Graham Drops Opposition To Mukasey, Rewarded With ‘High-Roller Fundraiser’ With Bush
Graham Drops Opposition To Mukasey, Rewarded With ‘High-Roller Fundraiser’ With Bush
Last week, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said that waterboarding “is clearly illegal under domestic and international law.” Yet when Michael Mukasey, President Bush’s nominee for Attorney General, refused to classify the technique as torture, Graham dropped his principles and said he was “heartened” by the non-response. “I think Judge Mukasey did himself some good with this letter,” said Graham, who plans to support Mukasey. “He helped his cause with me.”
Graham, who is launching his ‘08 re-election bid, may have capitulated for political reasons. Last week, Graham publicly said he hoped Bush would come to South Carolina and help his campaign:
If he were to come in support of my campaign, it would be very helpful and I would be honored. I look forward to hopefully having him come to South Carolina and stand by my side.
Today, just a few days after Graham dropped his opposition to Mukasey, Bush is indeed in South Carolina to appear at a “high-roller fundraiser” for Graham. When he arrived in the state today, Graham appeared by the President’s side at the airport. Bush lavished praise on Graham, specifically mentioning the senator’s support for Mukasey:
BUSH: I — I’m proud to stand with Senator Lindsey Graham. I’ve gotten to know him well. He deserves to be reelected to the United States Senate in South — from South Carolina. He’s tough, he is smart, he bases his votes on conservative principles. […]
I’ve had no stronger supporter in the United State Senate than Lindsey Graham for putting good judges on the bench. People of this state have got to understand that when I nominated John Roberts and Sam Alito, there was no better ally than Lindsey Graham to see to it that these two good men were confirmed.
There’s going to be another fight on the Senate floor coming next week. The Senate Judiciary Committee has agreed to vote on the nomination of Michael Mukasey to be the attorney general.
And, Senator Graham, I appreciate your strong support for Mike Mukasey.
Why not approve Bush’s nominee when a $250/plate minimum is at stake?
Sort Comments By: Top Rated | Date
45 Responses to “Graham Drops Opposition To Mukasey, Rewarded With ‘High-Roller Fundraiser’ With Bush”
Register
RSSLogin
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog RollAbout Think ProgressContact Us
Donate
I told you those against Mukasy are just holding out for a treat. And we thought Halloween was past. Next comes Leahy.
Little does Graham know it will be the kiss of death having Bush next to him, even the candidates are smarter than having Bush near them.
November 2nd, 2007 at 2:59 pmWhat’s the word I’m looking for…..can’t think of it but I remember that it rhymes with more…
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:00 pmWhat a WHORE.
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:00 pmGMTA, Mary. ;o)
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:01 pmI’m sure that something horrific was done to Graham in Cheney’s bunker in order to help him make up his mind about Mukasky. But what godawful thing did they do to him to make him say this?
Last week, Graham publicly said he hoped Bush would come to South Carolina and help his campaign:
If he were to come in support of my campaign, it would be very helpful and I would be honored. I look forward to hopefully having him come to South Carolina and stand by my side.
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:07 pmand a personally autographed collector’s dvd of the abu ghraib torture sessions. lindsey was especially excited to receive that…
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:08 pmisn’t that cute!
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:08 pmthey’re wearing the same outfit!
.
SO,
Torture IS an American Principle?
Sissy Graham seems to think so.
.
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:08 pmSo he screws the country for a fundraiser? He chooses the party over the Constitution? That sounds about right for Graham. Who else is getting promised stuff for their avoidance of the rule of law?
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:08 pmI’ve been around long enough that it’s just plain surreal all this talk of torture. I thought the bad guys were the ones who did torture.
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:11 pmMary - EXCELLENT ! Thanks for the humor in this cloudy world.
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:12 pmGMTA, Mary. ;o)
Comment by Leftside Annie — November 2, 2007 @ 3:01 pm
Glad to be in your company Leftside Annie. One of my sisters goes by the name Annie. She’s awesome.
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:12 pmWe all KNOW Graham is a whore, it’s only about how much $ he gets.
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:12 pmOf course, Sen. Graham has announced his support of Judge Mukasey. Mukasey addressed Sen. Graham’s concerns.
Here is Judge Mukasy said about waterboarding at his confirmation hearing:
“It is not constitutional for the United States to engage in torture in any form, be it waterboarding or anything else.â€
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:14 pmLast week on FTN, Graham was adament about waterboarding being torture and that Mukasey needed to say that.
I was really hoping that Graham would stick by what he said on Sunday. He never did say though that he would or wouldn’t vote for Mukasey. So, in that respect, I’m not suprised to see Graham towing the party line.
Knowing that Shrub’s presence at his fund raiser will kill any chance of maintaining his seat is kinda like a payback to me. Although, I’m sure the people attending the fund raiser were nothing moe than loyal Bushies.
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:17 pm#14 For the United States, how about when the United States out sources the waterboarding to other countries. And we know this has been and is being done. In my world, we are still torturing but in the Bush world he can blame someone else.
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:18 pmAh…the sweet sweet calming influence of mad money. There’s no obstacle it can’t remove.
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:20 pmParty, greed, and crime all come before the constitution and the country for these bootlicking, asskissing, thugs, who have given this sorry sob Dubya a free pass for the past seven years. May they all burn in their hell for their actions. Graham should be beaten into the ground in next years election for his criminal nature.
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:23 pmExley, maybe the confusion came from later testimony…
I don’t know what’s involved in the technique. If waterboarding is torture, torture is not constitutional. - Mukasey
The GWB administration just declares that waterboarding isn’t torture and voila, it’s ok. The whole point of the questioning was to ask Mukasey if he agreed that waterboarding was torture. He didn’t state whether he did or did not.
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:23 pm#16 I like your style. You’re right of course. Mukasey was totally parsing his words. Because at one point in the hearings didn’t he say that the executive branch can override pretty much anything? (in the name of defending the country of course..*cough cough*) That would include the Constitution, so therefore if the president decided he wante to waterboard someone then it’s okay?
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:26 pm‘Mukasey should not be confirmed because he could not muster a simple, straightforward answer at his confirmation hearing when he was asked the simple, straightforward question: Is the president of the United States required to obey federal statutes? “That would have to depend,” he weaseled, “on whether what goes outside the statute nonetheless lies within the authority of the president to defend the country.”‘
http://www.dailykos.com/ storyonly/ 2007/ 10/ 30/ 21615/ 172
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:27 pmWhat all these lamebrained, bottom feeding, knuckle dragging, troglodytes need to come to grips with is that they are only dealing with the 24% stupid enough to listen to this moron anyway. The GOP has to lie, steal elections, and bypass the law to get by with the crimes of the thugs in their crime family. Thinking people do not buy into their bullsh$t.
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:27 pmBought and paid for. Would you like that in paper or plastic?
It’s torture till I get money, then it’s not, now that I got paid.
Typical Repukian.
Buck Fush
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:27 pmBush gave Graham a copy of the key to the White House restroom as a reward.
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:27 pmDoesn’t appear that he is going to have any opposition either.
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:32 pmIf someone were to wrap a rope around Bush’s neck and tie it so that he had to stand on tip toes to breathe and left him there for two hours would that be torture?
No, how about a day? Ok, how about two weeks? How about until January 20, 2009?
See it just depends on the circumstances doesn’t it?
I can’t believe that there are Americans who support waterboarding. That should be a litmus test to be an American. You support it? Fine. Get the F out of here because you don’t belong in my country.
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:35 pmWhere is Lindsey’s wife? Oh thats right, he doesn’t have one?
How old is he? 53.
Has he ever been married? No
Has he just not met the right girl? That would be a stretch.
Chaotic Modulation
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:36 pmhttp://www.YabbaDabbaHubbaDo.com
Graham swallows I bet.
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:44 pmi saw that headline this morning & it just screamed QUID PRO QUO.
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:45 pmNo, no, no I said I like wakeboarding.
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:48 pmYou can scream “quid pro quo” all you want. Nothing is free.
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:49 pmI thought the bad guys were the ones who did torture.
Comment by mary
Yes, we call them bad guys. They call themselves Republicans.
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:58 pmIn his written responses to questions from Senate Democrats regarding waterboarding and other issues, Attorney General nominee Michael Mukasey almost exactlty regurgitated Alberto Gonzales’ 2005 assertion to Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) that “what we’re really discussing is a hypothetical situation.”
For the details, see:
November 2nd, 2007 at 4:16 pm“Mukasey Now and Gonzales Then: Discussions of Torture ‘Hypothetical.’”
Everyone said Graham would end up supporting the GWB, the only kind of bush he likes.
November 2nd, 2007 at 4:26 pmWhen the 2008 elections are canceled by executive order, because we are ‘in a time of war’, Lindsey will declared the head of the new symbolic House and Senate rubber stamp branch of the new government.
November 2nd, 2007 at 4:29 pmWhat a pig!
My greatest wish is that he lose his next bid for reelection.
November 2nd, 2007 at 4:29 pmWhat a pig!
My greatest wish is that he lose his next bid for reelection.
Comment by nofltwlt
I think he just did.
November 2nd, 2007 at 4:35 pm“…judges…” …it’s all about the judges…
they actually think that putting fascist judges on the court that
the beloved calling card of abortion will be overturned…
ah hahaha! ahhh…
if they only KNEW what the REAL plan is…
but that’s NOT funny…
November 2nd, 2007 at 4:46 pm.
More liberal holiday begging;
All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth
Every body stops
and stares at me
These two teeth are
gone as you can see
I don’t know just who
to blame for this catastrophe!
But my one wish on Christmas Eve
is as plain as it can be!
All I want for Christmas
is my two front teeth,
my two front teeth,
see my two front teeth!
Gee, if I could only
have my two front teeth,
then I could with you
“Merry Christmas.”
It seems so long since I could say,
“Sister Susie sitting on a thistle!”
Gosh oh gee, how happy I’d be,
if I could only whistle (thhhh)
All I want for Christmas
November 2nd, 2007 at 4:51 pmis my two front teeth,
my two front teeth,
see my two front teeth.
Gee, if I could only
have my two front teeth,
then I could wish you
“Merry Christmas!”
Hot Damn — if I were a political whore I’d sure as hell be holding out for a whole hell of a lot more than having Bush make a campaign stop. Does Lindsey REALLY think this is going to be helpful?
He’s more of a fruitcake than I even thought he was.
November 2nd, 2007 at 5:06 pmSo he screws the country for a fundraiser? He chooses the party over the Constitution? That sounds about right for Graham. Who else is getting promised stuff for their avoidance of the rule of law?
Comment by StratRat — November 2, 2007 @ 3:08 pm
Maybe these two.
WASHINGTON (CNN) — The confirmation of Michael Mukasey as attorney general was all but assured Friday when two key Democratic senators said they will vote in favor of the nominee despite questions about his views on “waterboarding” and the president’s power to order electronic surveillance.
Sens. Dianne Feinstein of California and Charles Schumer of New York announced they would support the retired federal judge from New York just hours after the chairman of the Judiciary Committee announced his opposition to the nominee.
November 2nd, 2007 at 6:23 pmBush just loves him some Graham. After this and Graham’s declaration of warrantless wiretapping to be illegal, then changing his mind, it’s no wonder.
November 2nd, 2007 at 6:42 pmits gonna be fun when larry Flynt outs Lindsay & Bush says, “i never really knew the guy!”
November 2nd, 2007 at 8:28 pmGraham is a prostitute. He has sold his country in return for Bush attending his fund raiser.
November 3rd, 2007 at 1:04 pmThis is the guy who said he got 5 rugs for $5 in Baghdad and because of that, Iraq is just mahvelous!
#5 shoeless says:
November 3rd, 2007 at 1:09 pmI’m sure that something horrific was done to Graham in Cheney’s bunker in order to help him make up his mind about Mukasky.
Hmm, do you think it might have been a case of blackmail? Graham is in the closet - did they threaten to expose him?
If all these hypocrites were not antagonistic towards homosexuals, they wouldn’t be vulnerable to exploitation.