a bitter brou-ha-ha. Just as well...

Jim White, I can't compete with your verses, but I thought of one that links the original with something GWB actually did.

Georgie Pordgie, puddn' and pie
touched Angela Merkel and made her cry.
When the other leaders came out to play,
Georgie Pordgie flew away.

Maybe I'll think of something better after my subconscious has had time to let it simmer.

A question you should ask yourself, shooter242. How many innocent men, women and children are you prepared to [see] violated, maimed and destroyed simply for your personal sense of security?

Ultimately, they always come down to some perverse cost/benefit analysis, weighing the costs of sacrificing someone or ones who are deemed expendable against the benefits of saving those who are considered indispensable.

The irony of it, though, is how many proponents of such measures like to cite Ayn Rand as one of their heroes. Lack of reading comprehension?

Glenn, thank you for this insightful analysis of the situation surrounding Mukasey's confirmation. You peeled off the politics surrounding this, and pierced through to the real substance. Thanks again, RJRR

If I thought the Constitution was naive, I wouldn't have said the system would survive us.

What he of course fails to realize that the system is already dead. As long as there's a large number of people who think that article II trumps article I and that the fourth and fifth amendments are quaint anachronisms, then the Constituition has already been declared null and void. The rest is just details.

What's the deal with Feingold?

The problem with Feingold, as great as he is on many levels, is that he believe absolutely that the President has the right to appoint ANYTHING and ANYONE to be this or that in the Administration. A pedophile who believe in the fantasy of "consensual" sex with a 5 year old? That's Ok because the President is entitled to appoint anyone he wants. A person that believes that rape is a woman's fault when it happens? That's OK because the President is entitled to appoint anyone he wants. The Congress is merely a robotic rubberstamp, there to vacuously stamp "Approved" on any paper Bush slips in front of them at their desk.

Not sure at all why Feingold even attends appointment hearings since he is of the belief that nothing that comes out in a hearing has any bearing on how the vote should go.

We keep coming back to this. So many opportunities for redemption are offered, few are taken. Once again, the Senate was offered an opportunity to start redeeming America from the horrors of the recent past; once again, they say "No." They say "You can't make me." They say "Shut the fuck up."

Again and again and again.

The operating excuse is that the temp that Bush installed as Acting AG is demonstrably worse than Mukasey. Ergo, the practical course is to approve Mukasey and get rid of the time server (who of course becomes Mukasey's #2, but we won't mention that), and move on.

The underlying excuse, however, is what the NYT was pointing to: if Mukasey publically acknowledges that waterboarding is torture, he will be obligated to pursue investigations and indictments, same thing with the NSA domestic spying issue.

This doesn't just jeopardize Cheney and Addington, oh no. It puts potentially thousands of government employees at risk of criminal sanction, and it even puts DiFi and Chuckie at risk, since (as far as I know) they were "briefed" on the Program(s) and kept their traps shut. A huge segment of the American governmental apparatus, from the highest peaks all the way down, is potentially vulnerable here.

There aren't enough bullet proof glass cages in The Hague to hold them all.

So. The Senate, in its wisdom, punts, bringing in Mukasey to patch up what he can in the DoJ, set the Big Questions aside for now, and go on as if there were nothing all that awry.

We've been on this path for a long time.

Since Zogby recently polled the question of Torture, and found a majority of Americans favor it in some cases, the Senators really believe their backs are covered anyway.

Redemption remains out of reach.

The interests that want to see Mukasey installed are happy, the Democratic presidential candidates can still vote "no," and what are voters gonna do? Vote Republican?

Isn't it fun being taken for granted?

Georgie Pordgie went to war

Riding on some nu-uke.

Now Valerie says he has to pay

And we all have to pu-uke.

(Next verse)

Georgie Pordgie lied to us

As he unfurled the fla-ag.

Then he made every mistake in the book

And all citizens have to ga-ag

I think I'll go see if I can use Schumer's constituent services shredder on my copy of the Constitution. Others are free to join in the fun.

I guess you could also fax it in to them, it seems Chuck is eager to shred it on our behalf.

Schumer's NYC office:

New York City

757 Third Avenue

Suite 17-02

New York, NY 10017

Phone: 212-486-4430

Fax: 212-486-7693

TDD: 212-486-7803

Georgie Pordgie went to war

And much of Iraq went di-im.

Then he launched his mighty surge

And there is nobody left who loves him.

(last verse)

Georgie Pordgie sucks the Dick

While the neocon wor-old fa-awn.

Death and destruction is every where

And the world prays for a new da-awn.

Would it be OK with you if I sent our verses to the Raging Grannies? In case you haven't seen my posts about them. They have several anti-war groups around the nation and put anti-war versus to old songs.

What hypocrites. Feinstein and Schumer played hardball with Gonzales on torture and other serious issues and then they roll over on Mukassey. One has to wonder if they are hoping that Mukassey will dismiss or undermine the upcoming espionage trial.

I have heard the JDL (Jewish Defense League) was applying pressure for the Mukassey nomination.

Will Mukassey do the I-Lobbies bidding?

What's the problem with leaving the seat empty until the Bush administration puts up someone acceptable.