More Democratic Nonsense

Michael B. Mukasey was supposed to be just the man for the job of attorney general.

Looks like things have changed:

The WaPo reports this morning:

Democratic support for attorney general nominee Michael B. Mukasey dwindled further yesterday over his refusal to comment on the legality of a harsh CIA interrogation technique, setting the stage for an unexpectedly close vote next week by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin (Ill.) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.) announced that they will join Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Del.) in voting against Mukasey on the Judiciary panel, after the nominee said in a four-page letter to Senate Democrats that he does not know whether a type of simulated drowning called waterboarding constitutes illegal torture under U.S. law.

Other Democrats on the Judiciary panel have pointedly refused to disclose how they will vote during a special meeting to consider Mukasey’s nomination, which has been scheduled for Tuesday. Chairman Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) also declined to say whether he will allow the nomination go to the full Senate with a negative recommendation, which occurred with some past nominations.

White House officials said yesterday that they remain confident Mukasey will be confirmed, and Republicans again accused the Democrats of attempting to hold the nomination hostage to score political points. “No one is ready to declare it DOA,” White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.

The nomination has become a particularly thorny problem for Mukasey’s original Senate patron, Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.). He had suggested Mukasey as a consensus nominee to the White House and declared two weeks ago that he should be confirmed, but he was noncommittal yesterday.

“I’m reading the letter, I’m going over it,” Schumer told reporters. “That’s all I’m going to say.”

This prompted a reaction from Bush, here.

Why can't the Republicans learn that the Democrats are not going to agree with them on any subject? They act as if they are surprised when this kind of thing happens. I, on the other hand, would probably fall over with a heart attack if there wasn't a battle over this.

Hey Republicans, the Democrats are out to get you. They will use all means necessary. If they must invent things to use, they will. If they have to lie, they will. All bets are off.