bush had to sneak into the Justice Department via a recess appointment.

Is the administration trying to throw a wet towel on this fire?

Draw your own conclusions.