Monday, September 17, 2007
President Nominates Mukasey for U.S. Attorney General
This morning, the President will announce the nomination of judge Michael B. Mukasey as U.S. Attorney General, filling the vacancy created by the resignation of Alberto Gonzales. Mukasey served on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York for over 18 years. During his term, he fairly handled some of the most important and complex cases relating to terrorism, including Jose Padilla's challenge to his detention as an enemy combatant.
William Kristol, in his article for The Weekly Standard (linked above), commended the selection of Mukasey and urged conservatives to support the nomination. He stated, "we can be confident he'll be effective at making the case before Congress and the public for tough legislation and sound policies on national security issues."
Mukasey has expounded on his perspective regarding the rule of law and the war on terror in two op-ed articles available here. In the first, he defends the USA Patriot Act, concluding,
In the second, Mukasey uses the recent decision in the Padilla case to highlight the "inadequacy of the current approach to terrorism prosecutions." Both articles reveal a superb legal mind, sensitive of the complicated balancing of interests that prosecutors and judges face in the war on terror. Such awareness makes Mukasey an ideal nominee for Attorney General.
William Kristol, in his article for The Weekly Standard (linked above), commended the selection of Mukasey and urged conservatives to support the nomination. He stated, "we can be confident he'll be effective at making the case before Congress and the public for tough legislation and sound policies on national security issues."
Mukasey has expounded on his perspective regarding the rule of law and the war on terror in two op-ed articles available here. In the first, he defends the USA Patriot Act, concluding,
[T]he hidden message in the structure of the Constitution -- is that the government it establishes is entitled, at least in the first instance, to receive from its citizens the benefit of the doubt. If we keep that in mind, then the spirit of liberty will be the spirit which, if it is not too sure that it is right, is at least sure enough to keep itself -- and us -- alive.
In the second, Mukasey uses the recent decision in the Padilla case to highlight the "inadequacy of the current approach to terrorism prosecutions." Both articles reveal a superb legal mind, sensitive of the complicated balancing of interests that prosecutors and judges face in the war on terror. Such awareness makes Mukasey an ideal nominee for Attorney General.
# posted by Kim Loontjer @ 8:44 AM 
