YES, WE KNOW, LIEBERHOUND... YOU LOVE THE TORTURE

Lieberman has always been very clear; he favors torture. In a more perfect world we would look forward to a day when Lieberman, as a (former) senator, would look forward to being tried as a war criminal. Late yesterday he urged his fellow senators to join him in voting to confirm Michael Mukasey as Attorney General:

"To reject the nomination of Judge Michael Mukasey because he refuses to say what some members want him to say on this question, and he refuses as a matter of sincerely held legal belief...would be grossly unfair, an unjust act to this judge. May I suggest an alternative course...confirm him!"

Watch Lieberman playing his role of Bush Regime lap dog-- and, of course, lying in the process. Lieberman says it's only a matter of one little disagreement (torture)-- which is neither a little matter, nor the only matter. Most members are at least equally concerned with Mukasey's explicit statements about president's being the law instead of being subject to the law. He should have been tossed out of the Senate hearing as soon as he said that. Watch Lieberhound:



Democrats on the Judiciary Committee who have announced they are opposed to Mukasey are Dick Durbin, Ted Kennedy, Joe Biden and Sheldon Whitehouse. Undecided are Ben Cardin, Russ Feingold, Patrick Leahy. Herb Kohl, Dianne Feinstein and Chuck Schumer. If either Feinstein or Schumer buckle under to pressure for the Bush Regime, Mukasey moves to the full Senate where he will be confirmed thanks to the efforts of reactionary Democrats like Ben Nelson and Tom Carper.

I just saw Bush on CNN whining that if the Democrats don't approve Mukasey we'll have another 9/11. I'd like to think other Americans are as sick and tired of this charlatan as I am. His Regime failed to do it's duty in preventing the actual 9/11-- even more proof of that came out today, courtesy of his Saudi cronies-- but his entire disastrous term in office has been marked by exploiting the memories-- memories his Regime skillfully manipulated-- of a tragedy for which his own blame has never been seriously explored.

This morning's Washington Post claims the pivotal vote of Mukasey is Schumer, the centrist, albeit partisan, Democrat who originally recommended him to Bush.

Schumer, who has remained uncharacteristically quiet throughout the furor, said in an interview yesterday that he is now "wrestling" with whether to vote against a nomination that he was instrumental in bringing about. He compared the controversy to the 2005 nomination battle over Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.

"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."

But Schumer said minutes later that his mind is not made up: "He's the best we can get, but that doesn't necessarily ensure a yes vote. I thought John Roberts was the best we could get, but I voted no."

...All nine Republicans on the committee are likely to support Mukasey, but if all 10 Democrats oppose the nominee, the confirmation would die in committee.

Republicans privately say that the nominee's prospects hang on a few votes, particularly those of Schumer and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who has broken ranks with her party in the past.

UPDATE: SCHUMER AND FEINSTEIN JUMP ON THE PRO-TORTURE TEAM

CNN just announced these two will vote to confirm Mukasey in the Judiciary Committee. That's the end of the battle. TPM has quotes from the 2 traitors. I guess Lieberman will be happy with them both even if more of their constituents, rightly, identify them with The Enemy. Steve Audio just did a fantastic demonstration of how Californians might like to respond to Feinstein's sick confirmation decision.