It has been painful for me to see some of Attorney General nominee Michael Mukasey's responses to questions from the Senate. As it happens, I know and respect Michael Mukasey. He was a partner in the law firm where I worked right after law school.



I am sure that Judge Mukasey knows that waterboarding is torture. I am sure that it pains him to dodge questions about the issue. But apparently, George Bush has told him that refusing to admit that torture is the price of serving as George Bush's Attorney General.



Apparently, the Judge also believed that in order to serve as Bush's Attorney General, he had to give this unfortunate answer when asked whether the president is required to obey federal statutes: "That would have to depend on whether what goes outside the statute nonetheless lies within the authority of the president to defend the country." I don't quite know what that means, but it sounds like Bushspeak to me. It suggests that the President is above the law.



Accordingly, I have called on the Senate to refuse to confirm Judge Mukasey unless and until he gives some different answers. If the Senate again confirms an Attorney General who refuses to denounce torture, it will be giving a green light to the Bush Administration to continue to use torture as a tactic. It will disgrace the United States in the eyes of the world. And it will not make us safer. As Senator John McCain has said: ‘We should not torture or treat inhumanely terrorists we have captured. The abuse of prisoners harms, not helps, our war effort.

Take action Call your representatives and tell them to refuse Mukasey's confirmation as Attorney General unless he rejects Bush's unconstitutional and inhumane use of torture..