Was [Fenton?] correct about the precise nature of the call?

At least in the Senate (if not in the MSM), the idea that this Attorney General of the United States has become another shill for this Administration's relentless campaign of deceit (see Powell, Colin) is now common knowledge.

...after Frodo was Edward Levi. What we got was Gonzo with a better resume.

Ever since Cheney's energy policy meetings, the administration has had one area, anyway, in which its success is undeniable. That is, creating an imperious and imperial presidency that thumbs its nose at all oversight, and does whatever it wants without any annoying scrutiny from the people who (sort of) elected it.

One can imagine the overflowing wastebaskets in the White House filled with balled up subpoenas, stern letters, and even criminal convictions, tossed there by the contemptuous authoritarians in charge. Expect any queries about Mukasey's egregious dissembling to be flying across the room right now, heading for the pile.

If insanity means doing the same thing again and again and expecting a different result, the Bushies may have their flaws, but insanity is not among them.

Trotting out "nonpartisan" faux saints like McConnell, Petraeus, Mukasey, Powell, and on and on has always worked for them, so why stop now? Far be it for the media to ever look askance at any of these worthies after one lie or so, when they still dutifully write down and publish the words of Bush, Rice, Rove, and Cheney after hundreds of proven lies.

Similarly, when every agency from the DOJ to the EPA is run by a cabal of hacks, each insisting that its inner workings are nobody's business, don't expect any response from Mukasey's risible excuse for a "Justice" Department.

Mukasey was hired to run out the clock on administration criminality, and he's doing so beautifully. He oughtn't have the kind of trouble finding a job that Gonzales has.

Wow. Another scathing letter from a Democrat. What's next?

Oh, I know. It will all be forgotten with the discovery of some other Bush administration outrage. All though it is true they have been beaten back for now, there will be no serious consequence for wrongdoing.

How's that subpoena to ex White House aides thing going?

Where ever are destroyed e-mails? Those records were protected by law.

Will the DoJ ever have to comply with the Hamden decision?

There must be a thousand such incidents, and even where they didn't work for the Bush administration they pretty much have gotten off scott free. I guess all we can do is wait it out another 7 months.

First, if the tide is finally turning on what has been a wretched rush to judgment and approval of everything Bush wants, including FISA, much credit must go to Glenn Greenwald, whose constant posts have relentlessly exposed the lies and strategies of the "endless war" Bush Rule (on other issues, too, but Greenwald has focused particular attention on FISA). It has been hard and often discouraging work, and a great debt is owed. Second, it seems to this reader (an English major, not a political science person, but just a really concerned American), that the continued push by administration flacks like Mukasey to expand FISA powers to allow officially what many of us suspect is already going on in terms of spying on any call domestic or otherwise, is this: to set up a defense, should they be held accountable (imagine that!) during the next administration for gross negligence in not protecting us from the horrible attacks of 9/11 or responding to clear warnings over the summer of 2001. That defense would be: Well, we would have taken action, but the existing FISA laws tied our hands. That's baloney, but it has the shape and feel of a defense, however pathetic and false. I think these guys have been interested in one thing: making themselves and their buddies rich. Now that the ride seems to be coming to a close, they are interested in one thing: keeping their sorry rears out of the can.

...nowhere to be found. Not as big a news item as what Rev Wright said or the issue of real patriotism and lapel pins.

Praise Jesus and Sieg Heil!

After sysprog brought up the esteemed Paul Fussell... darn it. I'm in the "Bottom Out of Sight" level of society.

Respect. Who?

Not Mukasey.

He's spill sour at a new book released event.

Merci. Canada is inviting. And "dispel any doubt"...

Thanks to the truth-sayers. What louses. Mouses...

Sen Schumer must be so proud of his boy Mike. But then again, I suspect as long as hedge fund income is taxed as capital gains he really doesn't care about much else.

Way to go Chucky.

It goes without saying that Republicans in general, and people willing to work for the Bush administration in particular, are lying, cheating, self-dealing scumbags. But Democrats are supposed to be better than that.

Unfortunately assholes like Schumer and Feinstein (among many, many others)constantly prove me wrong on that one.

...that Conyers is really only good at writing "scathing letters"?

It seems as though he's done quite a bit of that, but rarely is there any followthrough.

Chuck Schumer and Dianne Feinstein. As far as I'm concerned, the mistake of 'vouching' for Mukasey and allowing him free reign to cover up the vast number of Bush Administration crimes is the mistake that should cost both of them their careers.

We would be better off WITHOUT an Attorney General for the rest of the Bush tenure than WITH Michael Mukasey, no matter what Chuck and Di would tell you. They are toast, politically.

I was thinking along the lines of the pending elections. Why argue for all these extensive wiretapping powers when the next Whitehouse might belong to the Democrats? They'd reap the rewards of being able to wiretap anybody they want and claim "national security" immunity when pressed on it (and just screaming "national security" louder and louder each time, until it goes away). Karl Rove shudders at the thought... turning his own dirty tricks back at him.

Although that might be a bit too cynical, and would mean there is no reason for Democrats to fight against the expansion & amnesty, and this is certainly not true.

It's unconstitutional and therefore wrong for anybody to warrantlessly wiretap the communications of American citizens. And it's wrong for telecoms to be complicit in illegal behavior.