Mukasey Recognizes Contribution of Gay Justice Department Employees at DOJ Pride Awards Ceremony. From the BLT:
About 150 people gathered at Main Justice’s Great Hall today for the annual awards ceremony of a Department of Justice group representing gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and trans-gendered employees. For the first time in six years, DOJ Pride was allowed to use the hall.
Under Attorneys General John Ashcroft and Alberto Gonzales, the group had not been permitted to meet in the Great Hall or to use government computers to communicate with its members.
Kudos to Mukasey on this issue. He said at the ceremony:
"Because all Justice Department employees have the right to be proud of who they are and the work that they do here."
"The department will not bring the congressional contempt citations before a grand jury or take any other action to prosecute Mr. Bolten or Ms. Miers,"
Such bullshit..pure, unadulterated bs my dear reader. Pelosi of course tried to sound like a bulldog by posturing and threatening a lawsuit: "The American people demand that we uphold the law," Pelosi said. "As public officials, we take an oath to uphold the Constitution and protect our system of checks and balances and our civil lawsuit seeks to do just that."
Ooooh..a lawsuit? Bet that strikes fear in their hearts. Why doesn't Nannie go after Bush and Cheney with this type of gusto and dedication?
It's a rhetorical question..I know why. She IS part of the culture of corruption.
His appointment is central to the question of whether or not there can be a decent Justice Dept investigation into the destruction of the Torture Tapes. The fact that Bush tried to talk Mukasey out of the investigation shows there won't be any cooperation by the White House into the destruction of the tapes. Several pundits, both legal and otherwise, weigh in on this subject below.
And Durham appears to be more than merely apolitical. He appears to be zealous in his ability to smoke out wrongdoing, even when it's the alleged good guys who have been doing the wrong. Durham's career-making prosecution was, after all, an appointment by Janet Reno to go after criminal conduct by the FBI and other government agents who had apparently been in bed with mobsters in Boston for decades. In this fascinating 2001 profile in the Hartford Courant, Durham is described as nonpartisan, incorruptible, and totally devoted to the integrity of the justice system. He was able to go after corrupt federal agents precisely because his belief in the system transcended his devotion to the government.
To be sure, Durham faces challenges in his CIA investigations that will make the Boston prosecution look like a day at the ballpark. Both the CIA and the White House will throw as much sand in his eyes as they possibly can, and if Harriet Miers can be prevented from testifying about fired U.S. attorneys, you can bet the White House won't make it easy for Durham to investigate allegations of lies and obstruction. The fact that Durham ultimately answers to Mukasey is hardly comforting, either.
Mukasey had this to say about the 'investigation':
"Following a preliminary inquiry into the destruction by CIA personnel of videotapes of detainee interrogations, the Department's National Security Division has recommended, and I have concluded, that there is a basis for initiating a criminal investigation of this matter, and I have taken steps to begin that investigation as outlined below.
"This preliminary inquiry was conducted jointly by the Department's National Security Division and the CIA's Office of Inspector General. It was opened on December 8, 2007, following disclosure by CIA Director Michael Hayden on December 6, 2007, that the tapes had been destroyed. A preliminary inquiry is a procedure the Department of Justice uses regularly to gather the initial facts needed to determine whether there is sufficient predication to warrant a criminal investigation of a potential felony or misdemeanor violation. The opening of an investigation does not mean that criminal charges will necessarily follow.
"An investigation of this kind, relating to the CIA, would ordinarily be conducted under the supervision of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, the District in which the CIA headquarters are located. However, in an abundance of caution and on the request of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, in accordance with Department of Justice policy, his office has been recused from the investigation of this matter, in order to avoid any possible appearance of a conflict with other matters handled by that office.
"As a result, I have asked John Durham, the First Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut, to serve as Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia for purposes of this matter. Mr. Durham is a widely respected and experienced career prosecutor who has supervised a wide range of complex investigations in the past, and I am grateful to him for his willingness to serve in this capacity. As the Acting United States Attorney for purposes of this investigation, Mr. Durham will report to the Deputy Attorney General, as do all United States Attorneys in the ordinary course. I have also directed the FBI to conduct the investigation under Mr. Durham's supervision.
"Earlier today, the Department provided notice of these developments to Director Hayden and the leadership of the Judiciary and Intelligence Committees of the Congress."
Thats a mouth-ful from Da Judge wouldn't you say? TPM has an analysis of Mr. Durham;s abilities here. I haven't read it yet, but will shortly..
Update: Durham is a career prosecutor. Those are the guys that got the most disgusted with and hosed the worst by Gonzo and the 'Bushies' brigade. One can hope this means he will take delight in making life miserable for anyone involved in destroying those tapes.
The final tally was 53 to 40, with six Democrats and one independent joining Republicans to vote in favor of Mukasey, which was the lowest level of support for any attorney general since 1952.
To see who the turncoats were, besides DiFi and Chuckie Schumer..click here. Let me save you the time..here they are:
I am looking at my blog buddies from Indiana..you know who you are..you better turn Bayh's ass out the next election..he is a scumsucking waterboard-supporting man. I will be working to get DiFi's ass out of her seat..she has been there long enough, Damn DINO's.
It's interesting to me that BushCo chose to swear in their waterboarding-lovin' new Attorney General in a private ceremony. From an AP article:
Retired federal judge Michael Mukasey was sworn in Friday as the nation's 81st attorney general, filling a vacancy left when Alberto Gonzales resigned amid questions about his credibility.
Mukasey was sworn in at a private Justice Department ceremony about 16 hours after he narrowly won Senate confirmation. The oath was administered by Assistant Attorney General Lee Lofthus, who oversees the department's management and budget operations.
Justice Department spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said Mukasey was joined by family members at the brief, closed-door ceremony. The ceremony took only about two to three minutes, and a small coterie of Justice staffers who attended it clapped afterwards, Roehrkasse said.
Such bullshit..this man's confirmation shows how little balls the Democrats have. The picture is of Muskasey swearing in before the Senate committee..to tell the truth. We all know how THAT turned out.
They did it. Shumer and DiFi voted for Mukasey. From MSNBC:
The Judiciary Committee advanced Attorney General designate Michael Mukasey's nomination to the Senate floor Tuesday, virtually ensuring confirmation for a former judge ensnarled in bitter controversy over terrorism-era prisoner interrogations.
The 11-8 vote came only after two key Democrats accepted his assurance to enforce any law Congress might enact against waterboarding.
The White House and Senate Republicans called for a swift confirmation vote, which is expected by the end of next week.
Last night, ABC World News reported that in 2004 then-acting assistant attorney general Daniel Levin was so concerned about the administration's use of waterboarding that he went to a military base near Washington and underwent the procedure himself.
Levin took over former Office of Legal Counsel Jack Goldsmith's job when he resigned and immediately began reassessing the administration's interrogation techniques. Levin released a new memo in Dec. 2004 that replaced the 2002 Bybee memo. Levin's memo declared that "Torture is abhorrent" but also cautioned in a footnote that his memo was not declaring the administration's previous opinions illegal. "The White House, with Alberto Gonzales as the White House counsel, insisted that this footnote be included in the memo."
ABC reported that after Levin personally experienced waterboarding, he told the White House that it could be considered torture:
After the experience, Levin told White House officials that even though he knew he wouldn't die, he found the experience terrifying and thought that it clearly simulated drowning.
Levin, who refused to comment for this story, concluded waterboarding could be illegal torture unless performed in a highly limited way and with close supervision. And, sources told ABC News, he believed the Bush Administration had failed to offer clear guidelines for its use.
Levin was working on a second memo that would have imposed tighter controls on the use of interrogation techniques such as waterboarding. While working on that memo, ABC reported "Levin was forced out of the Justice Department when Alberto Gonzales became Attorney General." Watch it:
ABC's Jan Crawford Greenburg reported, "Sources said Levin was seen as too independent by the Bush administration — not someone who could be counted on to endorse White House policies."
The Swamp's Mark Silva writes, "Perhaps Mukasey should take the water-board for a test-ride, too."
Keith Olbermann has a special comment tonight on torture, Mukasey and waterboarding..its a must see my dear reader.I will put the video up later, but for now..a piece of his SC:
On Daviel Levin, the former U.S. Acting Assistant Attorney General, who was himself waterboarded to determine whether or not the act constituted torture and was therefore counter to the claims of the Bush Admininstration that it was not.
Water-boarding, he said, is torture.
Legally, it is torture .
Practically, it is torture.
Ethically, it is torture .
And he wrote it down.
Wrote it down somewhere, where it could be contrasted with the words of this country's 43rd President: "The United States of America does not torture."
The confirmation of Michael B. Mukasey as attorney general seemed all but assured late this afternoon when Senators Charles E. Schumer and Dianne Feinstein, two Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced that they would vote in favor of the nominee.
#snip#
Mr. Schumer said his decision had been "extremely difficult," and that a big factor was Mr. Mukasey's opinion, conveyed to him this afternoon, that "were Congress to pass a law banning certain interrogation techniques, we would clearly be acting within our constitutional authority."Senator Feinstein said that, whatever Mr. Mukasey's shortcomings, he "is not Alberto Gonzales." Ms. Feinstein had been a sharp critic of the former attorney general.
For the love of pete DiFi..no ONE is 'Berto' ya dumb bitch. As for Schumer's explanation..I can only say this..it couldn't of been THAT difficult you bastard. I have known for some time that Feinstein is a DINO..but just this year became aware that Schumer is one as well.
It pains me to say, once again..some of the most powerful Dem's have hoodwinked us, they are turncoats my dear reader. As such, they need to be voted out of office when they come up for re-election.
Its a no-brainer for progressives..and we need to make it the same for American's who love our country and its Constitution. Get them out of office..retire their worthless asses. Sell-out sumbitches that they are. With Democrats like these in office..we don't have to worry about Rethugs do we?
The New York Times gives us this..and says its news? Please, this crappola isn't news..except for the fact that the Democraps are finally fallling out of love with Mukasey after the last day of his nomination hearing when he sidestepped the waterboarding/torture issue. I hoped he was toast. Oh, and I love this line from the White House flunky:
''As he always does, Judge Mukasey will answer all questions from the Judiciary Committee in a clear and forthright manner,'' said White House spokesman Tony Fratto
Give me an effin break..are they all stupid or do they think we are? This craptastic nonsense is on my last nerve. Mukasey was side stepping questions with ease, he seemed to be a pro at it.
But the Dem's are talking in code lately..the only one coming out and saying he won't vote to confirm Mukasey is my beloved Bernie Sanders. Chuckie Schumer looks like an idiot at this point since he was the Democrat that suggested Mukasey. In case you didn't catch Mukasey's dancing moves regarding torture..let me give you part of the transcript:
''It is not constitutional for the United States to engage in torture in any form, be it waterboarding or anything else,'' Mukasey answered at one point.
But during terse questioning by Whitehouse, Mukasey said he did not know if waterboarding is torture because he is not familiar with how it is done.'
'That's a massive hedge,'' Whitehouse responded incredulously. ''It either is or it isn't.''
''If it amounts to torture, it is not constitutional,'' Mukasey answered.''I'm very disappointed in that answer,'' Whitehouse said. ''I think it is purely semantic.''
I saw the video of this exchange..and I just shook my head in disgust. The man is a Bushie through and through. My only question is how many Dem's will vote to confirm this asshat.
After watching the confirmation hearings for Michael Mukasey the last couple of days, I have come to the conclusion that he is a Bushie of the highest order...just more intelligent than the others in that select group. Watch the exchange between Mukasey and Russ Feingold below regarding Bush and his ability to disobey laws he doesn't like or impede his power.
Mukasey tries to backtrack on the second day by saying its not a black and white issue..its a grey area. I call bullshit on that one right here and now. Its either the constitution or the president that holds sway. If BushCo believes in the Unitary Executive Theory and that it applies to all things Presidential, and there is no doubt about it my dear reader, they do...then they also believe they have the right to ignore parts of the constitution.
I call bullshit on that here and now. I also believe Mukasey will toss the Constitution under the bus when BushCo wants something bad enough.
As Crooks and Liars, and then Keith Olbermann pointed out tonight; "Mukasey vowed to end Justice Department "stonewalling," and insisting he would resign if Bush tried to do something unconstitutional. No more partisan considerations in employment, Mukasey said. No more "unilateralism," he promised."
In response to questions about authorizing surveillance, Mukasey suggested there may be circumstances in which the president can ignore federal law. In response to questions about waterboarding, Mukasey would only say, "If waterboarding is torture, torture is not constitutional."
Its all bs and I know it and you know it my dear reader. When the Democrats finally quit pandering to Mukasey and asked him the hard questions..he sounded like a true Bushie, meaning that Presidential power trumps everything.
So, to paraphrase an old rock song: meet the new AG..same as the old AG.
Everyone is reporting tonight that King George will nominate a non-neocon Jurist for the next Attorney General Monday morning. Lets review one of the most important cases he sat on in the recent past, that of..Jose Padilla..and see how he comes through it. One of the mentions I have frequently read about Mukasey this evening is that he is a specialist in national security cases, and he believes in the 'rule of law'..From Glen Greenwald's Salon.com column:
Judge Mukasey repeatedly defied the demands of the Bush administration, ruled against them, excoriated them on multiple occasions for failing to comply with his legally issued orders, and ruled that Padilla was entitled to contest the factual claims of the government and to have access to lawyers. He issued these rulings in 2002 and 2003, when virtually nobody was defying the Bush administration on anything, let alone on assertions of executive power to combat the Terrorists. And he made these rulings in the face of what was became the standard Bush claim that unless there was complete acquiescence to all claimed powers by the President, a Terrorist attack would occur and the blood would be on the hands of those who impeded the President.
In demanding that Padilla be denied access to lawyers, the Bush administration argued that access to counsel would destroy its ability to interrogate Padilla, and that "enemy combatants" had no such rights. Mukasey emphatically rejected both contentions, concluding in his first decision (.pdf) in December, 2002:
Even giving substantial weight, as I do, to the President's statement in the June 9 Order that Padilla is "a continuing, present and grave danger to the national security of the United States" and that his detention "is necessary to prevent him from siding with al Qaeda in its efforts to attack the United States," there has been no fact presented to me that shows that the source of that danger is the possibility that Padilla will transmit information to others through his lawyers.By contrast, Padilla's statutorily granted right to present facts to the court in connection with this petition will be destroyed utterly if he is not allowed to consult with counsel. On the facts presented in this case, the balance weighs heavily in Padilla's favor.
The rule of law is a very powerful thing..even with an Asshat like Bush in the Oval office. Mukasey is a conservative, no doubting that..but will he be beholden to BushCo when he comes nose to nose with him over an issue that Alberto Gonzales would of undeniably given in to his BFF Bush about? Mukasey thinks all the 'hullabaloo' about the Patriot Act is for the most part..nonsense..We shall see my dear reader..we shall see.
Greenwald's article is a good one..I suggest you take a few moments and read it if you want to know about the 'new' AG that King George is going to nominate according to several wire services this Sunday evening.
Bush has picked his next AG..Per Politico The Asshat-in-Chief has selected: It's nearly official: President Bush is preparing to name Michael B. Mukasey, a former judge who was nominated to the federal bench by Ronald Reagan, to replace Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Republicans close to the process told Politico.
"It came down to confirmability," said a former Justice Department official involved in the conversations.
Isn't that something..he didn't want a pissing contest
Conservatives had been rooting for former Solicitor General Theodore B. (Ted) Olson, but Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) vowed Wednesday to block his confirmation. Well well, it seems Harry rented a set of nads over at Nads R Us..amazing no?
Mukasey, 66, was Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, which includes Manhattan, until he went into private practice last year.
So a Texan who has long been part of the president's orbit is to be replaced by a New Yorker who is little-known to Washington conservatives. This has to be a good thing..doesn't it? We can hope..
I have purchased a domain name. I have been meticulously working on a new site,Leftwing Nutjob. Please change your bookmarks people..this puppy will no longer be updated as of July 1st 2011.
