Quick Note on Mukasey

He was confirmed by 53-40. Most are noting the Democratic crossovers (especially Senators Feinstein and Schumer).

The fractured tally signals that Mukasey will face a deeply skeptical Democratic Congress as he takes over at Justice, which has been demoralized and emptied of senior leadership in the wake of scandals.

I was more interested to see which Senators were too busy to bother to vote (or were too afraid to stake out a position). That would be Alexander (R-TN), Biden (D-DE), Clinton (D-NY), Cornyn (R-TX), Dodd (D-CT), McCain (R-AZ), Obama (D-IL).

Biden, Clinton, Dodd, McCain, and Obama should be ashamed of missing this vote. As of October 31, Clinton and Obama opposed Mukasey.

Clinton said, "We cannot send a signal that the next attorney general in any way condones torture or believes that the president is unconstrained by law."

Well done, Senator. You sent a signal all right. You were either too busy or too afraid to stand up for your principles.

Update: Glenn Greenwald is lamenting the fact that congressional Democrats didn't have the stones to "filibuster" the confirmation (and thereby require a vote of 60).

Over and over again this year, Republican filibusters were depicted (both by Senate Democrats and the media) as nothing more the routine need to obtain the "60 votes required" for passage of any measure in the Senate. That "requirement" was said to apply to everything, including immigration ("The Senate voted 52-44 for the DREAM Act, but 60 votes were required to end debate"); Iraq withdrawal timetables ("Support is expected to top 50 votes but fall short of the 60 required"); troop leave requirements ("Webb's Iraq bill inches closer to 60 . . . . Winning at least three of those Republicans over could give the Democrats the 60 votes they need"); and warrantless surveillance ("Democratic-sponsored bill failed to reach the 60-vote majority").

In his warped world, the consequences of obstructionism are irrelevant. He wants to have a tantrum every day until President Bush is out of office.

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 12:04 PM

Comments

1 Anyone know why Cornyn was AWOL? Seems out of character for him.

Posted by: Reiver at November 09, 2007 12:11 PM (eh5NM)

2 Chances that she will be asked about missing this vote in the next debate? Nil.

Obama, Dodd and Biden really missed a big opportunity here. They could have destroyed her if they had actually bothered to vote.

Posted by: wiserbud at November 09, 2007 12:13 PM (wWwJR)

3 Completely off topic - I was checking out the casualty numbers at icasualties.org and so far November is showing another drastic drop in civilian casualties. If the daily average holds there will about 420 this month compared with 565 last month. Couple that with local reconciliation efforts and you have the potential for a much more rapid turn around than people thought.

Posted by: chad at November 09, 2007 12:16 PM (WNcvq)

4 Another example of Clinton being unable to choose a position on anything. How anyone with an IQ above 50 doesn't see through this woman is beyond me.

Posted by: SOC at November 09, 2007 12:18 PM (1/F/d)

5 Obama, Dodd and Biden really missed a big opportunity here.

That's a good point. I think Hillary! is vulnerable, I just don't know if any of the competition has the stones or the skills to exploit that.

It's kind of sad when John Edwards is the tough guy of the pack. He tries but just isn't believable in the part. His wife on the other hand....

Posted by: Drew at November 09, 2007 12:18 PM (hlYel)

6 Cornyn had a fundraiser yesterday, which Bush attended. Guess he couldn't get back in time

Posted by: corn at November 09, 2007 12:25 PM (+8Ge0)

7 Haven't we only waterboarded like 3 people? More people die in hot air balloon accidents every year. Doesn't anyone else think this topic has been severely overblown, whether you approve of the practice or not?

Posted by: Dirk at November 09, 2007 12:32 PM (+XDhk)

He wants to have a tantrum every day until President Bush is out of office.

And don't forget cock. Lots and lots of cock. Good day, sir!

Posted by: Ellers Ellison at November 09, 2007 12:35 PM (f7A+e)

9 Is it just me or does it look like Gabriel's update wiped out all the comments.

Posted by: chad at November 09, 2007 12:36 PM (WNcvq)

10 Cornyn was at a fundraiser in Texas.

Posted by: its vintage duh at November 09, 2007 12:37 PM (scPmy)

11 In my fantasy, Mukasey's first public announcement would be that he has now reviewed the interrogation memorandum and agrees with the use of waterboarding.

Posted by: polynikes at November 09, 2007 12:37 PM (m2CN7)

Since when is 40% "deeply skeptical?" And who gives a damn anyway? He's going to be Attorney General, which is an executive branch position.

If they were so "deeply skeptical" why didn't they filibuster?

Posted by: funky chicken at November 09, 2007 12:45 PM (I+jPP)

When you've got a 28% approval rating, it's best not to attract attention to rampant obstructionism:

Schumer: Send us an acceptable nominee.

Bush: Mukasey, from your list.

Senate: Not acceptable.

That is short enough to fit into a campaign ad. Evidently 40 or so of the world's greatest deliberative body are too stupid to figure that out. Send in the clowns. They're already here.

Posted by: MarkD at November 09, 2007 12:56 PM (MMy4A)

14 Haven't we only waterboarded like 3 people? More people die in hot air balloon accidents every year. Doesn't anyone else think this topic has been severely overblown, whether you approve of the practice or not?

Exactly. I want to hear all those stupid bitches who keep talking about the statistical likelihood of being stung to death by killer bees vs. being killed in a terrorist attack explain why the fuck we are spending so much time on this waterboarding issue.

Posted by: IreneFingIrene at November 09, 2007 01:01 PM (s7Ian)

15 More people die in hot air balloon accidents every year.

It's obvious that we need a congressional investigation into the threat of hot air balloons flying in the vicinity our schools, imperiling the children.

Add balloon animals to that list as well.

And clowns.

Posted by: IllTemperedCur at November 09, 2007 01:05 PM (Ds4I5)

And clowns.

All clowns need to be hunted down and killed. Seriously.

Posted by: zetetic at November 09, 2007 01:07 PM (f7A+e)

17 Clowns?? Did you say CLOWNS??!?!??!?

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Posted by: wiserbud at November 09, 2007 01:11 PM (wWwJR)

18 mimes first

Posted by: Michael Berryman at November 09, 2007 01:19 PM (evdj2)

>>These wouldn't be brown clowns, would they?

You can never tell what evil lurks behind that white painted face.

Posted by: Tushar D at November 09, 2007 01:51 PM (IlgNp)

20 Yeah, Cornyn was in Houston and San Antonio for fundraisers with the president. Here in San Antonio, the fundraiser was in my neighborhood, and traffic was a mess all over town because of the president's detail. Helicpter over head part of the day and stuff like that.

The president spent two hours visiting the wounded guys at BAMC. It was nice to have him in town.

Posted by: stace at November 09, 2007 03:33 PM (A56/D)

21 In his warped world, the consequences of obstructionism are irrelevant. He wants to have a tantrum every day until President Bush is out of office.

Bottom line is, the Democrats screwed themselves with their phony Bush lied campaign. The "bush lied us into war and we are stupid dupes" pander for votes was desperation.

NOW they've created the huge schism between the nutcake netroots and reality. Which is they know they are falling down a rabbit hole keeping up their pandering charade.

That's why Clinton and Obama can't put their money where theri mouth is and why Hoyer is starting to change the talking point on Iraq being a mistake.

They screwed the pooch and it's biting them in the ass.

Popcorn anyone?

Posted by: topsecretk9 at November 09, 2007 04:25 PM (ryO1F)

22 See?

Kaus:

"Eli Lake on John Edwards: "I remember him at Christoper Hitchens' house giving me the best arguments I'd heard from any Democrat on why we should invade Iraq. ... very neoconservative arguments ... humanitarian arguments." ... [First segment in podcast] 3:19 A.M. link"

Posted by: topsecretk9 at November 09, 2007 04:37 PM (ryO1F)

23 Isn't it interesting that THIS quote from the following post on Hugo Chavez (LauraW) is deemed pertinent ...

"You can tell a lot about a person by who their supporters and friends are."

... yet in this post Rudy's friends and supporters are deemed NOT so?

In my not so humble opinion - it is entirely relevant who Rudy associates with and promotes. It's all about judgment! It's all about his ability to put aside personal friendships to select the proper people for jobs. Please spare me the comparisons to Bush nominees like Harriet Meyers. That was a mistake that still haunts Bush's judgment.

Where Kerik is concerned, Rudy has known him for a very long time and appointed him to positions of great power and influence, and then promoted him to President Bush to take the reins of the DHS. What resulted was an embarrassment to the President and his administration at a time when we didn't need it. Then Rudy says he was "unaware" of faults in Kericks background?

With judgment like that ... who might he nominate for the Supreme Court, if elected? What would the makeup of his cabinet be?

Posted by: Bruce at November 09, 2007 09:38 PM (2q+Ss)

24 Filibuster? Why the hell should the freakin' majority need to filibuster when all they have to do is get 51 no votes? The Dems are as fucked up as a soup sandwich. Good grief.

Posted by: Tim at November 09, 2007 09:47 PM (WiHUE)

25 With judgment like that ... who might he nominate for the Supreme Court, if elected? What would the makeup of his cabinet be?

You believe the senate would allow him to get away with packing the cabinet and SCOTUS with gangsters and whores? As a professional courtesy I suppose.

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