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Salazar Announces Opposition To Mukasey
Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO), a relatively moderate Democrat, has announced his opposition to Michael Mukasey, the Denver Post reports.
"Waterboarding is torture," said Salazar, a former state attorney general. "This is not a complex issue. It is not open to interpretation."
With more senators now coming out against Mukasey, here's our vote chart:
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Maybe Salazar is trainable. He was a big supporter of Gonzales even though Gonzales had written that the war on terror "rendered quaint" the Geneva Conventions.
November 7, 2007 3:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't know about this one. I am kind of on the fence, because I don't think that mukasey is that bad compared to what we could wind up with. I really think that his response was pressured by the king and his men and women, because of criminal and war crimes prosecutions. The facts are what they are and after this fiasco of an adminstration is over, I say lets have at them. Guaranteed the king won't be going to spain or italy any time soon after his administration is over. He's got france in his pocket right now, but that's only temporary. I still hope that someday I get to see him and darth vader in the dock at the Hague. Nonetheless, right now, mukasey probably isn't too bad, all things considered.
November 7, 2007 3:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Doesn't really matter, does it? Only chance of derailing this nomination at this point, barring one of the 50 Yeas switching sides, would be if all 33 undecideds join the Nays and then Dick Cheney decided to buck the president and hold out for someone who's more of a right wing extremist. Doesn't seem like a very likely scenario.
I don't actually think it's the end of the world. I'm glad of the amount of attention they were able to draw the issue through the hearing process even if the nomination does go through in spite of it. I just hope they got something good in return for letting him out of committee.
November 7, 2007 3:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
You may want to change "Olympia" Snow's name. You left out the "m." Tiny typo, but I bet she'd appreciate it.
Wish it would change her vote, if you spell her name correctly.
November 7, 2007 4:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
Arguing that the next one will be worse than Mukasey or the Chimp-in-Charge will start recess appointing just gives strength to the Administrations fear-mongering ways.
The only Mukasey should be allowed through is if a Special Prosectuter is appointed to look into the crimes and misdeeds of the Boy King and his Evil Overlord.
How many of the 'noes' will filibuster? The Senate could overrule one or two but what about 20 plus Senators?
November 7, 2007 4:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
60 Senators are needed to close a filibuster so you need 41 votes to prevent ending a filibuster. So 23 more are needed.
It might be possible to tempt more Senators to filibuster if they agreed to refuse to permit the vote until after the legislation barring waterboarding had passed.
November 7, 2007 5:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
There will be NO filibuster, as there are at least 63 Senators who will vote for cloture and / or confirmation.
November 7, 2007 5:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
http://www.votenic.com
Results Posted Tuesday Evening
November 7, 2007 5:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Webb still not sure if waterboarding is torture?
November 7, 2007 6:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
Vulture Breath:
Is 10 seconds of waterboarding, with cellophane covering the face so water does not get into the mouth or nose, "torture"? Follow-up question: can you hold your breath for 10 seconds?
November 7, 2007 6:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
FYI. (You can look this stuff up.)
November 7, 2007 7:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks, CalD -- from that very website:
The waterboarding technique was characterized in 2005 by former CIA director Porter J. Goss as a "professional interrogation technique." According to press accounts, a cloth or PLASTIC WRAP is placed over or in the person's mouth, and water is poured on to the person's head. As far as the details of this technique, press accounts differ - one article describes "dripping water into a wet cloth over a suspect's face", another states that "CELLOPHANE is wrapped over the prisoner's face and water is poured over him." (Emphasis Added)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterboarding#Technique
Now, can you answer the question(s) I posed to Vulture Breath?
November 7, 2007 7:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
jake knows he's been banned by tpm.
November 7, 2007 9:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
I appreciate the author for trying to build up suspense about this nomination but it is going through unless forty-one Senators decide to filibuster it. Given the low poll numbers of Congress, it is unlikely that they would have much support from Harry Reid on this effort even though he says he will vote against Mukasey.
November 7, 2007 10:09 PM | Reply | Permalink