Cheney Blocked DoJ Promotion of Staffer Recommended by James Comey

In a story otherwise about how the Bush DoJ solicited recommendations from conservative political organizations to replace not-yet fired US attorneys, Eric Lipton and Scott Shane for the NY Times report: James Comey, the former deputy attorney general, revealed that Vice President Dick Cheney had blocked a proposed promotion for a subordinate of Mr. Comey’s, Patrick F. Philbin. In written answers to questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee, Mr. Comey suggested that Mr. Cheney opposed Mr. Philbin’s appointment as principal deputy solicitor general because of a clash in 2004 over the National Security Agency’s domestic eavesdropping program. Mr. Philbin, like Mr. Comey and others, believed the program needed changes to be lawful, but Mr. Cheney disagreed. update: Josh Marshall has some more details.