Bush: Questioning Mukasey Isn't Fair

post from Daily Kos on 01 November 2007 02:47:10 PM. © Daily Kos

Today, George Bush gave the latest installment of his ~~Islamofacists want to kill you~~ "War on Terror" speech, but before doing so, he decided to give the press a little preview of his call to action to Congress. Short version: 76% of the country disapproves of the job I'm doing, so I need you to confirm a man who won't say if waterboarding is torture, to look the other way while we spy on Americans, and oh by the way, I'll be needing another couple of hundred billion dollars. And speaking of Mukasey:

I believe that the questions he's been asked are unfair; he's not been read into a program -- he has been asked to give opinions of a program or techniques of a program on which he has not been briefed.

And sadly, the first question during the brief Q&A that followed was equally unfair:

Q Judge Mukasey is experienced in terrorism trials, he's been around. Why is it wrong for him -- or why will you not let him say whether he thinks that waterboarding is illegal torture?

THE PRESIDENT: He has not been read in -- first of all, let me put this in perspective. The Congress did pass a law, the Detainee Detention Act [sic], that I signed into law. The techniques we use informed that law and members of the Senate and House -- select members of the Senate and House, both parties, have been briefed on the law.

Secondly, he doesn't know whether we use that technique or not.

Thirdly, shut up. It's a simple question. Is a technique from the Spanish Inquisition (that should be a clue) torture? Time after time, Bush and his minions deflect the question of Mukasey's views because he hasn't been briefed. By that reasoning, Mukasey can't render a judgement on whether to draw and quarter someone is torture, because, hey, he doesn't know whether we use that technique or not.

But let's, for a brief moment, take Bush's word that Mukasey can't offer an opinion about waterboarding because he hasn't been briefed.

Q What is your own view about waterboarding?

THE PRESIDENT: I'm not going to talk about techniques.

Moment over.

What might be a fun little excercise for the Senate Judiciary Committee, would be to to try and pin down this nominee on what he is willing to admit is torture. Mr. Mukasey, is gouging out someone's eyeballs with a hot poker toture? Mr. Mukasey, would cutting off the arms and legs of a detainee constitute torture? Mr. Mukasey, would staking out a prisoner on a hill of fire ants after smearing their genitals with honey be considered torture? Would his answer still be, I can't answer that because I haven't been briefed?