Cracks in the wall

Specter breaking ranks?

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- John Ashcroft came under increasing pressure Thursday to recuse himself from the CIA leak investigation, with one senior Republican senator saying the attorney general should consider doing so.

Sen. Arlen Specter, an influential member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, cited Ashcroft's ties to White House political aide Karl Rove, who, at one point, had been accused of being the leaker -- a charge disputed by the White House.

Asked whether Rove's history as a political advisor to Ashcroft during his gubernatorial and Senate campaigns were grounds for him to step away from the case, Specter said "recusal is something Ashcroft ought to consider."

It's not an outright call for a special prosecutor. But it's the most off-the-reservation comment from a senior Republican to date.