Schumer in a ‘Tough Spot’ After Supporting Mukasey

[Changenow]

Source: New York Times

WASHINGTON, Nov. 1 — Senator Charles E. Schumer takes credit for exposing what he calls the politically motivated dismissals of United States attorneys. He takes credit for forcing the resignation of Alberto R. Gonzales. And he takes credit for President Bush’s nomination of Michael B. Mukasey to be the next attorney general.

.....

In the process he ruffled more than a few feathers, including those of the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Senator Patrick J. Leahy, Democrat of Vermont. Mr. Leahy is one of several lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who seem to be quietly enjoying the spectacle of Mr. Schumer in this political predicament.


........


But Mr. Schumer remains in a tight spot. There is the uncomfortable possibility that he will end up as the lone Democrat voting with all nine Republicans on the Judiciary Committee in favor of Mr. Mukasey.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/02/washington/02schumer.html?hp

---

Schumer didn't think anyone would notice.

[annabanana]

1. You bet your sweet ass "he's in a tight spot". .

Move-On is requesting calls to his offices, and probably nearly every damn Democrat in NY is calling.

[saigon68]

43. Don't worry "Gun Control Chuck" will ram this guy up

amerika's rectum like the CIA did to those children with the flashlights at Abu Ghraib

[no_hypocrisy]

2. Senator Schumer should take a deep breath and be prepared to be

accept the next prize in The Profiles In Courage Award and do what's right for this country even at the expense of his political career and credibility. It isn't hypocrisy nor inconsistency to change one's mind after accepting new information as facts that override your original opinion.

[gratuitous]

46. Yeah, strong and wrong isn't courageous

There's an anecdote about one of the 19th Century British politicians (Disraeli or Gladstone come to mind), a giant in his field, changing his vote on an issue. One of the back-benchers from the opposition was having a great deal of fun at the giant's expense until he retorted, "Well, an intelligent man knows to change his mind when presented with new facts. What is it you do?"

Come on, Mr. Schumer. Are you an intelligent man? I tend to think you are.

[tularetom]

3. Schumer didn't do his homework on Mukasey

and he shot off his big mouth before he knew all the facts.

[spotbird]

5. That's the best case

Another possibility is that he knew, but didn't care. In fact that is more consistent with his behavior since he supposedly learned the truth. If he genuinely was surprised, he would have immediately admitted that he was hoodwinked, and admit that the candidate has disqualified himself.

[movonne]

29. He is part of our dems who lean right...

[rhett o rick]

18. I doubt that he didn't know about Mukasey. He doesn't live in a vacuum and has staff. nm

[ChiciB1]

61. Schumer KNEW... But THIS Is What He Does!!! Think DSCC!!! And Then

think Hillary Clinton!! Loverly!!

[ChiciB1]

60. I Bet He DID Do His Homework... He Himself Is A Nasty Piece Of

meat himself!! Why does the name Lieberman come to mind??

[n2doc]

4. Why can't he just change his mind?

Why the hell does our political system get so uptight about changing one's mind? He should have the courage and say "Going into this, I thought that M.r Murkasey was a good man for the job. After hering his responses to our questions, I am convinced that he is not the right person. That is why we hold hearings, to find out a nominee's positions on critical issues. And in this case the hearings were very instructive."

[spotbird]

7. He wants this nominee.

He supports Murkasey, he wants him confirmed. The problem from Schumer's perspective isn't that Murkasey basically supports torture, it is that he didn't lie about it during confirmation.

[eleny]

8. Now that's some clever parsing on his part

I can think of lots of people who admitted to doing terrible things. And they couldn't possibly warrant my support. Jeez!

[rateyes]

12. Saying that he doesn't know whether or not waterboarding

is torture wasn't a lie? Saying it is torture immediately gets him voted up in committee, and, perhaps, voted down on the floor. Saying it isn't torture gets him voted down in committee, and he isn't confirmed.

The only answer he could give that would give him any kind of shot at being confirmed is the one he gave..."I don't know." But, he knows. Therefore, he's a liar and a capitulator to Bush. Therefore, he should not be confirmed.

[spotbird]

21. Mukasey bets, and we'll see if he is right,

that he'll be confirmed with this answer. If he admits it is torture, he'd also be obligated to prosecute the torturers, and those who ordered it, including Gonzo, Rumsfeld, Cheney, & Bush, once confirmed as AG.

There is no way Bush would select a candidate with anything approaching that kind of independence or integrity. Mukasey must not admit it's torture, he absolutely cannot make that concession. Neither will any Bush nominee. The Senate will capitulate because they know the consequences too. The mission of the Senate is to run out the clock, then they think it will be their turn to enjoy the new unchecked powers.

[krkaufman]

39. Which is the point that Schumer seems to be avoiding.

Schumer: “No nominee from this administration will agree with us on things like torture and wiretapping,” Mr. Schumer continued. “The best we can expect is somebody who will depoliticize the Justice Department and put rule of law first, even when pressured by some of the administration. If Mukasey is that type of person, I’ll support him.”

An AG nominee refusing to declare waterboarding is torture strictly because of the implications such a statement would have relative to the Administration *IS* politicizing the Justice Department. If Mukasey is unable to testify that waterboarding is torture, then he is allowing politics to trump a long-held precedent and he should not be running our justice system.

[spotbird]

45. The statement you highlighted is so

twisted it gives me a headache.

You are absolutely right.

[saigon68]

66. Mukasey is another NEOCON Puppet

In a long line of wimpish, fawning, NEOCON Puppets

[Robbien]

10. Perhaps because he still believes Murkasey is the best guy for the job

and he is pissed that some Democrats are not following his lead.

Remember, Shumer is a member of the new PNAC (Foundation for Defense of Democracy) and this Murkasey is the hand picked attorney to best fight this war on terror they are always going on about.

[spotbird]

23. If he honestly believes that, he

should honestly change his party affiliation. There is no place for that mindset in the Democratic Party. There shouldn't be anywhere in the democracy, but that's another matter.

[Robbien]

32. Every Dem on the FDD list should change their party affiliation

When Gingrich, Kristol, Perle, etal are the crowd you hang with, Schumer and Lieberman have nothing democratic about them.

[BattyDem]

14. Exactly.

The whole point of the hearings is to determine if someone is fit to hold the position they're nominated for. As a result of those hearings, he found out that this guy wasn't.

The hearings did exactly what they were designed to do. Isn't that a good thing? :shrug:

[Supersedeas]

6. it'll be interesting

[zanne]

9. And who put him there? nt

[formercia]

11. It's tough getting caught with your pants down

and having everyone see 'KAPO' stenciled across your bottom.

[rateyes]

13. I'm glad to see it. We will find out what he is made of.

As the old saying goes, "The one who rides the horse has to rope the steer."

[HERVEPA]

15. I learned last night the main reason for Schumer pushing for..

Mukasey is the Jewish connection. I didn't even know Mukasey was Jewish before this.
I learned this from someone who went to school with Mukasey, and is knowledgeable about Schumer, and very knowledgeable about politics in general.

Note: The person I learned this from is Jewish, I am Jewish, so this is not an anti-Jewish post.

[KittyWampus]

17. May I suggest, it isn't about "jewish" but AIPAC? A group of radical jewish supporters

of right wing politics both here and abroad (such as in Israel)?

[aquart]

22. "Radical jewish supporters of rightwing politics"

RADICAL? Could you haul out your dictionary and define that term so I have a clue what you're talking about?

YOU'RE SAYING THAT SCHUMER IS A "RADICAL SUPPORTER OF RIGHTWING POLITICS"????

Back it up with links and quotes so I can be assured this isn't the most lying piece of anti-semitic bigotry I've seen on DU all day. And in this place, that's saying some.

[movonne]

31. Yes, that is exactly what it is about...right there with lieberman...

[HERVEPA]

34. Has NOTHING to do with Israel

And your post sure as hell looks anti-semitic. And I am not a blind supporter of Israeli policies by any means.
Jesus, I was just trying to mention something I discovered last night.
.
.
.
Oh, I can't hide it. I'm a member of the cabal to break Jonathon Pollard out of prison and to try to influence the Vatican so that the next pope is Jewish.
:sarcasm:

[KittyWampus]

42. I was referring to extremist RIGHT WING politicians from Israel. That was obvious so why you didn't

grasp that is beyond me.

[HERVEPA]

48. Perhaps because your post wasn't clear.

Your post mentioned "here" and "abroad"

[lumpy]

36. Yes

x

[aquart]

20. Yeah, there are no anti-semitic Jews.

So I am completely reassured by what they called, in Hamlet, "protesting too much."

Schumer proposed Mukasey BECAUSE HE'S JEWISH???? Or because he's a Jewish REPUBLICAN with a spotless record?

[spotbird]

37. Is his record spotless?

The hearing didn't leave the casual observer with that impression.

[spotbird]

24. I hope your wrong,

because a nominee's religion is the most idiotic reason in the world to confirm him or her.

[HERVEPA]

28. Agreed

[formercia]

30. Really?

and here I was thinking that Mukasey was related to the Fogarty brothers. :rofl:

[0007]

58. Who were the Fogarty brothers? n/t

[lumpy]

33. I was wondering if that is the reason Schumer is

supporting Mukasey.

[cali]

40. this is amazing.

Is it only Jews you think that way about??? If Schumer was a Methodist and Mukasey was a Methodist, would you be thinking that was the reason that Schumer supported him? As a matter of fact, it turns out that Schumer has known Mukasey for quite some time. To suggest that Schumer supports him because they're both jews is stereotyping- and it's a weird thing to do.

[Stinky The Clown]

16. The time to say "I was wrong" is when you do something about it

Not after the fact. not when you're running for president. But when it fucking MATTERS.

Do the right thing, Chuckie.

[2rth2pwr]

19. Schumer is not in a tight spot, he agrees with torture

I think there are probably very few people in this room or in America who would say that torture should never, ever be used, particularly if thousands of lives are at stake. Take the hypothetical: if we knew that there was a nuclear bomb hidden in an American city and we believe that some kind of torture, fairly severe maybe, would give us a chance of finding that bomb before it went off, my guess is most Americans and most Senators, maybe all, would say do what you have to do. So it’s easy to sit back in the armchair and say that torture can never be used. But when you’re in the fox hole, it’s a very different deal. And I respect, I think we all respect the fact that the President’s in the fox-hole every day. So he can hardly be blamed for asking you, or his White House counsel or the Department of Defense, to figure out when it comes to torture, what the law allows and when the law allows it, and what there is permission to do. ...The Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on Terror Policy: Tuesday, June 8, 2004
http://abcrad.vo.llnwd.net/o1/levin/rss/schumer060804.mp3

[Bobbieo]

25. When you're wrong - You're wrong!! Admit it and take the consequences!!!!!

[HERVEPA]

27. Agreed

[JerseygirlCT]

57. Pat? Pat Buchanan? Is that you? nt

[2rth2pwr]

63. Why do you say that?

I could have told you that he would make it out of conference. Schumer sang this guy's praises from the beginning.

Are you implying that Schumer's just like Pat Buchanan?

[Highway61]

26. here's the link....posted this yesterday afternoon

Please email Senator Schumer and anyone else who is "on the fence" about confirming the nomination of Michael Mukasey for attorney general....This is the guy who believes in expansive presidential powers and won't say waterboarding is torture....

http://schumer.senate.gov/SchumerWebsite/contact/webform.cfm

what we wrote......

Dear Senator Schumer,

I am emailing you to request that you vote no on the nomination of Michael Mukasey for Attorney General of the United States.

Just the fact that any reasonable, intelligent and lawful citizen would not hesitate for a second to classify waterboarding as torture and this nominee's refusal to do so is enough to turn down his nomination.

To even hesitate an answer to the question, "Do you consider waterboarding to be toture?" is enough to disqualify any nominee for this position. Especially at this point in time with what just transpired under the former AG.

I am sure anyone who has been through the experience would say that waterboarding is indeed torture. Perhaps those who doubt that it is should experience for themselves.

Please look up the defination of waterboarding read it carefully several times, think about this nominee's answer to the above question and then cast your vote.

I don't even have to wonder if you'll come to the right decision. I know you will.

[lumpy]

35. Schumer should do the right thing and vote against the

nomination of this right wing Republican. Look up Mukasey's resume/record on Wikipedia and you will see what he is all about. Pretty scarey. Schumer doesn't always make the right decisions.

[Misskittycat]

38. I just emailed Schumer, but I'm from another state, so it probably doesn't count as much. n/t

[Highway61]

41. I disagree

EVERY email counts....We both did here as well and we are from Jersey...this is a very important issue...numbers speak volumes...thanks

[dflprincess]

44. Schumer runs the DSCC

I can't wait for the next email or phone call I get from them. I never did hear back from him after I thanked him and the DSCC for shoving Amy Klobuchar down Minnesota's throat last year (this was after Klobuchar's yes vote on Bushco's FISA bill).

[Krashkopf]

47. Schumer needs to DO THE RIGHT THING

There is an obvious reason why Judge Mukasey will never unequivocally state that “water boarding is torture.” If he takes that position, one of his first official acts after being sworn in as Attorney General, would have to be the opening of a criminal investigation against the President. You know THAT is NEVER going to happen!

But that is really a "side issue." What makes Judge Mukasey UNACCEPTABLE for the position of Attorney General - the highest law enforcement officer in the land - is his endorsement of the so-called "Unitary Executive theory” of Presidential power.

In its most extreme form – the form claimed by President Bush – a President with “Unitary Executive” powers, has the SOLE authority to decide what is, and what is not, the law. There are no Constitutional “checks and balances” on the power of a Unitary Executive. Laws passed by Congress can be ignored (with “Presidential Signing Statements”) and, Supreme Court decisions (such as those prohibiting warrantless wiretapping) can be treated as a mere “advisory opinions.”

We, as a Nation, are sliding down a very slippery slope. In the seven years since the Bush administration took office and began exercising “Unitary Executive” powers, the United States has morphed from a relatively free, small-“d” democratic/republic that valued freedom, justice, and the rule of law, into a more authoritarian quasi-police state that uses “extraordinary rendition,” torture and domestic surveillance.

In his first inaugural address, Thomas Jefferson said:

freedom of religion; freedom of the press, and freedom of person under the protection of the habeas corpus, and trial by juries impartially selected . . . form the bright constellation which has gone before us and guided our steps through an age of revolution and reformation . . . They should be the creed of our political faith, the text of civic instruction, the touchstone by which to try the services of those we trust; and should we wander from them in moments of error or of alarm, let us hasten to retrace our steps and to regain the road which alone leads to peace, liberty, and safety.

For the sake of the Nation, Chuck Schumer has to put his personal relationship with Judge Mukasey aside, and vote for what is RIGHT. The next Attorney General MUST be a person who will help us “regain that road . . . to peace, liberty and safety” by fighting to restore, protect, and defend, the Constitution, and re-establish the rule of law. As a supporter of “Unitary Executive theory,” Judge Mukasey is, clearly, not the man for the job.

Krash

[Krashkopf]

49. Schumer announces support for Mukasey - call the DSCC and give him HELL!

Chuck Schumer just announced his support for Judge Mukasey.

Schumer is the Chairman of the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee. Here is the contact information for the DSCC:

Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
Phone [phone]
Fax [phone]
For general information email [e-mail]

I just called and demanded that Schumer step down as Chair, immediately, and advised them that I would never contribute to the DSCC as long as he remained the Chair.

With weak-kneed Democratic "leaders" like Schumer (and DiFi, who also announced here support for Mukasey)who needs REPUBLICANS?!

Krash

[Greyskye]

50. Sen. Dianne Feinstein has announced support as well.

:grr:
http://www.politico.com/blogs/thecrypt/1107/Feinstein_says_yes_to_Mukasey_saves_nomination.html
Call and mail their offices.

:banghead:

[chimpymustgo]

51. Sorry, but that totally reinforces the AIPAC/PNAC agenda charges.

There's no other explanation for supporting Mukasey. NONE.

[troubleinwinter]

53. Yes, DiFi announced she's going to vote for him. I'm mailing her this:

It's a California voter registration form. I already did her the favor of filling out the name of her new party.



Baltimore Sun reports the announcement. http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/politics/blog/2007/11/schumer_feinstein_back_mukasey.html

[Algorem]

52. like there's really two parties.

[deacon]

54. Chuck "RUBBER STAMP" Schumer - Pro Torture Chuck n/t

[mitchum]

55. Chuck, most people just refer to that "tough spot" as bush's sphincter

[JerseygirlCT]

56. Good. I hope he has a lot of trouble sleeping at night

after this one.

Sweet dreams of all the torture you've just enabled, Sen. Schumer.

[Name removed]

59. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Sparkly]

62. “No nominee from this administration will agree with us on things like torture and wiretapping,”

“No nominee from this administration will agree with us on things like torture and wiretapping,” Mr. Schumer continued. “The best we can expect is somebody who will depoliticize the Justice Department and put rule of law first, even when pressured by some of the administration. If Mukasey is that type of person, I’ll support him.”

If it's against the LAW, it's against the LAW. If they don't "agree with us," that's BushCo's problem! Force a shut-down or at least force him to make a recess appointment. But for God's sake, approving somebody to this position who refuses to recognize THE LAW?? There's no excuse, no rationale, no reason at all for voting yes.

[mmonk]

64. I will be sending money to his primary opponent

in his next election.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

65. While were at it, can we form a "Dump Di Fi coalition"?

I think, come the revolution, we should shave her head in Union Square like they did to the Vichy French. Sort of like a Brazillion bikini wax.

[mdmc]

67. they never covered this type of situation

in any of the questions on the SAT.