Iraq acting almost as if it was a sovereign govt. Revoking Blackwaters license to kill indiscriminently througout the country. Look at youtube videos of Blackwater in action, look at the recent book by Scahill. Writes for The Nation.

http://www.amazon.com/Blackwater-Rise-Worlds-Powerful-Mercenary/dp/1560259795

A good cspan book-talk presentation on this book, if you can catch it. A real eye-opener.

Blackwater a heavy GOP contributor. Watch whitehouse try to reverse this decision by "our ally in the war on terror" and "sovereign government".

http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/bushvideos/v/bushismtribal.htm

Some LW’s have speculated on the likely impact of Mukasey’s appointment on the DOJ investigations and/or possible resultant quid pro quo’s:

“How would going along with this appointment “buy” the White House out of future investigations about the firing of US attorneys?”- Zack- Sunday, September 16, 2007 12:49

See below*

“Surely we want something in return for confirmation?” – BlueStateRedhead Monday, September 17, 2007 04:12

Nope! “we” would be giving up something for the "privilege" of confirming Mr. Mukasey, See below*

“I'm getting the impression that they might not continue if Mukasey is confirmed. I'd really hate to see that result.” – Karen M Monday, September 17, 2007 08:52

Sorry, Karen M, See below*

*Glenn provided a link in Update II of his post which bears taking a look at.

According to that link, its author, looseheadprop, alleges that she was directly told a deal “dissipating” the DOJ investigations was in the works. Here’s the quote:

“Chuck Schumer and Dianne Feinstein told myself and Jonathan Weisman in separate interviews Monday that if Bush picks a consensus AG, that the spirit and drive of the Dem investigations into the US attorney firings would likely dissipate”.

Here’s the link Glenn referenced:

http://www.firedoglake.com/2007/08/30/a-consensus-ag-nominee/

An independent questioner should be allowed a couple of shots at those asking the questions at the confirmation hearings (maybe Glenn, or looseheadprop?). Specifically, questions about “dissipation” deals. Wonder if Chuck Schemer or DiFI would be available for such questions. Wonder if they would have the capacity to “recall”such a deal.

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

Yeah, whatever happened to “better dead, than red”?

Red staters victimized again, and without even realizing it. Hmmm, 1992…

That was on Clinton’s watch, wasn’t it? More evidence of the “liberal leaning media” cooperating with Clintonistas.

This sentence is just draw dropping:

"And though he has consistently ruled with the administration on a number of important and high-profile terrorism cases, Mukasey broke with them in an early, crucial ruling, saying that American citizen Jose Padilla had a right to a lawyer, no matter what his status in the war on terror."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20070917/us_time/howbushsagpickirritatestheright

That such an assertion can be reported as a point of controversy is truly beyond belief.

http://www.chancellor.uci.edu/lawupdate.070917.shtml

Joint Statement:
Michael V. Drake & Erwin Chemerinsky
re Donald Bren School of Law
Sept. 17, 2007
We are very pleased to announce that Erwin Chemerinsky, the Alston & Bird Professor of Law and Political Science at Duke University, has been offered and has accepted the position of founding dean of the Donald Bren School of Law at the University of California, Irvine. [...]
- - Michael V. Drake
- - Erwin Chemerinsky

That such an assertion can be reported as a point of controversy is truly beyond belief.

Its almost become a given that anyone nominated for any position at any level of government by the current President is either some spineless, unqualified hack or somewhere to the right of Pat Buchannan. At this point, one can expect the smallest sign of dissent to be lauded to the point of idiocy by the press, which only further muddies the waters vis a vis if Judge Mukasey is even competent enough a manager to deserve the job.

It may well be irrelevant in any case even if Judge Mukasey makes it through the Senate. The damage already done by Gonzales and the Administration to the DOJ will take years to correct (if that even proves possible).

"That such an assertion can be reported as a point of controversy is truly beyond belief."

Welcome, all, to the administration where the unbelievable meets a "can-do" attitude...

Excellent post by ondelette at 1:52.

Throwing out a thought here. The threat is not terrorism, the threat is technology. It is technology that is the root of our current fears. It is technology that makes a small group of non state actors a credible threat.

We fear the inherent power of the universe that is slowly unlocked by science. We fear that this power will render obsolete the previous balance of individual vs state.

We have begun the endless war against science and the individual. The "war" on terrorism is a lie. It is a marketing slogan to make palatable in narrative the truly endless and epic war we face.

Because we are human, there will always be people who are willing to kill others in the name of god, or morality, or just lashing out against a lover or an uptight home owners association. Freewill and the inevitable march of technology cannot coexist forever. The only question is how far the state will go to nullify freewill and the individual's access to technology.

Pervasive surveillance and "torture" that is designed to deprive the individual of will itself is only the beginning.

It is not optimism day on the planet of the apes.

Let's be a little careful about comments on aging and the mind. I'm the same age as the judge, 66, and that means I'm not old. just definitely mature. As long as I can keep taking part in intelligent discussions like those on GG's threads, my memory should be OK for a while yet. I don't think that at 66, Mukasey would be the oldest confirmed for Attorney General. Old can also mean wise and experienced, something that was sorely lacking in our dearly departed, last Attorney General.

Ever read A Canticle for Leibowitz?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Canticle_for_Leibowitz