Leahy CAVES to BUSH?? Sets Confirmation Hearings for Mukasey to be Attorney General

[L. Coyote]

Did Bush outfox Leahy, by installing a Gonzo clone as Acting AG?
Leahy has decided to schedule hearings on the new AG nomination.
Given all the fan-fare about not going forward until the administration provides answers, this should be interesting.

=================
Leahy Sets Confirmation Hearings for Mukasey
By Paul Kiel - October 10, 2007
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/004429.php


It's official: the confirmation hearings for Michael Mukasey to replace Alberto Gonzales as attorney general will begin next Wednesday, October 17. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) set the date today.

Leahy laid out the questions he'll have for Mukasey in a letter last week (http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/004369.php), in which he also indicated that Mukasey's confirmation will be considered separate from the administration's refusal so far to turn over documents concerning its warrantless surveillance program. When Mukasey's name was first announced by the president, Leahy said that his focus was on "securing the relevant information we need so we can proceed to schedule fair and thorough hearings." Now those hearings will apparently go forward without that information. Or as Leahy put it last week to Mukasey, "they have left you to answer the unanswered questions." We'll see how that goes.

Michael Mukasey: http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/cats/michael_mukasey/

[Poiuyt]

1. What did you expect?

[defendandprotect]

3. It is rather amazing that people here are continually surprised at this -- !!!!!

And they're surprised and surprised and surprised --- !!!!

But that seems to be the end of the story.

[defendandprotect]

2. Democrats should be putting fire under the feet of Cheney/Bush . . . not this -- !!!

[scarletwoman]

4. LOL! Like THAT wasn't predictable... (nt)

[DefenseLawyer]

5. All hat

and no cattle.

[cali]

10. Do you know anything about Keisler? n/t

[DefenseLawyer]

23. I'm not sure

why it has to be an either or proposition. Leahy could enforce those subpoenas if he wanted to, he could hold them all in contempt of Congress if he wanted to, force a "Constitutional Crisis", as the press likes to say, if he wanted to. You can spin this as strategery if you want, I think it is another example of meaningless bluster. Talk a big game, make a headline, then cave since the consultants are all telling him not to be "obstructionist" or heaven forbid standing in the way of the war on terra.

[burrowowl]

6. Let's hope Leahy has some dirt on him

that will be revealed at the hearings.

[L. Coyote]

9. The problem is the New Acting AG Peter Keisler = "quoting Cheney" to Leahy

SEE: New Acting AG Peter Keisler = Do we need HEARINGS on his USA firings role?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1849324

Installing a totally unacceptable Acting AG was Bush's way of "quoting Cheney" to Leahy.

[cali]

26. yep. an even bigger go fuck yourself n/t

[rwheeler31]

7. Do you remember anthrax?

Leahy is one of the most honest guys in the congress

[EFerrari]

12. I do. And I agree with you.

Maybe Leahy is expecting to use those hearings as a platform.

[cali]

16. This has nothing to do with anthrax. I can tell you exactly what

it has to do with: Leahy knows damn well that bushco would like nothing better than keeping his pet crooked crony Keisler in as long as he possibly can as Acting AG. No way was he going to give up the subpoenaed materials, and in the meantime, god only knows what kind of destruction of evidence is going on under Keisler- who really is the worst of the worse. He's not only a bush crony, but he's smarter than gonzo.

[L. Coyote]

18. Keisler is an illegal wiretap and spying co-conspirator and a telecomcorps tool

Bush put Leahy between a criminal and a hard spot!

"The United States of AT&T by emptywheel" is a good analysis of Keisler's role as AT&T lawyer and AAG, and where that overlap has significance.
This analysis points out how the AAG, under the new Protect America Act, has a role in unwarranted surveillance authorizations.

Was this the plan when FISA was amended, to have Keisler making decisions on who gets spied on, while Congress thought it would be Clement?
Was Clement just the temporary poster boy in a false flag operation to make Congress think the DoJ was to have a new day.

Well, the DoJ had a new day, but only one. Clement was at the helm for a mere day and no Special Prosecutors were appointed.

======================
September 17, 2007
The United States of AT&T
by emptywheel
http://thenexthurrah.typepad.com/the_next_hurrah/2007/09/the-united-stat.html

Back in June, the Bush Administration invited one of AT&T's key lobbyists, Ed Gillespie, to serve as White House counselor.... days after Gillespie took over that role, the DOJ made an unusual intervention into the FCC's request for comments on Net Neutrality, weighing against Net Neutrality.

Well today, one of AT&T's former key attorneys, Peter Keisler, just took over the Department of Justice.

....

In June 2006, Keisler was one of a number of government lawyers arguing that New Jersey had no legal authority to subpoena documents relating to AT&T's and other telecomm companies' participation in the warrantless wiretapping program. Also in June 2006, Keisler invoked state secrets in Hepting v. AT&T, an attempt to scuttle the citizen lawsuits on the warrantless wiretap program.

In other words, both in and out of government, Keisler has represented AT&T's interests masterfully.

Which makes it rather disconcerting that the AG has the authority to authorize telecomm companies to cooperate in government spying.

......

Basically, Bush just gave AT&T the ability to have its long-time lawyer give it legal authority to collaborate with the government to spy on citizens...........

[cali]

19. An ugly case of switch and bait, but will the reactionaries

here or at kos, have a clue? But noooo. Leahy's doing the only possible right thing to do.

[Beelzebud]

37. Remember this one: Give me liberty, or Give me death!

If they are truly being threatened or blackmail, sunlight would help out.

go to the press.

I think they're just all on the same team, and much of the "partisan divide" is just for show.

[cali]

8. No. This is a good thing. Or at least it could be a good thing.

Stop with the hyperventilating. Leaving Keisler in as acting AG to destroy evidence and cover for bushco is a very, very bad idea. Keisler is a bush crony and real toad. He needs to be shown the door.

I never thought it was wise of Leahy to make that statement. No way was bushco ever going to turn over that info. And he would have loved to keep Keisler in.

[L. Coyote]

11. You got the picture. Bush made the alternative more unacceptable.

And Leahy has to do the right thing, as Bush well knows.

[cali]

13. Yes, but your header isn't really accurate

and all the folks who don't know jack about this stuff are going to jump to all the wrong conclusions.

[WilliamPitt]

14. Perish the thought.

:P

[L. Coyote]

20. Leahy caved to good reason. (I added two question marks, after all!!)

This illustrates how low Bush will go, abusing his power to counter Leahy's insistences.

[cali]

21. Why not have titled it,

bush leave leahy no option: leahy sets confirmation hearing? Or something like that.

[L. Coyote]

15. Admittedly, it is a HOOK! Peter Keisler = Who is he? Just a Gonzales CLONE?

First, suck them in. Then, get them to read the fine print :rofl:

The NEW Acting Attorney General = Peter Keisler = Who is he? Just a Gonzales CLONE?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1839232

[cali]

17. bad, L. Coyote., bad.

And he's worse than gonzo, cuz he's evidently smarter and just as corrupt.

[Disturbed]

22. What is causing these Dems to continue to cave in to Busholini?

It is mysterious.

[cali]

24. This is not a cave. Please read my posts and L. Coyote's

posts on this thread. Leahy had no choice here whatsoever. If he held out, bush would continue to stonewall and be able to retain his pet high powered crook Keisler to destroy evidence and cover for him. L.Coyote has a link to an exellent OP he did explaining who Keisler is. We gotta get him out of Justice. There's almost no doubt that Mukasey is better. At least he doesn't have the history of criminality that Keisler does, and he's not part of the BFEE.

[L. Coyote]

36. The idea is: Let those who think Leahy actually is caving open this thread.

and get a little grasp of the nuances and complexity of the situation.

[DefenseLawyer]

25. Am I to assume

that it is folks like yourself that "know jack about this stuff" that are helping our congressional leaders make all these brilliant moves and keep all our powder so pristine and exquisitely dry? You're doin a heck of a job Brownie.

[cali]

27. No. What a silly comment. L. Coyote has provided

the research on what happened here. All you have to do is follow his links. You do get that he's not really saying that Leahy caved? or maybe you don't.

In any case, all you have to do is read about it. And read about Keisler.

[DefenseLawyer]

28. I can read.

It's called spin.

[cali]

29. Really, then you're able to explain, I'm sure, what

isn't true in either my posts or L.Coyote's. Have at it. The lazy one liners are just bullshit.

[DefenseLawyer]

30. Your posts

are your opinion, I'm not sure how I could begin to call them true or false. The term "spin" doesn't imply something is false, by the way. It implies that someone is putting facts and circumstances in the best light possible. The attempt here to "explain" why the Congress and Sen. Leahy in particular has failed yet again to stand up to the President certainly appears to be doing that to me. He tricked us! Leahy said all that tough stuff, but then evil Bush installed a "Gonzales clone" who is in there destroying evidence, so really what choice did he have? So see, it's not a cave at all.
I would submit, if the acting attorney general is actively destroying evidence as you suggest and others are openly in contempt of Congress, Sen. Leahy has more options at his disposal to deal with those matters than quickly confirming Mukasey.

[cali]

31. That's just incorrect.

I suggest you inform yourself a little better if you honestly believe that what's happening is a failure to stand up. Leahy hasn't just said tough things, he's forced gonzales out and set into motion an investigation that now has Gonzales hiring Terwilliger as a defense lawyer. Leahy has, as a matter of fact, like Waxman and Conyers, repeatedly stood up to bushco. But believe the prevailent spin about how Leahy has done nothing but fold- cuz that's some real koolaid.

[DefenseLawyer]

32. If Muskasey is confirmed

and nothing else happens at Justice other than some "tough questions" for the nominee before he is unanimously confirmed, will you still say they have stood up? Gonzales is gone. He has hired a lawyer because he is worried about perjury and witness tampering. Those are matters which are personal to Gonzales, now a private citizen, and having nothing at all to do with the inner workings of the Justice Department or the actions that have been taken there and continue to be taken there on substantive matters. I am all for holding Mr. Gonzales accountable for lying to Congress, but if at the end of the day his pelt on the wall is all you have to point to as an example of standing up the the administration, it's not much. But I'm just a caveman, I'll go read some more blogs so I can inform myself a little better.

[cali]

33. Actually, the investigation into Gonzales at Justice is broader

than those two issues, and goes beyond personal matters for Gonzales. Fine is investigating the warrantless wire tapping and the firing of the U.S. Attorneys.

I'd far rather see Mukasey as AG than see Keisler continue- at least as things stand now. Glenn Greenwald thinks it's preferable. If information turns up in the Hearing that demonstrates that he's not fit to serve as AG, and they don't deep six him, I will be very disappointed.

[cali]

34. kick

[lateo]

35. Same as it ever was...

How many more times do we have to see these guys cave before we dump them?

[upi402]

40. Republicans would filibuster everything and everything

and make no apologies. It's sometimes almost enough to make me vote for that brand of Republican rather than our brand of quasi-republican.

[Didereaux]

38. the following inspired by L Coyote re: this thread.......

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12461951@N03/

[tiptoe]

39. K & R