TPM: Mukasey Refuses to Support Outlawing of Waterboarding

[L. Coyote]

Mukasey Refuses to Support Outlawing of Waterboarding
By Paul Kiel - January 30, 2008, 3:08PM - http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/005179.php


Michael Mukasey is attorney general in large part due to Sen. Chuck Schumer's (D-NY) support. And in his questions today, Schumer started by commending a number of Mukasey's actions (restarting the OPR investigation into the warrantless wiretapping program, taping a well-qualified prosecutor to investigate the CIA tapes' destruction), but then said that he was "disappointed" in Mukasey in other ways. And he tried his best to give Mukasey a hand and pull him out of the swamp.

His question was simple. You've said that waterboarding is "repugnant." So, if it is repugnant, don't you think that a ban of waterboarding is a good thing? Wouldn't you support that?

Mukasey didn't take Schumer's hand. He said he'd need to mull it over. ....


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(Stil ongoing on C-SPAN)

[L. Coyote]

1. NYT: Mukasey Demurs on Torture Question ... ET. AL. = big news

Mukasey Demurs on Torture Question
New York Times, United States - 1 hour ago - http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct=us/0-0&fp=47a0ea6d97ddbdf2&ei=OeagR6ftEYrm-AGKtMG7DQ&url=http%3A//www.nytimes.com/2008/01/30/washington/30cnd-mukasey.html%3Fhp&cid=1126938431
By DAVID STOUT WASHINGTON — Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey got a harsh reception on Wednesday from senators of both parties, who used his appearance on ...


Mukasey's painstaking approach on waterboarding Baltimore Sun - http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct=us/0-1&fp=47a0ea6d97ddbdf2&ei=OeagR6ftEYrm-AGKtMG7DQ&url=http%3A//weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/politics/blog/2008/01/mukaseys_painstaking_approach.html&cid=1126938431

Mukasey Refuses to Judge Waterboarding The Associated Press - http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct=us/0-2&fp=47a0ea6d97ddbdf2&ei=OeagR6ftEYrm-AGKtMG7DQ&url=http%3A//ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h0HzC22rsazNY3EH2NhxMtOE-1agD8UGB9500&cid=1126938431


Mukasey Refuses to Judge Waterboarding
By LARA JAKES JORDAN – 3 hours ago - http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h0HzC22rsazNY3EH2NhxMtOE-1agD8UGB9500

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats accused Attorney General Michael Mukasey of ducking questions Wednesday on whether waterboarding is torture despite his promise last year to study whether it is illegal.

The issue briefly stalled Mukasey's confirmation last fall until he assured Senate Democrats he would review the legality of the harsh interrogation tactic and report back.

Waterboarding involves strapping a person down and pouring water over his cloth-covered face to create the sensation of drowning.

Ultimately, however, Mukasey said Wednesday he would not rule on whether waterboarding is a form of illegal torture because it is not part of the current interrogation methods used by the CIA on terror suspects. Despite having called waterboarding personally repugnant, Mukasey's non-answer angered Democrats who said the attorney general should be able to address a legal question.

"I think failure to say something probably puts some of our people in more danger than not," said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the Judiciary Committee's chairman.

"It's like you're opposed to stealing but not quite sure that bank robbery would qualify," retorted Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass.

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