CNN mentions former Sen. Slade Gorton among the names being floated as possible nominees for President Bush's next attorney general.

Gorton's work with the 9/11 Commission gave him his highest profile since his 2000 defeat. He was critical of the administration at times in that role, as well as more recently in regards to the firing of former U.S. Attorney John McKay. Gorton told the New York Times it was a mistake for the Justice Department to say that McKay had been fired for performance reasons.

I can see the attraction for the Bush administration in a Gorton appointment. He would bring a seriousness to the job that has been missing and no one would question his intelligence or experience. His stock with Democrats in Congress likely went up with his 9/11 work. I can't imagine Gorton would want the job, except to help out George W. Bush, who he has supported since the earliest days of Bush's first campaign for president. It's a longshot, no doubt, but the prospect gives Washington state a little extra interest in the late-summer news out of D.C.