White House To Congress: Confirm Mukasey Now, Ask Questions About Torture Later

[babylonsister]

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/11/01/perino-mukasey/

White House To Congress: Confirm Mukasey Now, Ask Questions About Torture Later

During today’s White House press briefing, Press Secretary Dana Perino brushed aside lawmakers’ concerns about Michael Mukasey’s views on torture, urging them to quickly confirm him as attorney general. “Once he is confirmed, then the Congress has the capabilty to ask him to come to Congress and to testify on all sorts of matters, including this one,” she said.

But this technique — confirm now, question later — immediately raised red flags with reporters, who pointed out that if Mukasey becomes attorney general, the Bush administration would likely block him from answering questions in the future as well:

MS. PERINO: While they were saying is — which Judge Mukasey has done, is to say, I will not be able to provide a legal opinion about any particular technique. He is not read into the programs. … And once he is confirmed, then the Congress has the capability to ask him to come to Congress and to testify on all sorts of matters, including this one. <…>

Q: Dana, a follow up on that. The McCain-Graham letter, on the assumption that Judge Mukasey is confirmed and is read into the program, your policy is still not to talk about specific methods, so he is, if he is confirmed, not going to be in a position to speak about waterboarding as being legal or not.

Watch it/read transcript at link~

Perino dodged the reporter’s follow-up, replying that several lawmakers have “been briefed on the legal underpinnings and they have been briefed on the techniques. So Congress — the appropriate members of Congress have all the information that they need about these programs. They are safe, they are effective, they are tough, and they are legal.”

But in reality, the White House refuses to even define torture. In fact, key leaders in the House and Senate, including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee John D. Rockefeller (D-WV), say they have never been fully briefed on the administration’s interrogation policies.

The White House would prefer for Congress to confirm Mukasey now and question him later — if at all. But the Bush administration’s long history of secrecy suggests that, should Mukasey be confirmed, the Senate will be able to glean no more from this Attorney General than it could from the previous one.

[Solly Mack]

1. ....

“Once he is confirmed, then the Congress has the capability to ask him to come to Congress and to testify on all sorts of matters, including this one,” she said."

LMAO. Yeah, That'll happen. LMAO


"...several lawmakers have “been briefed on the legal underpinnings and they have been briefed on the techniques."

Just let me say...

If ANY lawmaker has been briefed on the US using torture - and water-boarding IS torture - those lawmakers ARE WAR CRIMINALS - unless they immediately came forth and exposed the Bush administration.

My government can engage in all the bullshit debates and bullshit concern speeches all it wants...fact is, America IS a war crime nation because America DOES torture...and anyone and everyone attempting to cover up that fact is JUST AS GUILTY AS BUSH.

[babylonsister]

2. I'm recommending your response!

:yourock:

[Solly Mack]

5. I'm tired of all the word games and lies

I'm tired of all the enabling and protecting.

The US government engages in torture. Anyone pretending otherwise is part of the problem. Anyone pretending otherwise is destroying America.

[librechik]

3. SHOWDOWN--CALL YOUR SENATORS, FOLKS

There's gonna be a new sheriff in town--and he ain't gonna be a torturer.

And the little dictator can stomp his little boots until the end of never.

We want the Constitution, not a fearmongering tyrant.

[Solly Mack]

7. Yes. Let them know - a vote for Mukasey is a vote for torture.

And we won't tolerate being lied to any longer about it. Our government tortures. Stop it. Hold the Bush admin. accountable.

[Disturbed]

4. She is as full of shit as Busholini is.

She should be laughed at when she makes such silly statements.

[Solly Mack]

6. She is indeed...and she's just as guilty.

[No DUplicitous DUpe]

8. I like your reply, too. Right on.

Clear and to the point.

[Solly Mack]

9. Thank you. I'm just so tired of the BS torture/water-boarding "debate"

There's nothing to debate...it's illegal.

[babylonsister]

11. Someone needs to tell Schumer, and even Leahy, that. Apparently

neither have made up their minds.

[Solly Mack]

12. They know water-boarding is torture and that torture is illegal

They know that for the last 6 years America has been playing a word game in regards to torture - a word game designed to confuse the issue and allow the torture to take place, all the while distracting away from the lack of accountability.

[blues90]

10. It's complete insanity

It's like bomb Iraq or now Iran and then sort it out as if the truth will come out somehow after the fact .

[wiggs]

13. Limiting debate to waterboarding is a mistake...

Dems shouldn't focus narrowly on the issue of waterboarding. Big, often-repeated mistake to put all eggs in one basket and take a stand on a narrow, gray aspect of the debate.

There are other aspects of this administration and the office of USAG that deserve discussion and public debate. What about abuse of presidential power? Executive priviledge? Politicization of the Justice Department? Rendition? NSA spying? Going after Hatch Act violations? Political prosecutions of dems and Rove involvement? District Attorney firings for political reasons?

The waters are easily muddied on waterboarding, as is being done.

Also.....When I say "mistake" I'm being generous....because I've seen the "strategy" of focusing on one smaller aspect of the larger debate pursued unsuccessfully so many times that I am tempted to believe it is a deliberate way of looking like you're providing oversight while actually not. If they wanted to pull out the big guns on this process they certainly could.

Prediction: Mukasey will be narrowly confirmed. Some republicans will vote against, several dems won't vote = confirmation.

[babylonsister]

14. Good post, thanks. Your prediction wouldn't surprise me either, sadly. nt