Bush Taps Mukasey As Attorney General
President Bush, seeking to avert a possible lengthy confirmation fight with Senate Democrats, chose Michael B. Mukasey Monday to replace Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.
"Judge Mukasey is clear-eyed about the threat our nation faces," Mr. Bush said.
If confirmed by the Senate, Mukasey, a retired federal judge who has handled terrorism cases for more than a decade, would become Mr. Bush's third attorney general. The president said that as chief judge of the busy U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Mukasey presided over high-profile national security cases.
"He knows what it takes to fight this war effectively and he knows how to do it in a manner consistent with our laws and our Constitution," Mr. Bush said, standing next to Mukasey in the Rose Garden.
Mr. Bush urged the Senate to quickly confirm Mukasey.
Mukasey oversaw the convictions of the blind sheik, Omar Abdel Rahman, and 11 others in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, reports CBS News correspondent Bob Orr. More recently, he supported the president's detention of Jose Padilla as an "enemy combatant" but rejected arguments that the al Qaeda sympathizer be denied a lawyer.
If he gets a nod from the Senate, Mukasey would take charge of a Justice Department where morale is low following months of investigations into the firings of nine U.S. attorneys and Gonzales' sworn testimony on the Bush administration's terrorist surveillance program.
Mukasey said he was honored to be Mr. Bush's nominee to take the helm of the department.
"My finest hope and prayer at this time is that if confirmed I can give them the support and the leadership they deserve," he said.
"I look forward to meeting with members of Congress in the days ahead and, if confirmed, to working with Congress to meeting our nation's challenges," Mukasey said, just before shaking the president's hand and walking back with him into the Oval Office.
It won't be a cakewalk, but Mukasey will likely win Senate confirmation, reports CBS News correspondent Bob Fuss.
New York Democrat Chuck Schumer, who led the charge to oust Gonzales, said that while Mukasey "is certainly conservative," he "seems to be the kind of nominee who would put rule of law first and show independence from the White House - our most important criteria."
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he believes the president listened to Congress and decided against a more partisan replacement for Gonzales. He said Mukasey had "strong professional credentials and a reputation for independence."
"A man who spent 18 years on the federal bench surely understands the importance of checks and balances and knows how to say no to the president when he oversteps the Constitution," said Reid, D-Nev. "But there should be no rush to judgment. The Senate Judiciary Committee must carefully examine Judge Mukasey's views on the complex legal challenges facing the nation."
In picking Mukasey, the president bowed to pressure from Democrats, who had threatened to fight the nomination of any conservative insider, adds Orr.
Last week, top Democrats specifically warned against naming former Solicitor General Ted Olson, who was thought to be at the top of the president's list.
The White House, however, denied that Mr. Bush chose Mukasey to avoid a battle in the Senate.
"It's not the president who is looking for a fight. The Senate Democrats have made the Department of Justice their cause celebre for the past several months and they have decided that that's where they wanted to fight," Perino said. "If they decide to make an issue about this nomination, that will be at their feet and they're going to have to explain that to the American people. ... We're not looking for a fight."
Perino dodged a question about whether the president saw Mukasey as a consensus nominee. "I think what he is is a very solid nominee," she said.
Perino said Mukasey will "bring fresh perspective" to the Justice Department and to the president, reports CBS News correspondent Peter Maer.
Mukasey currently serves as a judicial adviser to GOP presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani. Perino said that if Mukasey is confirmed, he will sever ties with the Giuliani campaign. Perino said that Mr. Bush offered the nomination to Mukasey on Friday, and he accepted.
Bush critics contended the Mukasey nomination was evidence of Mr. Bush's weakened political clout as he heads into the final 15 months of his presidency. The president's supporters say Mukasey has impeccable credentials, is a strong, law-and-order jurist, especially on national security issues, and will restore confidence in the Justice Department.
Mukasey has drawn lukewarm reviews from some members of the GOP's right flank. Some legal conservatives and Republican activists have expressed reservations about Mukasey's legal record and past endorsements from liberals, and were drafting a strategy to oppose his confirmation.
William Kristol, editor of the conservative Weekly Standard, said some of his fellow conservatives are upset that Olson, the former solicitor general, who represented Mr. Bush before the Supreme Court in the contested 2000 election, was not chosen.
Mukasey, chosen in large part for his experience in national security matters, noted the threat of terrorism in his brief remarks. "Thirty five years ago, our foreign adversaries saw widespread devastation as a deterrent," he said. "Today, our fanatical enemies see it as a divine fulfillment."
Mr. Bush gave a quick, final nod to the departed attorney general, Gonzales, who resigned after months of turmoil and accusations of mismanagement.
"I've known Al and his family for more than a decade," Mr. Bush said. "He's a dear friend and a trusted adviser."
Until a new attorney general is confirmed by the Senate, Mr. Bush said, Assistant Attorney General Peter D. Keisler will serve as acting attorney general. Keisler oversaw the Bush administration's lengthy legal fight over the rights of terrorism war-era prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.
Keisler had announced his resignation from the department in early September. He had been nominated by Mr. Bush earlier in the year for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The Senate has not acted on Keisler's nomination.
Mr. Bush said that Keisler had agreed to stay on at the Justice Department, which will allow Solicitor General Paul Clement to focus on his duties as the government's chief advocate as the Supreme Court nears the opening of its new fall term.
© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. "Judge Mukasey is clear-eyed about the threat our nation faces," Mr. Bush said.
If confirmed by the Senate, Mukasey, a retired federal judge who has handled terrorism cases for more than a decade, would become Mr. Bush's third attorney general. The president said that as chief judge of the busy U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Mukasey presided over high-profile national security cases.
"He knows what it takes to fight this war effectively and he knows how to do it in a manner consistent with our laws and our Constitution," Mr. Bush said, standing next to Mukasey in the Rose Garden.
Mr. Bush urged the Senate to quickly confirm Mukasey.
Mukasey oversaw the convictions of the blind sheik, Omar Abdel Rahman, and 11 others in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, reports CBS News correspondent Bob Orr. More recently, he supported the president's detention of Jose Padilla as an "enemy combatant" but rejected arguments that the al Qaeda sympathizer be denied a lawyer.
If he gets a nod from the Senate, Mukasey would take charge of a Justice Department where morale is low following months of investigations into the firings of nine U.S. attorneys and Gonzales' sworn testimony on the Bush administration's terrorist surveillance program.
Mukasey said he was honored to be Mr. Bush's nominee to take the helm of the department.
"My finest hope and prayer at this time is that if confirmed I can give them the support and the leadership they deserve," he said.
"I look forward to meeting with members of Congress in the days ahead and, if confirmed, to working with Congress to meeting our nation's challenges," Mukasey said, just before shaking the president's hand and walking back with him into the Oval Office.
It won't be a cakewalk, but Mukasey will likely win Senate confirmation, reports CBS News correspondent Bob Fuss.
New York Democrat Chuck Schumer, who led the charge to oust Gonzales, said that while Mukasey "is certainly conservative," he "seems to be the kind of nominee who would put rule of law first and show independence from the White House - our most important criteria."
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he believes the president listened to Congress and decided against a more partisan replacement for Gonzales. He said Mukasey had "strong professional credentials and a reputation for independence."
"A man who spent 18 years on the federal bench surely understands the importance of checks and balances and knows how to say no to the president when he oversteps the Constitution," said Reid, D-Nev. "But there should be no rush to judgment. The Senate Judiciary Committee must carefully examine Judge Mukasey's views on the complex legal challenges facing the nation."
In picking Mukasey, the president bowed to pressure from Democrats, who had threatened to fight the nomination of any conservative insider, adds Orr.
Last week, top Democrats specifically warned against naming former Solicitor General Ted Olson, who was thought to be at the top of the president's list.
The White House, however, denied that Mr. Bush chose Mukasey to avoid a battle in the Senate.
"It's not the president who is looking for a fight. The Senate Democrats have made the Department of Justice their cause celebre for the past several months and they have decided that that's where they wanted to fight," Perino said. "If they decide to make an issue about this nomination, that will be at their feet and they're going to have to explain that to the American people. ... We're not looking for a fight."
Perino dodged a question about whether the president saw Mukasey as a consensus nominee. "I think what he is is a very solid nominee," she said.
Perino said Mukasey will "bring fresh perspective" to the Justice Department and to the president, reports CBS News correspondent Peter Maer.
Mukasey currently serves as a judicial adviser to GOP presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani. Perino said that if Mukasey is confirmed, he will sever ties with the Giuliani campaign. Perino said that Mr. Bush offered the nomination to Mukasey on Friday, and he accepted.
Bush critics contended the Mukasey nomination was evidence of Mr. Bush's weakened political clout as he heads into the final 15 months of his presidency. The president's supporters say Mukasey has impeccable credentials, is a strong, law-and-order jurist, especially on national security issues, and will restore confidence in the Justice Department.
Mukasey has drawn lukewarm reviews from some members of the GOP's right flank. Some legal conservatives and Republican activists have expressed reservations about Mukasey's legal record and past endorsements from liberals, and were drafting a strategy to oppose his confirmation.
William Kristol, editor of the conservative Weekly Standard, said some of his fellow conservatives are upset that Olson, the former solicitor general, who represented Mr. Bush before the Supreme Court in the contested 2000 election, was not chosen.
Mukasey, chosen in large part for his experience in national security matters, noted the threat of terrorism in his brief remarks. "Thirty five years ago, our foreign adversaries saw widespread devastation as a deterrent," he said. "Today, our fanatical enemies see it as a divine fulfillment."
Mr. Bush gave a quick, final nod to the departed attorney general, Gonzales, who resigned after months of turmoil and accusations of mismanagement.
"I've known Al and his family for more than a decade," Mr. Bush said. "He's a dear friend and a trusted adviser."
Until a new attorney general is confirmed by the Senate, Mr. Bush said, Assistant Attorney General Peter D. Keisler will serve as acting attorney general. Keisler oversaw the Bush administration's lengthy legal fight over the rights of terrorism war-era prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.
Keisler had announced his resignation from the department in early September. He had been nominated by Mr. Bush earlier in the year for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The Senate has not acted on Keisler's nomination.
Mr. Bush said that Keisler had agreed to stay on at the Justice Department, which will allow Solicitor General Paul Clement to focus on his duties as the government's chief advocate as the Supreme Court nears the opening of its new fall term.
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Posted by king77shaw at 07:33 PM : Sep 17, 2007
+ report abuse
Absolutely something that needs discussion, it is not just those mentioned but many of the groups like Freedom Watch, Swift Boats, News organiations were funded by like minded men. What is the Agenda, why the secrecy, the attack on Carter and his book was rabid, why? And why the reckless desire for policies, that are not in Americas Interest and anti will of the People.
veteran71,
Good one!
I did not say all but are some Jews in postions of power acting in Israel''s best interest or the United States best interest? - for example, take the Pentagon''s Defense Policy Board which is run by hawkish, right wing Zionists, many of whom have dual Israeli-American citzenship:
Richard Perle - chairman of the Pentagon''s Defense Policy Board. Chief architect of the Iraq war.
Paul Wolfowitz - member of Perle''s Defense Policy Board, Chief architect of the Iraq war.
Douglas Feith - Under Secretary of Defense and Policy Advisor at the Pentagon. Feith is a pro-Israel extremist and is closely associated with the extremist group, the Zionist Organization of America. Chief architect of the Iraq war.
Kenneth Adelman - sits on the Pentagon''s Defense Policy Board under Perle, and is another extremist pro-Israel advisor. Chief architect of the Iraq war.
I. Lewis Scooter Libby - Vice President Dikk Cheney''s former Chief of Staff. The chief pro-Israel Jewish advisor to Cheney.
James Schlesinger - also sits on the Pentagon''s Defense Policy Board under Perle and is another extremist pro-Israel advisor.
who are our troops fighting for in Iraq ? - why were the voices of so many of our military generals (Shinseki, Zinni etc) rejected or removed when questioning the Iraq war strategy crafted, promoted and implemented by a handful of Zionists war mongers?
Zai gezunt.
king77shaw,
Thank you for providing some background on this Zionist collaborator.
www.zeitgeistmovie.com
Re: "William Kristol, editor of the conservative Weekly Standard, said some of his fellow conservatives are upset that Olson, the former solicitor general, who represented Mr. Bush before the Supreme Court in the contested 2000 election, was not chosen."
William Kristol, PNAC Uber-Zionist stool-sample, and apologist and sponsor of the illegal war of aggression against Iraq and elsewhere, should be explaining his opinions before a war crimes tribunal.
The opinions of this goose-stepping, fascistic, arse-licking coward have no place in American politics.
What is the threshold for being a terrorist-defender as opposed to being an innocent stooge? 10.7 hours? 28 hours?
Freddy was wrong on this one. Lawyers can and often do excuse themselves from cases they find morally repehensible.
His acceptance is another example of the new Conservative Republican talk show morality. If you do it for money, it''s okay. Trumps all other considerations. Barry Goldwater, Dwight Eisenhower and Robert Taft are probably whirling in their graves.