Is Mukasey really in trouble?

Today's Must Read
By Paul Kiel - October 29, 2007, 9:58AM

The doubts, the concerns, the reasons for pause about attorney general nominee Michael Mukasey are coming fast and furious from senators left and right these days.

It's been a steep descent from the heady days when Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) preceded Mukasey's confirmation hearings by saying, "I like him."

The tone seemed to first shift from one of friendly disagreement to frank disappointment with the question by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI): is waterboarding unconstitutional? When Mukasey couldn't give a straight answer, Whitehouse pronounced himself "very disappointed."

Mukasey's dodge was transparent. Waterboarding was unconstitutional if it rose to the level of torture. And as an explanation for that "massive hedge," as Whitehouse called it, he professed not to know "what's involved in the technique."

Five days later, the Democrats on the committee signed a joint letter to Mukasey, making sure that he knew what's involved, and demanded an answer to the question as to whether waterboarding is torture.

Then two days later, the doubts grew louder. Two key Democrats, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT ) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) both said publicly that their votes depended on Mukasey's answer to the waterboarding question.

more...

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/004580.php

n/t

will the democrats reinstate the torture policy of gonzo????

i pray not.

He'll tell them what they need to hear, and that will be that.

But no doubt the Dems will just challenge him a little to score points with their base (what little is left of it), and then they'll vote for him because they want to keep their powder dry for the really important things.

That plan worked well for Roberts and Alito, they've been able to...









...oh never mind, they haven't been able to do ANYTHING. They can't stop the war, they can't protect the Constitution, and they can't put a stop to the minority party criminals running rampant over our rights. Good job, Dems. That should keep you in power... :eyes:

A joke, as usual.

As for where all this doubting leads? Perhaps it's just a way of sending a message. Reports The New York Times: "Many Democratic lawmakers say privately that he is still likely to be confirmed, given the need for leadership in the Justice Department after months of turmoil."

Maybe that's the reason why only two senators have actually come out to actually oppose Mukasey's nomination: Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Chris Dodd (D-CT).

:grr:

Well, it seems that raping the child daughter of a terrorism suspect is a "technique", so I can't really condemn it. However, I heartily condemn torture - whatever that may be.

I hope the dems have enough backbone to vote this clown down.

...more sternly worded letters? :eyes: