Attorney General Mukasey Confirmed

The theatrics surrounding Michael Mukasey's confirmation as Attorney General has come to an end. The Senate has confirmed Mukasey by a vote of 53-40. The highest legal position in government has been empty for the past 10 months, since Alberto Gonzales resigned over a seemingly politically-motivated controversy concerning the firing of nine federal prosecutors.

Mukasey's unanimous confirmation initially seemed assured, until either:

A) Democrats reconsidered their support when it was revealed that Mukasey had not determined whether waterboarding as an interrogation technique constituted a form of torture

B) Democrats realized that the had passed no meaningful legislation, had not ended the war in Iraq and had no accomplishments with which to appease an increasingly discontent base, and so decided to invent a controversy aimed at the Bush administration so as to shift the focus away from their shortcomings.

Whichever opinion you adopt, it is unlikely that the controversy will long subside. Mukasey will likely issue a decision on waterboarding in the near future, and I can assure you that the Democrats are awaiting that decision with eager anticipation.