Democrats Won’t Block Hearing for Gonzales Successor: Back away from fight with WH

[DeepModem Mom]

Source: New York Times

By PHILIP SHENON
Published: October 4, 2007

WASHINGTON, Oct. 3 — Backing away from a fight with the White House, Senate Democrats are suggesting that they will not hold up confirmation of President Bush’s nominee for attorney general, Michael B. Mukasey, despite differences over Senate access to documents involving Justice Department actions. In a letter to Mr. Mukasey made public Wednesday, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont, said he would go forward with the confirmation hearings without the promise of the documents.

The committee had for months been pressing the White House for access to files and e-mail messages about last year’s firing of several federal prosecutors for what Democrats maintain were political reasons, and about legal justifications for the domestic eavesdropping program run by the National Security Agency.

In the letter, dated Tuesday, Mr. Leahy said he had hoped that the White House would “work with us to fulfill longstanding requests for information so that we could all agree about what went so wrong at the Department of Justice and work together to restore it.” Instead, Mr. Leahy wrote to Mr. Mukasey, “they have left you to answer the unanswered questions and left longstanding disputes unresolved.”...

***

The decision to go forward with the hearings appeared to reflect a calculation by Mr. Leahy and other Democrats that they did not want to be seen as willing to leave the post unfilled after complaining so loudly of turmoil in the department under Mr. Gonzales.

Despite concerns among Democrats and some civil liberties groups about Mr. Mukasey’s past support for sweeping national security powers for the executive branch, his nomination has generally been well received on Capitol Hill, among Democrats and Republicans alike....

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/04/washington/04justice.html

[msongs]

1. No subpoena compliance, NO NEW attorney general - grrrrr at democrats in congress nt

[spotbird]

33. Leahy gave his word!

I'm shocked that he hasn't stayed true to it. Shocked I tell you!

[cali]

34. Leahy had zip backing from other dems, both on the committee

and off. Not one backed him, including Feingold. I warned of this weeks ago.

[spotbird]

Then he should stand alone

for what's right. At least his loss would be with honor.

[cali]

51. What nonsense. That's not the way it works in the Senate.

And Leahy is one of the most honorable people in that body.

[spotbird]

53. Then he should keep his word

that's what honorable people do. Or is your point that the standard for honorable is so significantly diminished in the Senate that the common definition of honorable doesn't apply?

Also, the Senate doesn't work at all. It is nothing more than an appendage of the administration.

[cali]

54. You really aren't knowledgable enough to be worth my

time. I like arguing with people who take a different pov from mine, but only if it's grounded in reality.

[spotbird]

55. That reality seems

to be that someone must agree with you for you to consider that person informed. I'm proud not to exist in your oblivion, but the reality based world does have its drawbacks.

Sadly, your belief that it is impossible for the Democrats to act as honorable men individually does not make you informed, only arrogant. You may be right on one point, that it is naive for anyone to expect honorable behavior from our leaders, collectively or individually. The existence of courage, convictions, or courage of convictions is quaint.

You may have the last word.

[robinlynne]

59. You've been calling everyone stupid for days now. It's getting tiring.

[spotbird]

45. Then he should stand alone

for what's right. At least his loss would be with honor.

[Dulcinea]

46. We have a winner! ding*ding*

They'll save the fighting for SCHIP. Let us hope.

[ShortnFiery]

2. GUTLESS WONDERS!

We need referendums for *term limits* ... get new blood in Congress.

Arrogant shills! "Go along to get along SPINELESS Democratic Leaders." :(

[Trisket-Bisket]

7. I live in OH 10.

I plan to vote against Dumpy, the blowhard poser and elect a real Democrat in the primary.

He has spent the last 5 years running for an office he is not qualified for.

He was recalled as Mayor of Cleveland.

He is a worthless demigod that makes promises he can never deliver.

[IndianaGreen]

13. Translation: You prefer a DLC puke that will rubber stamp the war

One along the lines of those Vichy leaders like Leahy and Obey, that turn tail and run without firing a shot.

[babylonsister]

17. Dang. You' re still here? nt

[PunkPop]

47. LOL!

Tell us what a 'real Democrat' is TB.

Why are you replying to someone's avatar? What ARE the qualifications for being president? Why are you mischaracterizing history? Do you mean 'demagogue'?

One more question: Can you go away and never come back?

[Kolesar]

57. Kucinich was not recalled you dumbass

Let me take this moment to state that Paul Hackett is making an ass of himself by backing Rosemary Palmer. He is dead meat in the Ohio Democratic Party.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_recall_election,_1978

[The_Casual_Observer]

3. That gonzales eddie munster guy is gone, that's all that matters.

The new nit wit isn't worth the effort of a fight or anything else, he'll be kicked out soon enough.

[spotbird]

32. Hardly

Gonzales called attention to the corruption in the department, without him it is unchecked.

[Whoa_Nelly]

4. Does the BushCo/PNAC junta have threat pressuring info to use on those in every fucking office?

Have they created dossiers on every single congresscritter that can be used to "influence" them?

Have often wondered. They are the New American Mafia.

[gateley]

20. NEW American Mafia? I think they've been around for a long while. nt

[InkAddict]

49. Who needs dossiers when you control the briefcase boys that

work for PNAC and their wholly-owned subsidiaries,...think Telefon's miles to go before I sleep-- with or without the MK/ULTRA twist...If we can create conspiratorial LIHOP/MIHOP scenarios out of dots...well...one can certainly imagine what those tiny envelopes of germs were serving up - and certainly there is no shame in the "collateral damage" done.

[bonito]

5. Can someone explain this to me?

Senator Patrick Leahy, the Democratic Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said that Mukasey would commit to an administrative rule to ensure that only the Attorney General or Deputy Attorney General, not U.S. Attorneys or other Justice employees, could respond to inquiries from politicians regarding outstanding cases, and that any other employee who discusses cases "with somebody outside, whether from the White House or members of Congress or something else like that, they will be fired"; this concession sought to avoid problems that arose during the controversy over the dismissal of U.S. Attorneys under the previous Attorney General's tenure.<32>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Mukasey

[Oak2004]

6. Oh My! I Am Surprised.

This is Such an Unexpected Change of Tactics. I'd Never Imagine The Democrats Would Back Away From Confrontation With This Administration.

:sarcasm:

[hvn_nbr_2]

21. Gee, I'm completely surprised and amazed.

I would never have guessed they'd back down, especially before the fight even began.

Either this is the best rope-a-dope since Frazier-Ali or they've sold out us and America completely.:mad: :puke:

[hatrack]

36. For my part, I am eagerly awaiting a strongly-worded statement from Pat Leahy!

Eagerly! And I'll betcha it'll be really strongly worded!!!

Strongly!

[percussivemadness]

8. All of DU needs to to

http://www.peterlance.com/Peter%20Lance/Home/AF855F19-F94A-4D80-A099-018DD34C367B.html
" in an exclusive two part report for rawstory.com sheds new light on a little known incident during the trial when the Judge helped minimize the significance of al Qaeda spy and FBI informant Ali Mohamed"

He dishes the dirt on Mukasey big time.

How many of you know about the Lin DeVecchio trial? It started on October 1st and could prove to be very damaging to a number of high profile figures (including Mukasey, Guliani and sadly Patrick Fitzgerald)

Heard any mention of it in the media?

I wonder why not.

Peace

[Mojorabbit]

9. Why would they do this

on the day the nyt comes out with their bombshell story? It makes no sense.

[rpannier]

10. The Democratic Majority

All talk...no action

[Drum]

11. Wow...this is news?

:eyes:

[calimary]

12. Let's make sure we can meet some of these amoebae at the poker

tables in Vegas, 'eh? They'll bluff a little, and then fold completely.

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. They are obviously allergic to accountability

Bastards.

[rich1107]

15. Schumer

had previously named Mukasey as one of three potential attorney general nominees whose selection would likely be approved by a Democratic-controlled Senate." So, it looks like they are gambling that he is a rule of law guy and not in the Bushco pocket. Relevant to this post, it was going to be a hard sell not to proceed after a Democrat suggested him in the first place.

[Orsino]

30. Bad gamble.

* only nominates made men.

[Gloria]

16. Well, gee, Shumer proclaimed him acceptable---thereby boxing

them in. Would look damned foolish to suddenly turn on they guy they recommended!!

Maybe Leahy has some tough questions to ask......I'm hearing he does....

[Warren Stupidity]

28. ooo tough questions

I bet the fascist thugs are shaking in their big black boots.

[HuffleClaw]

18. WHAT will it take for them to actually do something?

nothing i can think of

[TreasonousBastard]

19. I don't get the whining about this...

would it be better to have NO Attorney General for the next 15 months?

Ya know, it ain't easy to find someone who will take the job for only a year. It's even tougher to find the perfect guy acceptable to Shrub, the Senate, and the bullhorn contingent of DU and the leftwing blogs.

Schumer and his perpetually big mouth got us this one, so everyone just STFU and let him do whatever for a year.

[Warren Stupidity]

26. Yes of course it would be better to have no attorney general

Justice runs itself just fine without having a political hack at its helm fucking things up.

However that really is beside the point. Once again, what little power was available has been 'taken off the table'. They aren't even going to try.

[hatrack]

48. Hmm. . . Career Justice Exec. as Acting AG, or Alberto Gonzales . . . Which would have been better?

Hmm . . . Career Justice Exec. as acting AG, or the Chimp's next hack nominee? Which could be better?

Gosh, I'm just STUMPED!

[Trillo]

22. It's very curious how DU has changed since 2006.

It's ephemeral and subtle. A post like this, several years ago, would have had hundreds of posts expressing raw outrage. I'd ask what had changed if I didn't already have my own ideas about that.

Dear Leahy: Do not "hope" with this admin. It's like a stock trader who bet wrong and "hopes" the trend turns around, while everyone else in the know laughs and wonders how much the position must go against you until you decide to fold.

The final solution is to impeach. It may be the only solution, and it may not appear as much a solution, as another hard row to hoe.

[demgrrrll]

23. Well I'll bite. I have noticed changes too but I attributed a lot of the

changes to fatigue and just being worn down to the bone, I know that is where I am at times. I suppose there is a part of me that feels that Bush has accomplished his objective of looting the treasury and making sure that there are no funds for social programs. I am normally one of the most optimistic people on the planet but I really feel like even if the new Congress is primarily Democratic they are not going to have a lot to work with. These people must pay. Impeach, Indict, Imprison. I don't care which I it is as long as these people are in some way held accountable for their crimes.

[Gin]

27. A new Bumper sticker........The I's Have it

The I's Have it Impeach, Indict, Imprison.

[tanyev]

31. Cynicism.

It's gotten to the point where the surprise would be if he had followed up his tough words with the appropriate tough actions. If that had happened, I'll bet the post about it would have hundreds of replies expressing shock, admiration, and approval.

[spotbird]

44. Apathy

In a marriage it is the ominous sign that divorce is inevitable.

You're right, people are past rage, and all strong emotion, they see it for what it is.

[deacon]

24. This congress is the same as the last. Why bother even have a hearing?

Just give bush anything he wants.

[Warren Stupidity]

25. I am just shocked,shocked I tell ya.

I would have thought that with the leverage available to the Senate over the confirmation of a new attorney general, pressure would have been applied to force the white house to comply with subpoenas. That would have been a simple strategy to put the power that Congress has to actual use, to exercise power. But it seems, and I find this stunning, that there is no actual desire on the part of our party's congressional leadership to use its power to oppose this administration and the programs and policies of the ruling party. Instead, our congressional leadership appears to be far more comfortable playing the role of junior partner in a corrupt collusion that should always be referred to as The Corporate Kleptocracy and War Party.

It's the Duopoly, Stupid

[Solly Mack]

29. any day now

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

35. Cowards one and all.

:shrug:

[MiaCulpa]

37. Democrats drop demand for documents as prerequisite to confirming Bush AG nominee

Source: The Raw Story

Democrats drop demand for documents as prerequisite to confirming Bush AG nominee
John Byrne
Published: Thursday October 4, 2007

Senate Democrats who bemoaned the White House's refusal to turn over subpoenaed documents in their investigation of the firing of eight US Attorneys won't block Bush's nominee for Attorney General, Michael Mukasey, despite the fact he won't promise to release the files.

Mukasey, the man Bush tasked to enforce the laws of the United States, has no said whether he'll allow Democrats access to files and email messages about the prosecutors' firings and legal justifications for Bush's warrantless wiretapping program.

In a public letter dated Tuesday and released Wednesday, Senate Judiciary Chairman Pat Leahy (D-VT) said he'd go forward with confirmation hearings regardless.

Read more: http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Democrats_drop_demand_for_documents_as_1004.html

[Lerkfish]

38. well la di da

what can I say? we're screwn

[gaiilonfong]

39. NO SPINE AGAIN n/t

[TechBear_Seattle]

40. "Give us the documents." "No." "Ok, you win."

Yet again, the Democrats cave in faster than a La Jolla street. At least in La Jolla, no one was tortured or killed.

[C_U_L8R]

42. As resolute as a soggy noodle

we ought to trade our asskicking donkey in for lil yellow shadowscared chicken.

cluck cluck cluck

[lonestarnot]

41. WTF

[tom_paine]

43. Yawn. What a shock. Yawn.

Predictable as any other sham opposition in any other Totalitarian Nation, be it Imperial Amerika, Communists China or BushPutinist Russia.

[Beetwasher]

50. THIS Is Why I'm Really Starting To Believe That There Is BLACKMAIL & DEATH THREATS

against members of congress. Maybe not all of them, but the fact that Leahy can't get the support he needs tells me something is up.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=1967410&mesg_id=1967410

[Lone_Star_Dem]

58. Something is up, that's for sure

What it is, and who it's directed at I'm not sure.

It could even be that they've become slaves to the polling numbers and won't step forward unless they have a certain percentage lead going the battle.

More than likely though it's going to be a combination of several factors including blackmail, threats and scared politicians who are afraid to take a step without the Democracy Corps telling them the numbers are there for them to take a stand.

The end result is the same no matter the reason. America is getting screwed.

[Doctor_J]

52. Gee, when Leahy huffed and puffed yesterday, I thought Rove would cave in

:sarcasm:

[Psephos]

56. Rove did cave in (effective August 31 2007) n/t

[The Stranger]

60. We need DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATIVES, not these criminals.

How the fuck can any self-respecting person attack those who are angry with these Republicans posing as "Democrats"? These people are NOT DEMOCRATS. They are WAR PARTY.

[ProudDad]

61. Yeah, sure don't want to piss off the 18%

of inbreed jerk-wads who still support the illegal occupant...

"Mr. Leahy and other Democrats that they did not want to be seen as willing to leave the post unfilled after complaining so loudly of turmoil in the department under Mr. Gonzales."

I'll bet the folks as Justice just can't WAIT for another bush appointee... :sarcasm:

[Mountainman]

62. Spine thy name is not Democrat.