"To many old Washington hands, the casting is stunning," reported U.S. News & World Report in early December.

"A registered Republican, Townsend, 42, is a holdover from the Clinton administration, where she served as Attorney General Janet Reno's trusted but controversial intelligence adviser."

U.S. News noted that the former Clintonista was "so controversial that Reno's replacement, John Ashcroft, dropped Townsend from the top intelligence job."

But now, said the magazine, "She's back in power – big time."

"There's this huge head scratch to the whole thing," a former Justice Department official in the Clinton administration said. "How can this crowd of people [at the Bush White House] who are all about 'Oh, you've got to be a true believer' let her into the fold and allow her to reach this incredible height?"

While Townsend has her fans in the Bush administration – most notably Deputy Attorney General James Comey, who dropped a Pardongate probe into Hillary Clinton's activities in 2002 – she also has her detractors.

"She's one of the most ambitious people I've met," a former Bush administration official told the magazine. "She's always sucking up."

In 1998, at Attorney General Reno's request, Townsend became the head of the powerful Office of Intelligence Policy and Review.

According to U.S. News, Townsend found herself in the middle of the debate over the notorious intelligence-sharing "wall" erected by Reno's other trusted deputy, Jamie Gorelick.

"Many FBI agents say Townsend was crucial in obtaining FISA [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act] wiretaps, especially during the period of heightened terrorism concerns around the new millennium," said U.S. News.

"But many prosecutors felt that Townsend was less than helpful in making sure the FBI shared wiretap data with lawyers at Main Justice when there was evidence of criminal activity. ... Some Justice Department prosecutors felt Townsend wanted to keep the wall up because it kept prosecutors out of national security investigations, leaving more authority in the hands of Townsend and friendly bureau agents."

Both the Government Accountability Office and the 9/11 Commission blamed Townsend's agency in part for the government's intelligence failures before the 9/11 attacks.

Despite the mixed reviews, the former Clintonista has become a favorite with the press.

The New York Daily News, which has been sharply critical of Kerik, headlined a glowing profile of Townsend on Sunday: "For Her, Homeland Security Means Life & Death."

The press campaign on behalf of the former Reno aide has even drawn the attention of foreign reporters, with Agence France-Press noting on Saturday, "According to US media, Bush may now turn to Frances Townsend, the White House homeland security adviser, as the next head of the department."

Editor's note: