'NYT' Editorial -- and Frank Rich -- Rip Democrats Over 'Capitulation' On Mukasey Okay

[babylonsister]

'NYT' Editorial -- and Frank Rich -- Rip Democrats Over 'Capitulation' On Mukasey Okay

By E&P Staff

Published: November 10, 2007 11:40 PM ET

NEW YORK Expressing an unusual level of disgust with Democratic leaders, The New York Times in a Sunday editorial criticizes, even mocks, the party's leaders for failing to halt the nomination of Michael Mukasey as the new U.S. Attorney General this week.

He won the nod with a handful of Democrats, including Chuck Schumer, helping give the president 53 votes. But as the Times -- following the lead of several liberal bloggers -- pointed out, this was far short of the number needed to overcome a Democratic filibuster, a tactic often used by Republicans in the past year.

In his Sunday column, Frank Rich added: "As Gen. Pervez Musharraf arrested judges, lawyers and human-rights activists in Pakistan last week, our Senate was busy demonstrating its own civic mettle. Chuck Schumer and Dianne Feinstein, liberal Democrats from America’s two most highly populated blue states, gave the thumbs up to Michael B. Mukasey, ensuring his confirmation as attorney general.

"So what if America’s chief law enforcement official won’t say that waterboarding is illegal? A state of emergency is a state of emergency. You’re either willing to sacrifice principles to head off the next ticking bomb, or you’re with the terrorists. Constitutional corners were cut in Washington in impressive synchronicity with General Musharraf’s crackdown in Islamabad."

Here is an excerpt from the editorial. It and the Rich column are at www.nytimes.com.

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http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003671064

[Mojorabbit]

1. Mr Rich

has outdone himself this time. Fine article in the NYT.