It must be getting very lonely at the top.  Just read that the "Absentee Attorney" William Mercer has withdrawn his nomination and will be returning to his duties as US Attorney for Montana ...

Dan Eggen reports:

The Justice Department's third-in-command announced his resignation yesterday, becoming the sixth aide to Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales to leave amid the political uproar over the firings of nine U.S. attorneys last year.

William W. Mercer -- who had been acting associate attorney general since September -- withdrew his nomination for the job just days before he was scheduled to appear at a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing Tuesday.