Exactly. Congress should never waste time passing resolutions condemning a bunch of bloggers at MoveOn. Wait. That was the Republicans protecting your golden boy, wasn't it, Bush? In fact, that's the only time the Great Internet Satan entered your little DC bubble like that.Bush: “The job of Attorney General is essential to the security of America” … “Some in Washington should spend more time responding to the warnings of terrorists like Osama bin Laden, and the requests of our commanders on the ground, and less time responding to the demands of MoveOn.org bloggers and Code Pink protesters.”
Of course, she dodged. That's her job, dodge questions for Bush.MS. PERINO: While they were saying is — which Judge Mukasey has done, is to say, I will not be able to provide a legal opinion about any particular technique. He is not read into the programs. … And once he is confirmed, then the Congress has the capability to ask him to come to Congress and to testify on all sorts of matters, including this one. […]
Q: Dana, a follow up on that. The McCain-Graham letter, on the assumption that Judge Mukasey is confirmed and is read into the program, your policy is still not to talk about specific methods, so he is, if he is confirmed, not going to be in a position to speak about waterboarding as being legal or not.
It's obvious why Mukasey won't answer, though. Say no, you won't be confirmed. Say yes, he has to actually do his job and investigate and prosecute the Administration. Yea, that would suck, doing your job.
And Bush ramps up the whine-fest with a tantrum, via Yahoo News.
Link
'DO WHAT I SAY OR I TAKE MY BALL AND GO HOME!' Ah, Republicans.WASHINGTON - President Bush sought to save Michael Mukasey's troubled nomination for attorney general Thursday, defending the retired judge's refusal to say whether he considers waterboarding torture and warning of a leaderless Justice Department if Democrats don't confirm him.
"If the Senate Judiciary Committee were to block Judge Mukasey on these grounds, they would set a new standard for confirmation that could not be met by any responsible nominee for attorney general," Bush said in a speech at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.
"That would guarantee that America would have no attorney general during this time of war," the president said.
Nonetheless, opposition continued to grow. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., became the fourth of 10 Democrats on the 19-member Judiciary Committee to announce that he will vote against Mukasey's confirmation during a test vote on Tuesday.
Bush also framed Mukasey's nomination with the familiar theme of national security.
"A key member of the team that works to protect the American people is the attorney general," the president told reporters earlier Thursday during an unusual session in the Oval Office. "It's important for Congress to pass laws and/or confirm nominees that will enable this government to more effectively defend the country and pursue terrorists and radicals that would like to do us harm."
The comments raised questions about whether Bush would nominate anyone else to succeed Alberto Gonzales as the nation's top law enforcer. Bush could bypass Congress by filling the job with someone serving in an acting capacity or appointing someone while lawmakers are in recess to serve out the last 14 months of his administration.
Asked if Bush was saying he would not nominate anyone if Mukasey were rejected, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said: "We don't believe it would come to that. No nominee could meet the test they've presented."
There is a way for Mukasey to get a full Senate vote even if committee Democrats are united in opposing him. The Senate Judiciary Committee could agree to advance the nomination with "no recommendation," allowing Mukasey the chance to be confirmed by a majority of the 100-member Senate. Several vote-counters in each party said Mukasey probably would get 70 "yes" votes.
Despite that prospect, more Senate Democrats have announced their opposition to Mukasey. Most cited his refusal to say whether waterboarding, an interrogation technique that uses the threat of drowning to elicit answers, amounts to torture and thus is illegal under constitutional, domestic and international law.
Kennedy said Mukasey's unwillingness to give a definitive answer on the torture question increased the chances that the technique could be used against U.S. troops.
"I therefore intend to oppose this nomination," Kennedy said in the full Senate. "Judge Mukasey appears to be a careful, conscientious and intelligent lawyer and he has served our country honorably for many years. But those qualities are not enough for this critical position at this critical time."
Democratic Sens. Joe Biden of Delaware, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Dick Durbin of Illinois said this week they will vote "no" in committee. Assuming all nine of the panel's Republicans vote for Mukasey, only one Democrat would have to side with the president for the nomination to move to the full Senate with a favorable recommendation.
So far, the committee's other Democrats have declined to announce their positions. That includes Mukasey's chief Democratic sponsor, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., told reporters he could not guarantee a full Senate vote if the nomination fails in committee.
"I really believe in the committee process," said Reid, who has not said how he would vote. "If I'm asked by members of the committee to stay out of the fray, I am willing to do that."
Two Republicans troubled by Mukasey's initial answers said they would vote for him in the full Senate.
But in a letter to Mukasey, GOP Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina urged the nominee never to let waterboarding be used if he were to become attorney general.
Still, signs abounded that Mukasey's nomination was in trouble. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., who is not on the Judiciary Committee, declared his opposition.
In the Oval Office, Bush complained about the delay and said it was unfair to ask Mukasey about interrogation techniques about which he has not been briefed. "He doesn't know whether we use that technique or not," the president said during the session.
Further, Bush said, "It doesn't make any sense to tell an enemy what we're doing."
Bush urged swift approval of Mukasey, saying the U.S. needs an attorney general on the job to help with the fight against terrorism.
Without saying whether interrogators use waterboarding, Bush said, "The American people must know that whatever techniques we use are within the law."
Asked if he considers waterboarding legal, Bush replied: "I'm not going to talk about techniques. There's an enemy out there."
For the fourth day in a row, Schumer would not comment on his Mukasey vote. The media-savvy lawmaker who led the probe that pressured Gonzales to quit and who suggested Mukasey as his replacement explained:
"No nominee from this administration will agree with us on torture and wiretapping. The best we can hope for is someone who will rebuild the Justice Department and remain independent, even when pressured by this administration," Schumer said. "I am weighing if Judge Mukasey is that person."
Asswipe.
Why hasn't Bush been impeached? That's just so far out there...