U.S Sen. Russ Feingold, D-WI, and U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl, D-WI, both voted against confirming Judge Michael Mukasey as the new Attorney General of the United States Tuesday.
Feingold said in a statement that while Mukasey had many impressive qualities as a candidate, his views on torture and executive power were too similar to that of President Bush.
We need an Attorney General who will tell the President that he cannot ignore the laws passed by Congress. And on that fundamental qualification for this office, Judge Mukasey falls short,"" Feingold said.
Waterboarding, the process of making a prisoner undergo simulated drowning, was an issue Mukasey did not define as torture, and according to both Feingold and Kohl, this hurts Mukasey's credibility.
The Senate Judiciary Committee confirmed Mukasey by a vote of 11 to eight. All nine Republicans and two Democrats voted in favor of putting the nomination before the full Senate, which is likely to confirm his nomination, according to the Associated Press.
