And then there were seventeen

By Creature

My other senator, Schumer, is now on board for the push to pass a public option through reconciliation. It was busy-signals all day today as I tried to call to urge him to sign. Now, I'll have to call and thank him instead. I still don't hold out much hope that this push will come to anything, but the building momentum sure feels good.

Put up or shut up

By Creature

A few weeks back when Michael Mukasey was up for confirmation, and it looked like my senator--and Mukasey buddy--Chuck Schumer would be the deciding vote, I wrote a letter to Senator Schumer nearly begging him to vote against the nomination. Senator Schumer did not. A few days ago I received an email back from the senator explaining his vote. His decision came down to this, one, "critical reason": "[T]he Department of Justice is a shambles and is in desperate need of a strong leader committed to depoliticizing the agency's operations."

Schumer's justification for voting in favor of a flawed nominee also included this: "More importantly, 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."


I bring all this up not to re-open old wounds between me and my flawed senator. No, I bring up the senator's explanation because with the big news today that the CIA obstructed justice by destroying two videotapes which had documented the illegal interrogation of terror suspects, it's time for the flawed senator and his flawed nominee to step up. Schumer must insist on an investigation--insist in public or private, I don't care--and the attorney general must either prove his independence by launching such an investigation, or, if he is unwilling to do so, he must promptly resign.

It's put up or shut up time. America's waiting.

More from Glenn, Marcy, and Marty.

(Cross-posted at State of the Day.)

Schumer buries his head and the rule of law with it

By Creature

Today attorney general nominee Michael Mukasey will escape the Judiciary Committee and make a beeline for the Senate floor thanks, in part, to my senator, Chuck Schumer. To explain his Mukasey support Chuck takes his case to the NYT editorial page where we learn that tomorrow's theoretical waterboarding will surely be deemed illegal and prosecuted, while yesterday's actual waterboarding will be swept under the rug, and, with it, any hope of holding the criminals that occupy the White House today liable for torture, or, anything else, for that matter. Thanks for nothing, Chuck.

Update: It's official, Mukasey is free to support the rule of law going forward only, so long as the president agrees to as well--and we all know how President McBreaksthelaw feels about that. FDL has the votes and the commentary.

(Cross-posted at State of the Day.)

Schumer's tortured logic

By Creature

The WaPo today has a piece on Senator Schumer and how he "may be the key" to getting the nominated attorney general, Michael Mukasey, out of committee and to the Senate floor for a vote (where he will surely be confirmed). This paragraph stands out as a perfect example of how far we have fallen.

"From this administration, we will never get somebody who agrees with us on issues like torture and wiretapping," Schumer said at one point, suggesting an argument in favor of Mukasey, who faces a Senate Judiciary Committee vote on Tuesday. "The best thing we can hope for is someone who will depoliticize the Justice Department and put rule of law first."

Excuse me, Chuck, torture is not an "issue" to be agreed upon or not, there is no give and take, it's against the law. Schumer is basically saying we cannot get the Bush administration, or someone they appoint, to "agree with us" to "put the rule of law first." Something we all know, but shouldn't go along with. To frame the Mukasey hedge on waterboarding's illegality as a disagreement on the issues, as opposed to the law, is wrong and I fear this does signal Schumer's ultimate cave on this nominee.

I hope the Dems realize that once Mukasey gets confirmed they will officially be on the side of the GOP nut jobs who are willing to minimize and compare waterboarding to a "CIA-sponsored swim lesson." Nice work.

Update: My letter to Senator Schumer, my senator, has been sent.

Update II: Schumer and Feinstien will support Mukasey. No one will support the rule of law. Somewhere, in an undisclosed location, the vice president smiles.

(Cross-posted at State of the Day.)