Not that there isn't a better way to go. In 1977, for example, New York Senators Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Jacob Javits — members of opposite parties — agreed that each would allow holdover U.S. attorneys in New York to serve out their four-year terms even when the White House changes parties. The goal was to lessen the taint of politics in what must always be professional decisions based on the facts, the law, and ethical constraints. Although they are in one sense, representatives of the President and his Department of Justice in the field, U.S. attorneys very much have an independent role in deciding how to proceed with cases — a role that is only strengthened when they are allowed to serve without fear of being fired at any moment.