mr. mukasey was inspector general. he spoke last week to the republican national lawyers association. >> hi had a well earned reputation as a premier litigate for, a lawyer's lawyer, who could do it all. a lawyer whose written work and oral arguments were superb. >> in 1998, president reagan appointed him to the district bench. >> monk t among the many military -- was the case of omar abdul roman, the blind chsheik. teaching the world. >>> a year later, he answered the call of public service again, when president bush asked him to become attorney general of the united states and guide the department of justicethrough some various stormy waters. at a press conference upon his nomination, judge mucasey sid that's not all the task before us. the justice department must also protect the safety of our children, the commerce that assures or prosperity and the rights and liberties that define us as a nation. once again he brought his steady hand to the tiller guided by a moral compass that was and is infallible and an underst