Schumer's tortured logic

By Creature

The WaPo today has a piece on Senator Schumer and how he "may be the key" to getting the nominated attorney general, Michael Mukasey, out of committee and to the Senate floor for a vote (where he will surely be confirmed). This paragraph stands out as a perfect example of how far we have fallen.

"From this administration, we will never get somebody who agrees with us on issues like torture and wiretapping," Schumer said at one point, suggesting an argument in favor of Mukasey, who faces a Senate Judiciary Committee vote on Tuesday. "The best thing we can hope for is someone who will depoliticize the Justice Department and put rule of law first."

Excuse me, Chuck, torture is not an "issue" to be agreed upon or not, there is no give and take, it's against the law. Schumer is basically saying we cannot get the Bush administration, or someone they appoint, to "agree with us" to "put the rule of law first." Something we all know, but shouldn't go along with. To frame the Mukasey hedge on waterboarding's illegality as a disagreement on the issues, as opposed to the law, is wrong and I fear this does signal Schumer's ultimate cave on this nominee.

I hope the Dems realize that once Mukasey gets confirmed they will officially be on the side of the GOP nut jobs who are willing to minimize and compare waterboarding to a "CIA-sponsored swim lesson." Nice work.

Update: My letter to Senator Schumer, my senator, has been sent.

Update II: Schumer and Feinstien will support Mukasey. No one will support the rule of law. Somewhere, in an undisclosed location, the vice president smiles.

(Cross-posted at State of the Day.)