Obama Justice Picks Break with Bush Path

iht.com — President-elect Barack Obama has tapped four Clinton administration lawyers, whose records signal a sharp break from the legal policies of the last eight years, to fill four top Justice Department posts. Obama said he would nominate David Ogden as deputy attorney general; Elena Kagan as solicitor general; Thomas Perrelli, as associate attorney general; and Dawn Johnsen as head of the Office of Legal Counsel. Many of Obama's other cabinet picks in have a decidedly centrist bent. But at the Justice Department, where controversial Bush administration policies like interrogation tactics and eavesdropping will come under review, the nomination of Eric Holder Jr. as attorney general last month and selections of four top aides suggested a strong effort to stake out a new direction.

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