Senator Edward M Kennedy: " Waterboarding is torture. Torture is unacceptable. Period." [View All]

[kpete]

I oppose Michael Mukasey
by Senator Edward M Kennedy
Thu Nov 01, 2007 at 03:24:20 PM PDT
Waterboarding is torture. Torture is unacceptable. Period.

If Michael Mukasey won't stand up to President Bush and tell him that, then he doesn't deserve to be Attorney General.


The Department of Justice lost its way under Alberto Gonzales. It became a rubber stamp for Bush Administration policies -- from torture to warrantless surveillance to unprecedented secrecy -- instead of a staunch defender of the Constitution.

The consequences have been alarming. The United States has lost its moral high ground in the world, and the rule of law has taken a back seat to Presidential power and political agendas.

We now have an opportunity to stop this trend and restore our American values. The U.S. Senate is considering President Bush's nomination of Michael Mukasey as the next Attorney General. After Alberto Gonzales' disastrous term, we must thoroughly examine Mukasey's positions to determine if he is the right person for the job.

After meeting with Judge Mukasey and listening to his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, I'm convinced that he is not the right person. With his deeply troubling positions on torture, civil rights, and executive power, Judge Mukasey has failed to prove that he will put the rule of law above the priorities of the White House.

Therefore, I cannot in good conscience support his nomination.

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more at:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/11/1/173858/353