... Thanks, Michael Mukasy, for creating a whole new branch of logic ...

Look forget Mukasey, he seems OK on some level, but he took a job of AG willingly, knowing full well that meant assuming responsibilities of a legal consiglieri to Cheney/Bush administration. No way he will do anything here. He has to wade now in the same ethically brackish waters the rest of them do.

Recall his last testimony, not only a disappointment but a major disaster, willingly dragging this country good image through the mud again on behalf of his principals.

In a sense he was perfectly suited for a job, US federal judges sit alone in those mediaeval "chambers" of their, overflowing with self perceived importance, too haughty to talk to anybody, concocting various legal theories out of arrogance sometimes boredom and having nobody to bounce them off to see if they make any sense, intellectually, ethically or otherwise. It's alone at the top, and being alone for too long leads to various anomalies as any competent shrink will tell you.

In his case it took Sen. Biden to tell him that his stand amounted to moral relativism of the worst kind, ends justify means as WaPo put it, a stand so repugnant most civilized people have hard time confronting it in other people, as was amply evident in those hearings.

Mukasey stepped out of his dark chambers into a bright daylight of open democratic society for the first time in his life probably so it is not surprising that he doesn't see very well.

Posted at February 6, 2008 4:54 PM in response to White House: Waterboarding Is A-OK

Some time ago I posted a comment on Balkinization suggesting that they (CIA that is) should "fess up to your crimes, proclaim yourself ready to stand a trial, accept any punishment that may come your way and let the system go through its motions".
That was actually an honest suggestion, for the sad fact of life is no torturers torturing on behalf of any government have never been punished by their own governments so why should that be different this time around.

You think they would be more than happy to run with it, but no! Instead they sent two sorry looking a-holes of theirs to meet me at my usual coffee place. Like that was to accomplish something.

But when my simple observations were more than amply confirmed by Mukasey testimony on waterboarding a few days back (as sad as that testimony was), they finally saw the light as we see today.

Not that I credit myself with anything here, but it is nice to see them capable of rational thinking sometimes.

Posted at February 5, 2008 8:01 PM in response to CIA Director Confirms Details of Waterboarding