The WaPo weighs in this morning with an editorial on the nomination:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/16/AR2007091601146.html

Apparently Fred Hiatt thinks that unless Ted Olsen is the next AG, Christmas will not come this year -- and it's all that evil, omnipotent Harry Reid's fault.

FMHilton:

[...] BTW, Glenn, your name is in spotlights today-the editorial endorsing Mukasey noted that you had also endorsed him-fame at last! Good to know the NY Times does read Salon [...]
- - FMHilton - - Monday, September 17, 2007 04:12 AM

Eh? The NY Times analysis of the Mukasey nomination is the lead news story on page one of Monday's paper. It *isn't* an editorial, and the New York Times editorial board hasn't "endorsed" Mukasey.

And neither has G.G., who wrote:

None of this is to say that Mukasey should be confirmed as Attorney General if, as appears to be the case, he is the nominee. There is a long record of rulings that very well may constitute potent grounds for opposing him.
- - Glenn Greenwald, Sunday September 16, 2007

That's not an endorsement.

...Still, he has garnered praise in some surprising quarters. Glenn Greenwald, a frequent critic of the administration who writes about legal issues for Salon.com, assessed Mr. Mukasey’s part in the Padilla case in an article over the weekend and praised him as “very smart and independent, not part of the Bush circle.”

Bush appointee not a shameless hack

Details at 11:00

Honesty surprises the New York Times. Should we be surprised?

liked the right candidate. All the dems have to do is confirm him.

Marshall at Talking Points Memo cited Glenn's Sunday post on Mukasey as well. The brief mention was neutral in tone. http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/053274.php

BBC reports that Bush has submitted Mukasey as the nominee.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6999294.stm

Kitt: I seem to remember that the current "red state/blue state" description is an artifact of the way the networks used to color their national maps during presidential election coverage. Originally, the policy was to switch colors every election, so that the party that was "red" one cycle would be "blue" the next. Some time in the last 20 years - 1992, maybe - the colors stuck at blue for dems and red for repugs.

I remember at the time thinking it was weird that the party of McCarthyite anti-commie hysterics would accept red as its color.

After reading through these comments, I'm wondering whether it might not be better in the long run not to confirm Mukasey, even if it means Clement stays, if only because then the Senate Judiciary Committee might continue with its investigations.

I'm getting the impression that they might not continue if Mukasey is confirmed. I'd really hate to see that result.

I want him to call Karen Tandy into his office and tell her a couple of things:

1. If the DEA is so sure that high potency marijuana is far too dangerous for medicinal use, then you should let scientists doing medical marijuana research have all the high potency pot they ask for. If the DEA's position is correct, then the science will prove it and all your critics will have to shut up. But if the science proves you're wrong, then the DEA has to shut up.

2. The DEA is supposed to spy on and target for arrest people who deal in illegal drugs. The head of the DEA has no absolutely business promising groups of conservative donors that she's going to bring an end to the marijuana reform movement itself. The activists in the marijuana reform movement are not an acceptable target for DEA surveillance. It is illegal for the DEA to spy on Americans just because they want the marijuana laws changed.

If only Mukasey were Santa Claus and it were Christmas. HAH!

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/09/20070917-4.html

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 17, 2007
President Bush Announces Judge Michael Mukasey as Nominee for Attorney General
The Rose Garden
10:31 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: [...] Until the Judge is confirmed, Assistant Attorney General Paul [sic] Keisler will serve as acting Attorney General. Accepting this assignment requires -- Peter -- I said -- Peter Keisler. Accepting this assignment requires Peter to delay the departure date he announced earlier this month, and I appreciate his willingness to do so. Peter is the acting Attorney General. Paul Clement, who agreed to take on this role, will remain focused on his duties as Solicitor General, so he can prepare for the Supreme Court term that begins just two weeks from today.

- - whitehouse.gov

The fact Mukasey stood up to BushCo and rejected it's plea to reconsider his Ruling, didn't matter ultimately, because they simply ignored the Court and went fishing for approval elsewhere, which they ultimately found. It all reminds me of poor hapless Kay Corleone,(the Democrats), in Godfather II, that packed the kids to leave Michael,(BushCo), and of his reaction, "Don't you know that that is an impossibility, that that could never happen"?, "Don't you know I would use all my power to see that never happens"? When the Democrats, er, I mean, Kay, continues to prod, Michael eventually slaps her down, which is all that will happen here, no matter what they do. After all these years of repeated and overt Criminal behavior by this President, does anyone really believe he would appoint his own hangman? You may be thinking that as Jr. walks into the Dubai sunset, pockets stuffed full of War Profiteering loot, free as a bird.

This morning's comments by Bush and Mukasey sounded like thinkly-veiled assurances that Mukasey's agreed to accept the Bush interpretation of the scope of executive power and no limits to spying.

Mukasey was on a list Democrats suggested. You canot expect a right wing adminstration to appoint a liberal. The AG office is suppose to be independent of politics. Mukasey is a best hope for the reander of teh Bush administration. He will be gone early in 09 anyway.

Peter Keisler now in as Acting AG. Lederman at balkinization apparently knows him, likes him and his integrity. Disagrees with his positions, but of course that is true of anybody Bush is going to bring in.

If Keisler is as good as Lederman indicates, why is Mukasey necessary? Let the ("new, improved") acting AG run the program for the remainder of the dead-ender term. If Keisler is liked/respected within the DOJ, they will arguably do as well under him as they would under a new political appointee.