Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) writes in an op-ed in the Detroit Free Press that Attorney General John Ashcroft's late recusal from the CIA leaks investigation leaves credibility damage:

Here we have a case where the attorney general was investigating the very White House responsible for the resuscitation of his political career. In addition, the investigation involves the political Svengali, Karl Rove, who was inextricably tied to the attorney general by virtue of receiving a staggering $746,000 for consulting on his past Senate and governor's races. It's difficult to conceive of a more blatant conflict of interest.

....In addition, by failing to appoint an outside individual with no ties to the department or loyalty to the administration, the public can have little faith the investigation will be pursued diligently and impartially. Fitzgerald may be a fine prosecutor, but at the end of the day he still owes his job to President George W. Bush.

There's lots more, go read the whole thing. [link via Buzzflash.]