"If we had an American who was picked up and waterboarded

[cali]

we'd be screaming bloody murder." Pat Leahy on VPR just now.

Leahy just gave an interview on VPR and made his disgust with Mukasey clear. He said that he couldn't vote for him unless he denounced the practice of waterboarding and all torture techniques.
He sounded so weary and just horrified by Mukasey's letter.

He also said:

"We have to make it very, very clear that waterboarding is torture. It's been torture since the days of the Inquisition".

I don't see Leahy voting for Mukasey. Biden and, I believe, Kennedy, have said they won't vote for him. That leaves Whitehouse, Kohl, Feinstein, Carper, Feingold and Durbin. Durbin and Feingold almost certainly won't be voting for him. I don't think Whitehouse or Kohl will either. Feinstein is the weak link here.

[Mojambo]

1. Hasn't Whitehouse declared to vote against?

Thought I read that somewhere...

[tekisui]

2. My thoughts on Feinstein as well.

After her cozy plane ride with chimpy, she worries me. But, would she still vote to confirm if she KNEW that her vote would be the deciding vote?

[Disturbed]

6. Dino Feinstein defenitely needs to be reminded that she is

supposed to represent the "people" instead of the MIC.

[cali]

7. Well, her vote in Committee to vote him out

to the floor, would in essence be the deciding vote. I wonder though, if she'll be willing to go that route if she's the only dem on the panel voting that way.

[dkofos]

3. Unless it were * & darth

[Cooley Hurd]

4. Feinstein is quite the cameleon...

...I'm sure, in the back of her mind, she's calculating how much of her $$$ would be gained/lost by voting (or not voting) for Mukasey. Sad, isn't it?:(

[Poiuyt]

5. Didn't America already prosecute a Japanese officer for waterboarding

Unless you believe Giuliani when he said that if waterboarding is torture depends on who does it.

[yurbud]

8. now if Democrats could just CONSISTENTLY point out the obvious

and not apologize the next day.

[cali]

11. well, I constantly hear Leahy and Sanders pointing out the

obvious and speaking strongly on VPR frequently, but it never seems to get picked up by the national press. And I've never heard either apologize. Both Leahy and Sanders appear on VPR and VPT for phone in shows as well, and they've been very candid about a host of issues when they respond to callers.

[Solly Mack]

9. I'd like an AG that did more than just denounce torture...

[cali]

12. You're not going to get one from bushco. n/t

[Solly Mack]

13. True...but I still want it :)

[gratuitous]

10. Call Feinstein's Office

Be courteous, but firm: America doesn't need an "upperdown" vote on whether or not to condone torture, whether by waterboarding or excessive sophistry. Mukasey's cute little word games would be laughable if the subject wasn't so deadly (literally) serious, and the potential repercussions likewise.

[cali]

14. will do. thanks for the reminder n/t