Feinstein Better Strap In

She's done it again. Going against her louder, vein-popping colleagues, Senator Feinstein has announced that she will support AG-nominee Mike Mukasey. Senator Chuck Schumer made a similar announcement:

This afternoon, I met with Judge Michael Mukasey one more time. I requested the meeting to address, in person, some of my concerns. The Judge made clear to me that, were Congress to pass a law banning certain interrogation techniques, we would clearly be acting within our constitutional authority. And he flatly told me that the President would have absolutely no legal authority to ignore such a law, not even under some theory of inherent authority under Article II of the Constitution. He also pledged to enforce such a law and repeated his willingness to leave office rather than participate in a violation of law.

Judge Mukasey is a lawyer’s lawyer. He will not leap to quick judgments. When we want him to do so, such as on torture, we will be disappointed. But when he resists those in the administration who want quick and facile answers, so they can get their way, so they can roll over civil liberties and blot out separation of powers, it is they who will be disappointed.

I realize that, should he become Attorney General, Judge Mukasey and I will disagree on many issues. I have told him that I will battle just as fiercely against him as I did against previous Attorney Generals when we disagree.

I say that Feinstein better strap in because this is the second time in as many weeks that she's sided with Republicans. Last week she voted to confirm Judge Leslie Southwick, following through on her August vote as the sole Democrat who crossed over to get his vote out of committee and to the senate floor.*

*I fixed the time-line here.

posted by Gabriel Malor at 06:17 PM

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