Why One Liberal Is Caving In On Torture

Senator Charles Schumer's defense of why he will vote today to approve attorney general nominee Michael Mukasey in today's New York Times is all you need to know about why Democrats in Congress -- and liberals in particular -- are being played like a cheap violin by President Bush.

The New Yorker offers these reasons:

(1.) The Justice Department is a mess and needs strong leadership. Mukasey is the man to do that.

(2.) Even though he opposes the Bush administration's embrace of torture, Mukasey told him privately (italics mine) that he would respect laws against its use.

(3.) This is not the time for the Senate to make "a bold declaration" about torture in general and waterboarding in particular.

Here are my responses to each of Schumer's rationalizations:

(1.) Yes, Main Justice is a mess, but putting its administrative house in order pales in comparison to calling out the president on torture.

(2.) It's nice to know that he believes that Mukasey is a man of his word, but we know without question that the president is not. Nor is he about to cede any of the unprecedented power that he has grabbed.

(3.) When is it the time for the Senate to make "a bold declaration" about anything of consequence, let alone something so consequential as torture? The answer is evident: Not any time soon.

Ahem.