It was surprising that Al D’Amato, a Republican, had a prominent spot in a Democratic press conference last Friday.

Federal regulators closed IndyMac Bank Friday afternoon and transferred operation to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

The politics surrounding President Bush’s surveillance bill have split the membership of a traditionally neutral think tank, the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.

The head of the foundation, Clifford May, confirmed for Newsweek that several prominent Democrats had resigned after an affiliated group began running political ads targeting 15 Democratic members of Congress. Those quitting the foundation include Sen. Chuck Schumer, Rep. Eliot Engel and Democratic strategist Donna Brazile.

May, former communications director for the Republican National Committee, also heads the new organization, which has a similar name - Defense of Democracies - but a sharper political focus.

President Bush nominated former judge Michael Mukasey as the next attorney general on Monday.

As a federal judge in New York, Mukasey has presided over a number of high-profile terror cases, including those of defendants in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. He also signed the arrest warrant against Jose Padilla.

The nomination indicates a desire on both sides of the aisle to fill the post quickly, with minimal conflict. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) described Mukasey as “a lot better than some of the other names mentioned.” At the other end of the spectrum, conservative editor William Kristol also endorsed Mukasey.

Senator Charles Schumer, a Democrat from New York, has taken some heat for his split with his party over a plan to raise taxes in the hedge fund and private equity industries.

Some scratch their heads and wonder if the frequent crusader for the middle class is being overly influenced by political contributions from the buyout kings, who would see their personal taxes more than double under the plan.

But there really is no mystery. Schumer, a career politician and life-long New Yorker, is being true to his city, where many of the buyout firms are based.