Mukasey confirmed

The Senate roll call vote confirming Michael B. Mukasey of New York as Attorney General:
* 53 yeas (including surrender toadies Bayh, Carper, Feinstein, Landrieu, Nelson of NE, and Schumer)
* 40 nays (all Dems)
* 7 not voting (Alexander, Biden, Clinton, Cornyn, Dodd, McCain, and Obama).

Worms for the betrayal toads who sanctioned torture of detainees and our citizens, pissed on our international treaties, shit on the U.S. Constitution, blessed warrantless wiretapping, ignored the politicization of the DOJ, and appeased whatever the dictator preznut wants.

Only in Fear'merica. Humanity be damned.

UPDATE: In Comments from Gadfly's earlier post on the Mukasey confirmation, some speculation over what the hell happened... Gadfly also posted a link regarding Bill Richardson's response. Full statement (also available from the Richardson website) is below the fold...

Richardson: "We witnessed a devastating failure of leadership"

Says failure of Senators to vote is a failure to lead; reiterates that torture is unacceptable in any form, promises to prosecute anyone responsible for its use as President

SANTA FE, NM — New Mexico Governor and Democratic Presidential candidate Bill Richardson today issued the following statement in condemnation of the Senate's confirmation of Michael Mukasey as Attorney General of the United States:

"It is shocking that four U.S. Senators running for the Democratic Presidential nomination failed to show up and vote against Judge Mukasey or speak against him during the debate to persuade their fellow Senators that torture is a no-compromise issue.

"Judge Mukasey disqualified himself by refusing to acknowledge what the world has known for centuries: that waterboarding is torture and torture of any kind violates U.S. and international law. Alarmingly, Judge Mukasey already has shown a startling willingness to allow politics to influence his opinion regarding one of the most basic American principles -- human rights.

"The Attorney General is responsible for steadfastly defending the Constitution and implementing the laws of the land, without exception or equivocation. What should have been an easy question to answer-- waterboarding is torture, and torture is illegal-- was not easy for Judge Mukasey, who chose instead to dodge. His actions speak volumes. His answer was unacceptable, and he is unacceptable as the Attorney General of the United States. The Senate could have rejected this nomination with a filibuster. By showing up and speaking out, Senators Biden, Clinton, Dodd, and Obama might well have stopped his confirmation. Instead, they chose to sit on the sidelines and watch history pass them by.

"Last night, we witnessed a devastating failure of leadership in the fight to take back America, enforce the Constitution, and restore the principles on which this nation was founded.

"This is not what our country needs in its next President

"Let me be clear: As President, I will ensure that any form of torture, including waterboarding, will never be used. Furthermore, I will direct the Department of Justice to vigorously investigate and prosecute any individual responsible for the use of torture. No one is above the law. No one."

Sounding mighty presidential to me. We already know Dennis Kucinich is no chickenshit when it comes to facing off with Bush or Cheney (ITMFA!). Will Edwards pile on frontrunners Clinton and Obama for ducking the Mukasey debate and vote? Opportunity knocks.

There's more: "Mukasey confirmed" >>

Valerie Plame Wilson Watch

What could ex-CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson -- who was outed as a spy by the traitorous Bush-Cheney cabal -- have to say on the eve of her book release, "Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House"?

Maybe details about how she was involved in preventing Iran from building a nuclear weapon and the classified mission, Operation Merlin?

Nah, as an honorable, stalwart defender of America's national security and former CIA NOC, she can't say all that much. Too bad the Bush WH doesn't measure up to her standards.

But some of what Valerie would say is this:

PLAME: I can tell you all the intelligence services in the world were running my name through their databases to see did anyone by this name come in the country? When? Do we know anything about it? Where did she stay? Who did she see?

COURIC: And what would be the ramifications of that?

PLAME: Well, it was very serious. It puts in danger, if not shuts down, the operations that I had worked on.

You can hear and watch more tonight when CBS 60 Minutes will air an interview with Valerie (Check your local listings). Preview here. I've already set my timer as I count the days until the arrival of her book pre-ordered at Amazon.

Monday night, Valerie Plame and Joe Wilson will appear on CNN's Larry King's show.

Also of special note on Monday, Sidney Blumenthal will host Valerie at FireDogLake for a special FDL Book Salon... at 10:30am -12:30pm PT/ 1:30-3:30pm ET.

And, of extra, extra special note, a trip down memory lane...

Remember when the Left Blogosphere cried out for the public release of the Libby letters that were written by Scooter's supporters (for example, GOP presidential candidate Fred Thompson) appealing to the judge to go easy on sentencing the Cheney aide? Didn't we want to see who defended the convicted felon for his part in the CIA leak case and what they could possibly write about Libby?

Only a couple of liberal bloggers had the guts to go to the mattresses. Hat tip to Blue Girl and...(with emphasis added)

...Bill Moore, a lawyer who contributes to the blog Watching Those We Chose (proctoringcongress.blogspot.com)...

The principle was more important, said Mr. Moore, who personally wrote a brief to the court asking that the letters be made public. “If the powerful in our government are asking for someone to be spared, we ought to know,” he said. “The purpose of the letters is to influence the judge on sentencing, and if there is influence that ought to be transparent.”

Applause, applause!

UPDATE: In acknowledging Blue Girl and bmaz for going to "the mattresses," for taking a stand, writing the legal brief, and coordinating the footwork to get the Libby letters released to the public, I failed to recognize Pale Rider. He delivered the brief to Judge Walton's chambers. Thanks to one and all.

There's more: "Valerie Plame Wilson Watch" >>

BREAKING: No Stay of Sentence for Scooter

A glimmer of Justice was seen flickering in the sunlight today when the three-judge appeals panel unanimously rejected the plea by Scooter “Treason” Libby to remain free on bond while appealing his sentence. Instead, he will have to report to prison in just a few weeks to start serving his much-to-short sentence.

Look for the apparatchiks who place Party over country and the rule of law to turn up the volume on their bleating about dedicated public servants. (Who happen to commit treason and successfully obstruct justice!)

And when they start in, call them on it. Mock them, ridicule them, and question their patriotism. At least with them and their ilk it’s justified, because they do excuse treason. (Fred Thompson, I'm calling you out right now.)

Scooter, one word of advice. Don’t drop the soap, lest what happened to our country with your mendacious assist could very well happen to you.

There's more: "BREAKING: No Stay of Sentence for Scooter" >>