Feinstein and Schumer explain their support for continued torture:

[ProSense]

Via TPM Muckraker:

Here's Schumer's explanation, via Roll Call (sub. req.):

“I deeply esteem those who believe the issue of torture is so paramount that Judge Mukasey’s views on it should be the sole determinant of our vote,” Schumer said in a statement. “But I must respectfully disagree.

“The Justice Department is a shambles: politicized and demoralized. The belief and hope that Justice Mukasey, with his experience, independence and integrity, can restore the department motivates my vote.”

And here's Feinstein, in a release just out:

"I believe that Judge Mukasey is the best we will get and voting him down would only perpetuate acting and recess appointments, allowing the Administration to avoid the transparency that confirmation hearings provide and diminish effective oversight by Congress."

When is waterboarding not torture? When it interferes with Dick
Cheney’s and David Addington’s retirement plans.

Scott Horton:

I have very strong conflicting views about the vote which is coming in the Judiciary Committee. I believe that Mukasey, as an individual, is exceptionally well qualified to serve as attorney general. I would approve the Mukasey who says he "personally" finds waterboarding abhorrent. But I am troubled by the "official" Mukasey who is being trotted out as something different. And I believe that the nation cannot, at this stage, accept the appointment of an attorney general who refuses to come clean on the torture issue. In the end this is essential to national identity, and to the promise of the Justice Department to serve as a law enforcement agency. Too much of what the Justice Department has done of late has little resemblance to law enforcement. Rather it looks to be just the opposite.

If the Bush Administration wants to turn torture into a litmus test, so must Congress. The question therefore ultimately becomes one of principle and not personality. The Judiciary Committee should not accept any nominee who fails to provide meaningful assurance on this issue. And, though it saddens me to say this, Michael Mukasey has not.

Steve Clemons:

On paper, Mukasey was a good choice. But in his performance, he decided to lick and polish the boots of Bush administration torture-meister, Cheney chief-of-staff David Addington. When that happened, Mukasey went to the dark side and abandoned the excellent efforts put forward by other Bush administration anti-torture advocates like Legal Adviser to the Secretary of State John Bellinger, former State Departement Policy Planning Deputy Director Matthew Waxman, Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England, and former Counselor to Secretary of State Rice Philip Zelikow.

[babylonsister]

1. I'm so bloody disappointed, and no amount of words will change that. nt

[NC_Nurse]

2. .

:puke: :puke: :puke: :puke:

[Xipe Totec]

4. Let alone those words, which amount to an endorsement of torture

"we have more important things to worry about than torture, like the proper functioning of the Holy Inquisi..., er... the Justice Department".

[ixion]

12. yep, me too...

:argh:

[Nictuku]

3. Trying to call Feinsteins office

and it is busy busy busy. She will never get my vote again.

[MzNov]

9. Impossible to get thru and her email sucks.

She is a traitor.

[Nictuku]

11. I kept trying and finally got through

and expressed my opinion. I doubt it will make any difference. I'm very upset. I will never vote for her again.

[Nictuku]

15. Here are Feinstein's phone numbers

San Francisco
One Post Street, Suite 2450
San Francisco, CA 94104
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Los Angeles
11111 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 915
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

San Diego
750 B Street, Suite 1030
San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Fresno
2500 Tulare Street, Suite 4290
Fresno, CA 93721
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
TTY/TDD: [phone]

[MzNov]

16. I tried to vote her out but she got 88% of the vote in CA.

:grr: :grr:

Her vote doesn't surprise me, but she needs to be told, I know, it doesn't matter anyway. These DINOs don't care what their consituents want.

I emailed her finally and told her she is a traitor.

Another sad, sad, sad day.

And Schumer? I've never expected anything else from him.

[slowry]

5. Fuck Ralph n/t

[ProSense]

7. Agree! n/t

[nightrider767]

6. Bush Will Thank Democrats Tomorrow

With an open handed bitch-slap to the face.....



Beam me up Scottie!!! I've found no intelligent life forms!

[madrchsod]

8. that`s ok --that Geneva Conventions are so last century

i bet dodd would like to kick both their asses...he just wrote a book about the Nuremberg Trial that his dad was part of...."there is no hope ,no reasoning,this rainy day in june"(the kinks)

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

10. "diminish effective oversight by congress". Jesus, the irony.

They just voted for a torturer and are now telling us how much "oversight" they wield?

And, being a torturer shouldn't be the "sole determining factor"? Schumer talks like torture is akin to bad table manners.

Good Germans, both of them.

[williesgirl]

13. These 2 fuckheads/traitors to our country should be waterboarded publicly NOW.

[MzNov]

18. don't forget LIEberman

I think I hate DiFi even more, if that's possible.

[opihimoimoi]

14. I never would have guessed they would vote for torture...never...but, now that they do...

I am pissed.

Where is their sense of morality, common sense, decency????

Their excuses are lame in totally inadequate....

They have no idea what they have done to themselves...that alone reveals they are above their heads...

Repeal both them fkrs...send in some Pubs...the real kine....WTF, it would be the same thing...

[Nictuku]

19. K&R

We need to flood their offices with phone calls, especially if one of them is your Senator.

When does Feinstein come up for re-election? I want to vote her out of office!

[high density]

17. What "Integrity?"

Schumer is sounding Orwellian now.

[Nictuku]

21. We need 2 more Reccs

... to get this to greatest page.

When does this vote come up? Maybe we can change their minds.... (I try to keep some amount of hope alive)

[Solly Mack]

20. His "integrity"? LMAO A man who would continue Bush's torture policy

has NO integrity

What a bullshit lying excuse.

DiFi's full of shit as well


She's planning to use the fact that Bush won't allow Mukasey to clarify once he is AG to hide behind and then she will say - I said I'd ask for clarification once he became AG, but how was I to know Bush wouldn't allow him to answer my questions? Because no could have anticipated that Bush would prevent members of the executive from talking to Congress....cause gee, Bush never does that.

[MzNov]

22. This is EXACTLY why Pres PissyPants invited her on Air Force One

the other day, and she came back just gushing like a school girl. He's wonderful, caring, compassionate.....

he's a monster and he knows how to turn on that vicious sneering charm and these stupid stupid women just fall for it. Congrats DiFi, you are a complete moron.

[skul_Donteecha]

23. Feinstein & Shumer have seriously disappointed me.

Feinstein is my senator and Shumer and I graduated from the same high school in New York and I find their decision to back the President's AG nominee outrageous.

Have they forgotten the mood of the nation during the 2006 election that returned the majority to the Democrats. The country is fed up with Republicans, neocons and other trash associated with Shrub but Feinstein and Shumer seem to be totally insecure about their one future on Capital Hill.
This decision wont help one bit. All they have to do is be Democrats and act like democrats and the constituent's will back them all the way, but this caving in is disgusting and I can see the voters deciding that Feinstein and Shumer have lost whatever value they once possessed.

I cannot see either of them rating yet another term in office. Certainly not after this weak kneed display of fear and trepidation.

[globalvillage]

24. Is Feingold still on the fence?

I see Leahy is opposing.

Another Democrat on the Judiciary Committee who was critical of Mukasey during the hearings, Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, said he has not yet decided how he'll vote.

"He may be the best nominee we can get from this administration in this respect," Feingold said of Mukasey. "But I am concerned about his views on executive power, and I am weighing whether his answers to questions in that area adequately demonstrate a commitment to the rule of law."

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SENATE_MUKASEY?SITE=PAPIT&SECTION=NATIONAL&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[spanone]

25. why did they announce their allegiance to bu$h* four days ahead of vote?

[Disturbed]

27. These two provide the perfect example of why the Dems

are no longer representative of the Constitution of the USA.

All Progressives should flee from the Dem Party & join the Green Party, now!

[Island Blue]

26. With Democrats like this, who needs Republicans?

:grr:

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

28. Schumer refers to Mukasey's "experience, independence and integrity"

Doesn't Mukasey's refusal to take a firm and unambiguous position on waterboarding before getting his marching orders from Bush show the very opposite, that in fact he has no independence nor integrity?

[ProSense]

29. Feinstein's explanation is extremely pathetic

Bush has already threatened a recess appointment of Mukasey. Why is that a reason to give him cover. Such an appointment would blow up in his face, especially after Foxie. It's as if Feinstein doesn't want to put Bush in a weaker position than he's actually in. Her vote could have killed the nomination of recently confirmed racist judge Southwick, but instead she hid behind the argument that the partisanship must end. Opposing a racist = partisanship.

Jerk!

[Sugar Smack]

32. AW, JEEEEEEEESUS!

FUCK! This shit is unbelieveable. Especially after seeing the fucking CODEPINK video. The utter FACT of torture is devastating & criminal. Note the Feinstein woman had her hand in the air to waylay communication. How cozy.

[Usrename]

30. They are not human beings.

They need to be put out with the rest of the garbage.

[ProSense]

31. Kick! n/t

[spanone]

33. on both accounts....bullshit

[Rosa Luxemburg]

34. I'm surprised at Chuck

not at Diane

[Whisp]

35. how much more of this can the country stand?

how many dissapointments like this yet to come? o. m. g. !

complicit frickin' weasels. lousy tinpots. I will spit on your images when next I see your sorry assfaces on the tube.

appears Nader Was right afterall.

[in_cog_ni_to]

36. What a crock of....

:grr: