Two days ago it seemed to be on a knife edge. But now Michael Mukasey, the White House's nominee for the attorney general post, seems to be safe after two key Democratic senators - Charles Schumer and Dianne Feinstein - said they would support his nomination. An excellent piece in the Los Angeles Times gives plenty of detail. It reports that in a private meeting yesterday, Mukasey said that if Congress passed legislation banning "coercive methods" such as waterboarding, then the administration would have to obey.
Over at Daily Kos, they aren't happy with Feinstein. Meanwhile, the Carpetbagger report is dejected by the turnaround.
Quite why the Democrats want to cave in at this point is hard to understand, just as the tide was going in their direction after Mukasey refused to define waterboarding as torture. A year on from the Democrat's 2006 mid-term triumphs, this is a bit of a downer for them. One day the party might grow a spine, although a brain would also help.
