Michael Mukasey at Brave New Films

The Daily Left - Iseman Sues NYT Over Affair Story

2009-01-08T02:35:52Z

Mukasey Says Cheney's FBI Interview Protected by Executive Privilege; Iseman Sues NYT For McCain Affair Story; Americans Learned Nothing From High Gas Prices.

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Headzup: When A Crime Is Not A Crime

2008-11-01T09:29:37Z

http://www.headzup.tv
Attorney General Michael Mukasey discusses his refusal to hold accountable those who broke the law in the Justice Department hiring scandal.

Read more about it here--
http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2008/08/mukasey_law_breaking_is_not_a_crime.php

Download daily Catch and Release Comedy™ political cartoons to your mobile phone or iPod at www.headzup.tv

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Mu Mu Mukasey by deerfrance & Extra Virgin Mary

2008-10-27T21:29:37Z

Attorney General Michael Mukasey is doing a heck of a job! A song to salute him

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Mukasey Refuses to Say Yoo 4th Amendment Memo Withdrawn

2008-10-22T09:29:53Z

Attorney General Michael Mukasey, Senate Appropriations Committee, April 10, 2008

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Wexler Tackles Mukasey

2008-10-25T21:30:41Z

This buttresses my earlier post. Rep. Robert Wexler also calls for impeachment.

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Headzup: Not Enforcing The Law

2008-10-21T21:29:39Z

Attorney General Michael Mukasey is asked why he will not enforce contempt citations against Harriet Myers & Joshua Bolton.

Go to www.wexlerwantshearings.com

Download daily Catch and Release Comedy™ political cartoons to your mobile phone or iPod at www.headzup.tv

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Headzup: Michael Mukasey Avoids Waterboarding

2008-10-22T03:29:39Z

Attorney General Michael Mukasey is asked why he refuses to answer if he believes waterboarding is torture.

Find out more about it here--
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080130/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/mukasey_torture

Download daily Catch and Release Comedy™ political cartoons to your mobile phone or iPod at www.headzup.tv

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Random interesting headlines

2008-01-12T20:34:11Z

Since I've got nothing this afternoon.

Suitcase Nukes Said Unlikely to Exist

Mukasey sworn in as attorney general (Awful quiet about it weren't they?)

Gov. Perry praises Giuliani, warns GOP women against Clinton

2007 deadliest year ever for U.S. troops in Afghanistan

25 Years of Vietnam Offerings

Keeping the faith: Study outlines young adults' struggle with religion

Phone cards cheating immigrants of millions

UN chief visits Antarctica

Family: Paternity test from Gipper's DNA proves negative

pic via Cat of course, entitled "November Dune".

Late Night Happenings

2008-01-12T20:33:56Z

The world keeps turning after I tuck in apparently-

Bhutto in standoff as blast hits minister's home
RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (CNN) -- Benazir Bhutto was involved in a standoff with security forces Friday as Pakistan suffered its first deadly attack since the declaration of emergency by President Pervez Musharraf.
Bhutto addresses supporters from behind barbed wire which surrounded her Islamabad home Friday.
A blast, possibly a suicide bomb, at the house of a federal minister in northwestern Pakistan killed four people Friday, police told CNN.
(snip)
Meanwhile opposition leader and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto faced off against security forces, who placed barbed wire and barricades around her Islamabad home, preventing her attending a rally banned by the government, she told CNN.
When about 50 of her Pakistan People's Party supporters attempted to cut through the cordons of wire, riot police began beating both them and journalists.
An armored car carrying Bhutto approached the breach, where she -- speaking with a megaphone -- told several hundred police and security forces: "We are not the enemy; give us way."
Bhutto told the security forces: "Don't stop us, we are not the enemy. Even you in uniform are my brothers." However, the security forces refused to back down or let her through, and Bhutto returned to her home.

I'm not holding my breathe for any good news to be coming out of Pakistan any time soon.

Also

Senate confirms Mukasey as attorney general
53-40 vote is lowest level of support for a nominee since '52
A divided Senate narrowly confirmed former federal Judge Michael Mukasey Thursday night as the nation's 81st attorney general, giving the nominee the lowest level of congressional support of any Justice Department leader in the last half-century.

On Mukasey, Glenn wants to know-

What happened to the Senate's "60-vote requirement"?

Monday, Monday

2008-01-12T20:33:03Z

USA Today: Huckabee Builds Evangelical Support
As the 2008 presidential race heads toward the first nominating contests, Mike Huckabee is getting more news coverage, moving up in polls, and even drawing some attacks from other Republicans.

Schumer, Feinstein Push Mukasey Over The Top After Democratic Sens. Charles Schumer and Dianne Feinstein on Friday announced they would support the embattled nomination of Michael Mukasey to be attorney general, Sen. Arlen Specter also threw his support to the nominee.

Pakistan's Martial Law A Blow To Bush The Wall Street Journal reports President Bush's "vaunted 'freedom agenda'...suffered one of its worst setbacks this weekend when Gen. Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency in Pakistan." Musharraf's crackdown "has dramatically underscored how much Mr. Bush's freedom march has slowed, and in a few cases gone into retreat."

Roll Call: Dodd's Moral Victories
Although Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) isn't getting any traction with voters in his long-shot bid for the White House, he does appear to be holding some sway in the Senate as he increasingly bests his 2008 rivals when it comes to taking hard stances on issues before the chamber.

Roll Call: Polls Favor Democrats
One year before Election Day 2008, Democrats appear poised to make significant gains in the Senate, according to new polls conducted exclusively for Roll Call.

Democrats To Give Bush "Blank Check" For War Roll Call reports that despite their "rhetoric about not wanting to hand President Bush another 'blank check' for the Iraq War, Democrats appear poised to give him exactly that -- enough cash to keep the war going full steam for as long as six months, no strings attached."

Finally, some funnies-

Jay Leno: "Hey, don't forget, you turn your clock back an hour this weekend. You get an extra hour of sleep. Kind of like watching a Fred Thompson speech."

Jay Leno: "Karen Hughes, a former advisor to President Bush, is leaving the State Department after working the last two years trying to improve the rest of the world's opinion of America. Well, congratulations on a job well done."

Jay Leno: "Time to bring out that 'mission accomplished' sign again."

Jay Leno: "Today, President Bush said the Iraqis are taking back Iraq. Then Dick Cheney said, 'But not the oil, right?'"

Mukasey worse than Gonzo. And yes, that's possible

2008-02-20T20:48:23Z

Via The Nation, John Nichols explains why Michael Mukasey is much worse than Alberto Gonzales ever was:

For instance, he has defended the administration's attempts to dramatically expand the definition of executive privilege, telling the Judiciary Committee that it would be inappropriate for a U.S. attorney to press for contempt charges against a White House official who claimed to be protected by a grant of executive privilege. Under this reading of the law, U.S. attorneys would cease to be independent defenders of the rule of law and become mere extensions of the White House.

Guess he's not as "independent" as he says he is. I'm getting angrier by the second with Dianne Lieberman.

As such, Mukasey accepts a politicization of U.S. Attorneys far more extreme than that attempted by Gonzales and former White House political czar Karl Rove when they sought to remove U.S. Attorneys who failed to fully embrace the administration's electoral and ideological goals.

On to unwarranted wiretaps:

But Mukasey does not stop there.
Under questioning from Feingold, Mukasey endorsed the administration's argument that congressional attempts to define appropriate surveillance strategies and techniques could infringe inappropriately on presidential authority.
When pressed by Feingold, Mukasey refused to say whether he thought the president could order a violation of federal wiretapping rules. Feingold's response was measured. "I find your equivocation here somewhat troubling," said the senator.

And because he's smarter, more articulate, and more adept at answering, he's that much more dangerous:

In fact, everything about Mukasey's testimony suggested that he would as Attorney General be more of a threat to Constitutional governance than the inept and frequently inarticulate Gonzales. Mukasey gives every indication that he is as enthusiastic as was Gonzales about helping the president to bend and break they law. The scary thing is that Mukasey appears to be a good deal abler when it comes to cloaking lawlessness in a veneer of legal uncertainty.

Read: Better at legal doubletalk, better at fooling a willingly-fooled Congress, better at getting what Bush wants.

Consider the nominee's suggestion that the president can ignore any law, including the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, if he and his lawyers determine that the law impinges on his authority as commander in chief during wartime.
"The president is not putting somebody above the law; the president is putting somebody within the law," Mukasey explained, with a response that employed legalese at levels not heard in Washington since Richard Nixon boarded that last plane for San Clemente. "The president doesn't stand above the law. But the law emphatically includes the Constitution."

And we're watching this happen. We're sitting in front of our CSPAN3s and witnessing this horrific train wreck as it occurs. That explains the sick feeling in our stomachs right now.

Leahy said after that "troubling" statement by the man who would be the nation's chief law enforcement officer: "I see a loophole big enough to drive a truck through."
The Judiciary Committee chair is right. It's the truck carrying the trappings of an imperial presidency. And Mukasey should not be handed the keys.

We need a designated driver. Now.

A sane mind. Are you listening, Dianne Feinstein?

2008-01-12T20:32:54Z

I will vote against the nomination of Judge Mukasey to be the next Attorney General. This was a difficult decision, as Judge Mukasey has many impressive qualities. He is intelligent and experienced and appears to understand the need to depoliticize the Department of Justice and restore its credibility and reputation.
At this point in our history, however, the country also needs an Attorney General who will tell the President that he cannot ignore the laws passed by Congress. Unfortunately, Judge Mukasey was unwilling to reject the extreme and dangerous theories of executive power that this administration has put forward.
The nation's top law enforcement officer must be able to stand up to a chief executive who thinks he is above the law. The rule of law is too important to our country's history and to its future to compromise on that bedrock principle.

h/t TPM

And speaking of condoning torture...CIA backs rendition

2008-01-12T20:32:06Z

How perfectly mind-boggling: The CIA redacts any mention of breast feeding in Valerie Plame's book while defending extraordinary rendition. What fine, upstanding role models for our youth:

The director of the US Central Intelligence Agency, General Michael Hayden, has defended the methods it uses to interrogate terror suspects.

Gen Hayden said programmes such as extraordinary rendition produced what he said was irreplaceable intelligence.

His intelligence is most certainly replaceable, however.

Under the programme, terror suspects are transported to secret prisons in countries with less stringent interrogation rules. [Laffy note: "Less stringent rules" = torture. Speaking in euphemisms won't change that]

Again, this comes out just as Bush's nominee for US attorney general comes under fire for his position on waterboarding.

When asked to comment about Mr Mukasey's statement, Mr Hayden avoided a clear answer.
"Judge Mukasey cannot nor can I answer your question in the abstract. I need to understand the totality of the circumstances in which this question is being posed before I can give you an answer," he said.

Of course, I understand. It's all so "abstract". One cannot possibly imagine if, you know, waterboarding should be legal when the question is posed in such an imprecise manner as, "Do you think waterboarding should be legal?"!!

Just getting an answer this simple question has been an exercise in torture.

Waterboarding? Ew! Illegal? Ummmmm....

2008-01-12T20:31:40Z

So, um, yeah, guys? Bush's nominee for attorney general, Michael Mukasey? He says waterboarding is like, so, I dunno, icky.

He's all:

In an effort to satisfy senators from both parties who question his views on terrorism-related matters, Michael Mukasey pledged to study the waterboarding issue. He called the technique "repugnant to me."

Omigod, I know right? It's gross! Ewwww!

Is it illegal?

Like, how should he know, right? I mean, right?

"If, after such a review, I determine that any technique is unlawful, I will not hesitate to so advise the president and will rescind or correct any legal opinion of the Department of Justice that supports the use of the technique," Mukasey wrote to the committee's 10 Democrats.

Umkay, so, if the Senate Judiciary guys, like, think that you're a dork, they'll, like, maybe not vote for you, k? K.

But that guy Lindsey? You know, Lindsey Graham, y'know? He's all:

"I'm favorably inclined to support him," Graham said in a telephone interview. "I think he did himself a lot of good."

Lindsey is so not invited to my Halloween party.

And Mike Mukasey? You guys, didn't you think he was a brainiac? I know right? Me too! But he said he "...declined to take a stand on waterboarding because, he said the question is hypothetical."

No way is waterboarding hypothetical, cuz like, well, I just know. I watch TV and stuff.

Specifically, he said, he would decide whether a technique is torture based on two factors in the U.S. criminal code: whether it was intended to cause severe physical pain or suffering or prolonged mental harm.

Sorry, but waterboarding? It's so beyond icky, Mike. And it's a big duh that it's torture. Hey, even I know that, right guys? I'm kewl that way.

That Mukasey guy is so not gonna be in my Top 8 MySpace Friends.

Monday Morning Round Up

2008-01-12T20:31:19Z

I'm still smiling from finding out Tancredo won't run again!

WASHINGTON (CNN) - A senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said Sunday he plans to vote against Michael Mukasey's confirmation as U.S. attorney general.

Sen. Chris Dodd, a Democrat from Connecticut, said he will not support President Bush's nominee because Mukasey said the president can overrule a federal statute when the nation's defense is at risk. "There's no such provision in the Constitution whatsoever," said Dodd, a 2008 presidential candidate.

SOCIAL CONSERVATIVES CALL HUCKABEE TOO LIBERAL ON TAXES, IMMIGRATION: A bitter fight is taking place behind the scenes over Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee. Influential conservatives are clashing over whether Mr. Huckabee is capable of keeping evangelicals from fleeing the GOP to form a third party or if he's too liberal fiscally for the Republican electorate. Washington Times: Huckabee stirs up third-party fear

Iran Seen Likely To Withstand Sanctions On its front page, the Washington Post reports, "Confronted by mounting US and UN pressure, Iran has been steadily shifting its trade from West to East and, with the benefit of record high oil prices, is likely to be able to withstand the new US sanctions, according to US, European and Iranian analysts."

POLLS DON'T REFLECT OBAMA'S CELEBRITY STATUS: Hutton Street, a modest, racially mixed working-class neighborhood on the city's east side, was unprepared for the miniature army that invaded it one recent Saturday morning when Barack Obama decided to pay a call. LA Times: Polls don't reflect Obama's star power

MCCAIN MAY BET EVERYTHING ON NEW HAMPSHIRE: As John McCain gambles on a comeback, his presidential campaign is confronting a key question: Should the candidate place his last few chips on one square or two? Politico: McCain comeback still a gamble

Turks, Kurds Clash Near Iraqi Border In another Middle East hot spot, Turkish military forces and Kurdish rebels are clashing along the Turkey-Iraq border. NBC Nightly News reported the Turkish army "is reporting a major operation against Kurdish separatists along the border with Iraq," and officials "say 20 Kurdish guerillas were killed."

Bit and Pieces

2008-01-12T20:28:31Z

Happy Fall!! Pic via Cat of course.

Leahy Expects Mukasey To Be Confirmed After meeting with Attorney General-designate Michael Mukasey, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy said that he expects the nominee to win confirmation. The AP reports Leahy said Mukasey is "headed for swift approval with scant objections."

On another hot-button issue, McClatchy reports over 40 Republican members of Congress "on Tuesday demanded assurances from President Bush's attorney general nominee that he will investigate the prosecution of two Border Patrol agents now in prison for the shooting of a Mexican drug smuggler."

Armenian Genocide Bill's Chances Fading The strong reaction of Turkey, an important US ally, to a House bill that would label the deaths of Armenians just before the birth of the modern Turkish state a "genocide" has several key lawmakers second-guessing their support of the measure.

Former House Leaders Now Lobby For Turkey The New York Times notes that former Rep. Bob Livingston, who resigned on the verge of becoming speaker in 1999, has since "been the main lobbyist for Turkey in blocking Congressional efforts to pass an Armenian genocide resolution. After succeeding twice before - and collecting more than $12 million in fees for his firm, the Livingston Group - he is pushing once again for his client." The Times "also reports that former House Democratic leader Richard Gephardt "began working for Turkey in March under a yearlong contract worth $1.2 million."

Pelosi Lashes Out At "Hate Radio." The AP reports that at a press conference attended by Paul Simon, Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized "hate radio," saying that attacks on the Democrats' poster child for the SCHIP debate, Graeme Frost, 12, "were 'beneath the dignity of the debate' that surrounds the legislation."

C-Span this morning- Senate Confirmation Hearing on the Nomination of Michael Mukasey (10am) - LIVE

Finally, some funnies-

Jay Leno: "Rudy Giuliani and John McCain have teamed up to attack Mitt Romney. See, you need two people to attack Romney, one for each of his positions on the issues."

Jay Leno: "Now political experts are saying that Giuliani and McCain could be the Republican ticket. Or a remake of 'Grumpy Old Men'. Either one of those."

David Letterman: Top Ten Questions President Bush Asked The Dalai Lama. "6. 'Are you that Japanese guy my dad threw up on?'