There appears to be some confusion about the performance of the outsted U.S. Attorneys. Here is a handy reference for you.

Here is the list of U.S. Attorneys and their performances:

1. Carole Lam (CA-SD) overaw the successful prosecution of Duke Cunningham and indicted two others including the #3 man at the CIA. Excellent performance review dated Feb. 7-11, 2005 which concluded that she was “an effective manager and respected leader in the district.”

2. David Iglesias (NM) received an excellent performance review in 2005: "Experienced in legal, management and community relations work and was respected by the judiciary, agencies and staff. ... Had a well conceived strategic plan that complied with department priorities."

3. John McKay (WA) oversaw prosecution of the Millenium bomber among other cases - also received an excellent review in 2006. "An effective, well-regarded and capable leader ... (who) established strategic goals that were appropriate to meet the priorities of the department."

4. Paul Charlton (Ariz) received positive performance review in 2003: "Well respected by the (U.S. attorney's office) staff, investigative and civil client agencies, local law enforcement community, Native American nations, and judiciary regarding his integrity, professionalism and competence." In fact, the suggestion that Charlton was asked to leave for performance-related reasons stunned one former supervisor, former Deputy Attorney General James Comey. Comey was McNulty's predecessor in that job, leaving in August 2005. Charlton "was one of the stars of the U.S. attorney community," Comey, now general counsel for Lockheed Martin, said Friday. "His office handled a staggering caseload and number of crimes."

The issue appears that Charlton wanted to decide on a case by case basis when to pursue the death penalty rather than have the national office decide. Considering the bloody legacy Gonzales and Bush left in Texas, this does appear to be a matter a principle. Another posibility for the ouster is that the U.S. Attorney's office was actively investigating Republicans. It is reported that his office was looking into Arizona Congressman Rick Renzi's involvement in a land swap deal, even though no formal investigation or charges were announced. Charlton's office also was investigating former Tucson Republican Congressman Jim Kolbe's interaction with male congressional pages.

5. H.E. "Bud" Cummings (Ark) Mr. Cummings also received an excellent review in 2006. "Very competent and highly regarded by the federal judiciary, law enforcement and civil client agencies. ... Established strategic goals that were appropriate to meet the priorities of the department." McNulty conceded that H.E. "Bud" Cummins, the former U.S. attorney in Arkansas, wasn't fired because of how he handled his job. Rather, McNulty said, administration officials wanted to make room for Timothy Griffin, a former aide of presidential adviser Karl Rove, who has neither trial nor prosecutorial experience.

6. Daniel Bogden (Nev) - considered a capable leader who was highly regarded by the judiciary and was given an overall positive evaluation. When he was told to step down, he was told by seven Justice officials that his performance was not the issue. His office boosted firearms prosecutions, secured the convictions of dozens of violent gang members and oversaw the cases against four former Clark County commissioners convicted of taking bribes. Interestingly enough he have been "looking into campaign law violations by at least one member of the state's Congressional delegation. However, his staff suffered from low morale and three cases that unraveled during his tenure. Nontheless the last time he received a performance review in 2003: "Highly regarded by the federal judiciary, the law enforcement and civil client agencies, and the staff of the (U.S. attorney's office). He was a capable leader."

7. Kevin V. Ryan (CA- SF) oversaw the investigation into steriod use by professional atheletes - particularly baseball players. He brought diversity to the San Francisco office and succesfully prosecuted a number of cases. He was also named one of the top 100 attorneys of California. Nonetheless, there are allegations of management and morale problems at the United States Attorney office in San Francisco. Please note that no performance review has been produced and he did not testify before Congress.

8. Margaret Chiara (MI) Allegedly, had poor management skills according to the Justice Department. No performance review has been produced and she did not testify before Congress. Nonetheless, U.S. District Judge Robert Holmes Bell, the chief judge in Michigan's Western District, who was appointed to the bench during the Reagan administration, said in an interview on February 22, 2007, that Ms. Chiara " is a very classy, distinguished, highly regarded public servant." She's one of the best United States attorneys we've had in this district, and all of my colleagues agree. . . . To have her suddenly disappear without warning catches us all flat-footed."

There is also a handy guide that constrast the testimony before Congress and the performance reviews. http://www.federalnewsradio.com/index.php?nid=78&sid=1080444. See also: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7777925