[jordanb]

WRT Ortiz vs Heymann: Ortiz has publicly made comments supporting the prosecution of Aaron Swartz, so it's not true that this is a case of the head not knowing what the hands are doing.

Also, I believe---but correct me if I'm wrong---that Heymann is a civil servant and not a politician like Ortiz. He therefore doesn't serve "at the pleasure of the President" and would be more difficult to dismiss.

But I sorta served in the civil service for a little while in that I had a student worker position at the State of Illinois while I was in college. And one thing I know about the bureaucracy is that they are terrified of politics. They know that they can do things that get their boss sacked, and if they do, their career is over. They won't be fired outright, but they will end up sitting at a desk in the copy room.

So the reality is that if Ortiz is sacked, Heymann will be kryptonite in the DAs office, expect him to resign within six months if he has any dignity at all.