Michelle Malkin » The Mukasey nomination: It’s on; Update: Nomination approved by Senate Judiciary Committee, 11-8

The Mukasey nomination: It’s on; Update: Nomination approved by Senate Judiciary Committee, 11-8

By Michelle Malkin • November 6, 2007 08:21 AM

Update 10:28am Eastern: Nomination passes, 11-8. Sen. Leahy scolds disruptive members of the public. Sen. Kennedy is giving a statement lambasting Mukasey. He actually fumed about the “reckless disregard of the rule of law.” Yes, Teddy Kennedy did.

The nutroots frustration continues to mount.

***
A veritable who’s who of BDS sufferers, including Larry Johnson, Ray McGovern, Valerie Plame, and Joe Wilson signed their names to a last-ditch protest letter against attorney general nominee Michael Mukasey. The Senate Judiciary Committee votes today. Charles Schumer makes his case in the NYTimes:

I AM voting today to support Michael B. Mukasey for attorney general for one critical reason: the Department of Justice — once the crown jewel among our government institutions — is a shambles and is in desperate need of a strong leader, committed to depoliticizing the agency’s operations.

The department has been devastated under the Bush administration. Outstanding United States attorneys have been dismissed without cause; career civil-rights lawyers have been driven out in droves; people appear to have been prosecuted for political reasons; young lawyers have been rejected because they were not conservative ideologues; and politics has been allowed to infect decision-making.

We are now on the brink of a reversal. There is virtually universal agreement, even from those who oppose Judge Mukasey, that he would do a good job in turning the department around. My colleagues who oppose his confirmation have gone out of their way to praise his character and qualifications. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Democrat of Rhode Island, for one, commended Judge Mukasey as “a brilliant lawyer, a distinguished jurist and by all accounts a good man.”

Most important, Judge Mukasey has demonstrated his fidelity to the rule of law, saying that if he believed the president were violating the law he would resign.

Schumer and Feinstein are promising legislation to ban waterboarding, but their Democrat colleagues aren’t buying it:

Senate committee prepared to advance Michael Mukasey’s nomination to be the nation’s 81st attorney general after two key Democrats pledged to support him because he promised to enforce a law against waterboarding if one was enacted by Congress.

However, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Sen. Patrick Leahy, said Mukasey’s assurance that won over Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Chuck Schumer was disingenuous.

“Unsaid, of course, is the fact that any such prohibition would have to be enacted over the veto of this president,” Leahy, D-Vt., said in remarks prepared for his panel’s vote Tuesday to advance Mukasey’s nomination to the full Senate.

Feinstein and Schumer’s support for Mukasey was all but certain to give him the majority vote on the committee needed to advance the nomination. Mukasey was expected to win confirmation easily in the full Senate before Thanksgiving.

Nutroots protesters waterboarded themselves in protest in front of the Justice Department yesterday.

No comment.

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#1

On November 6th, 2007 at 8:44 am, mnmike said:

Larry Johnson, Ray McGovern, Valerie Plame, and Joe Wilson — like hemorrhoids.
#2

On November 6th, 2007 at 8:52 am, ajmontana said:

Vote is at 10am est today on c-span.
c-span.org and c-span radio.
#3

On November 6th, 2007 at 9:05 am, 30 pcs of silver said:

Nutroots protesters waterboarded themselves in protest in front of the Justice Department yesterday.

Is there video available? Where do they come up with this stuff?

I guess liberals can do no wrong, since this issue can be put to rest if they simply bring forth legislation banning waterboarding…but I guess that makes to much sense.

Apparently, we need contrived grievances to denigrate an otherwise good AG nominee.
#4

On November 6th, 2007 at 9:05 am, 30 pcs of silver said:

Thanks aj, will check it out.
#5

On November 6th, 2007 at 9:19 am, DesertLover said:

This is hopefully a good sign and they will get this confirmation vote done and over with.

All of those names listed as opposing Mukasey read like a virtual “Rogue’s Gallery” of deranged individuals that, to paraphrase an old song, “fought the prez and the prez won”. Sore losers all.

Hard to believe Schumer and Feinstein actually doing something constructive. Guess we will know for sure in a couple of hours.

Now maybe they can take care of the real business … like passing the budget that is months overdue and get it to the President.
#6

On November 6th, 2007 at 9:26 am, Bilby said:

Johnson cross-posted the letter at Daily Kos. The comment section is a hoot. One of the commenters pointed out that having Plame and Wilson on the list would make the letter less credible for the conservative and moderate Senators they need to sway in order to derail Mukasey. Of course he is attacked by the others on the board. His point is valid except that he doesn’t realize that the credibility is in question because of Larry Johnson’s name being on it in the first place.
#7

On November 6th, 2007 at 9:32 am, Bilby said:

Oops. Here’s the comment in question that gets the ball rolling.
#8

On November 6th, 2007 at 9:34 am, ajmontana said:

Morning dl, 30 pcs,

Now maybe they can take care of the real business …

I dont think their capable dl, nice thought though.
#9

On November 6th, 2007 at 9:42 am, On-my-soap-box said:

I’m with 30; “Is there video available?” Now that would be great TV and the moonbats would learn quickly how well waterboarding works without risking a person’s life.

Personally, I prefer tazing - LOL
#10

On November 6th, 2007 at 10:02 am, DesertLover said:

aj … just getting in on the dreaming like the rest of you …
#11

On November 6th, 2007 at 10:15 am, ajmontana said:

WATERBOARDING VIDEO
#12

On November 6th, 2007 at 10:16 am, ajmontana said:

Opps, sorry for the caps.
#13

On November 6th, 2007 at 10:20 am, ajmontana said:

Try this one the other link was removed.

waterboarding
#14

On November 6th, 2007 at 10:26 am, 30 pcs of silver said:

Good morning!
#15

On November 6th, 2007 at 11:01 am, blues said:

Liberal Lunacy again-One insignificant item(water-boarding)determines the left’s negative votes on an otherwise highly qualified nominee.No wonder the Democratic Party nominates so many single-issue candidates.
An Iranian-American actor took waterboarding for four minutes.Must be some terrible torture.I guess subjecting the terrorists to Rosie O would have to be considered cruel and unusual,I can’t take her for 30 seconds.
#16

On November 6th, 2007 at 11:09 am, blues said:

First comment on DKos-if you haven’t read it yet,don’t be drinking anything when you do.Funniest thing I’ve read in a long time.