November 09, 2007

Mukasey Confirmed As Attorney General

The Senate approved former federal Judge Michael Mukasey's nomination to be the 81st attorney general last night by a tight, mainly party-line vote of 53 to 40. Seven Democrats, including independent Democrat Joe Lieberman, crossed over to vote for President Bush's nominee, who over the course of several weeks of debate went from being assumed likely to sail through the confirmation process to catching fire from many top Democrats for his refusal to solidly denounce waterboarding as torture.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid came out firmly against Mukasey, saying his answer to the waterboarding questions raised "serious doubts about whether he is prepared to be the truly independent voice that the Justice Department so desperately needs." His sentiments were echoed by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy. But another powerful member of the Democratic leadership, New York Sen. Charles Schumer, backed Mukasey throughout the process.

Bloomberg News reports that the Mukasey outcome has "aggravated a rift" between Schumer and Leahy, "raising the question of who's running the Judiciary Committee."

The other Democrats who voted in favor of Mukasey were Sens. Evan Bayh (Ind.), Thomas Carper (Del.), Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), Mary Landrieu (La.) and Ben Nelson (Neb.).

The five presidential candidates serving in the Senate were all absent from last night's vote.

The Mukasey confirmation counts as a political victory for Bush in a week filled with fresh conflicts with Congress. "Judge Mukasey will lead the Justice Department as it works to protect the American people whether from drug traffickers and other criminals on our streets or from terrorists who seek to attack our homeland," Bush said after the vote. "Now that Judge Mukasey has been confirmed, I look forward to working with the Senate to fill the other senior leadership positions at the Justice Department so that America has the strongest, most capable national security team during this time of war."

The Hill, the New York Times and the Washington Post have more on this story. See The Gate's previous coverage of the Mukasey confirmation process here, here, here and here.

Posted at 9:00 AM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Charles Schumer, Congress, Michael Mukasey, Patrick Leahy, President Bush, Senate
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