The Associated Press reports that Democratic Senators Harry Reid, Dick Durbin and Sheldon Whitehouse have committed to voting NO, against the confirmation of Attorney General nominee Michael Mukasey, unless he specifically affirms that the practice of waterboarding legally qualifies as torture.
That’s good. It would be better if they committed to voting NO unless Mukasey:
1. Affirms that the practice of waterboarding legally qualifies as torture,
AND
2. Repudiates his statement that the president can violate the law if “what goes on outside the statute nonetheless lies within the authority of the President to defend the country.”
If one of these three is your senator, give him a call and ask them to firm up their stances to this more robust defense of American moral and legal standards:
Dick Durbin (IL): (202) 224-2152
Harry Reid (NV): (202) 224-3542
Sheldon Whitehouse (RI): (202) 224-2921
Oh, heck, Harry Reid is the Senate Majority Leader. Give him a call whether you live in Nevada or not.
Senators Patrick Leahy and Bernard Sanders of Vermont have similarly committed to vote against Mukasey unless he changes his tune. If you have a Senator who is NOT one of these five, Get the phone numbers for your Senators’ offices here and give them a call to let them know that a lawyer who places the president above the law and who can’t figure out that waterboarding is torture is not a suitable choice for Attorney General.
The pressure’s working. Let’s keep it up.
