Democrats will want some hard promises from Mukasey

[Ghost in the Machine]

Democrats will want some hard promises from Mukasey
Published: 10/15/07, 12:30 AM EDT
By James Oliphant

WASHINGTON _ Senate Democrats will want some hard promises from attorney-general nominee Michael Mukasey when he appears before them this week. Whether Mukasey is willing to make them may spell the difference between a smooth path toward confirmation and yet another debate over the administration's most contentious practices.

Mukasey, 66, is the retired New York federal judge who is being asked to take on a daunting task: restore the morale of a Justice Department shattered by allegations of political favoritism and clandestine policy-making. But before he sets about that rebuilding job, he has to clear the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will convene Wednesday to consider his nomination.

"The issue is whether the Senate can extract various and sundry commitments from Mukasey," said Nicholas Gess, a former senior Justice official under Janet Reno.

If Mukasey says and does the right things, he could enjoy the same kid-glove treatment given Robert Gates, who replaced Donald Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defense to rave reviews. But if he chooses to endorse administration positions on the use of torture in the interrogation of suspected terrorists, on a generous reading of laws authorizing warrantless wiretaps and on a sweeping view of presidential power, things could become combative in a hurry.

Mukasey probably can count on one influential vote: Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., one of those who originally suggested Mukasey to the White House. Such bipartisan support, especially from a regular critic of the administration, means that Mukasey's confirmation appears likely.

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[Bitwit1234]

1. What good are promises...

[Lucinda]

2. I don't expect him to be grilled very extensively

He was suggested by a Dem and is an outsider to the Buscho machine. Unless there has been coverage of him that I've missed, I think a grilling would probably be more a matter of looking good politically, than it would be a case of real concern about his credentials.