Glenn Greenwald: The Associated Press fails to reveal Mukasey's favorite color

[babylonsister]

The Associated Press fails to reveal Mukasey's favorite color

(updated below)


In the short time he's been Attorney General, Michael Mukasey has become one of the most divisive political figures in the country. He's been in the middle of numerous controversies, steadfastly defending even the most radical Bush policies -- from torture to warrantless spying -- and demonstrating himself to be as blindly loyal to the White House as his predecessor, Alberto Gonzales, and every bit as willing to subvert the powers of the DOJ for political ends.

Even political commentators who originally supported his nomination -- including one of his own law partners -- have changed their minds completely in a matter of a couple months, accusing him of "willful ignorance of instances of abuse" and "mischievous stonewalling to block proper Congressional investigation" and arguing that, under Mukasey, "the Justice Department has behaved and continues to behave not like a law enforcement agency, but like a white-collar criminal who has been caught in some very dirty dealings and is eager to obstruct the course of justice."

In the midst of these swirling and growing scandals, The Associated Press yesterday distributed a lengthy profile of Mukasey, by AP writer Lara Jakes Jordan, that appeared, as most AP articles do, in numerous publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and countless other papers. In it, we learn that Mukasey's mom and dad taught him to keep his head down and work hard. He "grew up in a lower-middle-class Bronx family as the son of a Belarus immigrant." As a child, he worked in a laundromat and as a messenger boy.

Also, his friends call him "Michael" more than "Mike." He has a "dry and self-deprecating wit." He loves to eat Ring Dings but is able to avoid gaining weight. One of his best friends is Rudy Giuliani, who explains that he's "a very regular guy -- no pretenses. He has a lot of humility for somebody who is as talented as he is."

At first, Mukasey was sometimes sad about how hard his new job was, but now he's come to understand and master it. Another one of his good friends is federal Judge Royce Lamberth, who reveals that Mukasey loves to parasail even though it can be quite a dangerous sport, but assures that he has more than enough skills to be an absolutely fantastic Attorney General.

more...

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/04/06/mukasey/

[ColbertWatcher]

1. So, what is his favorite color!?

Damnit, tell us, don't keep us in suspense!