The attorney general nominee declined to call water-boarding torture, as Democrats on Senate panel had hoped and instead adopted a middle ground of an issue that has become central to his nomination. The nominee, Michael Mukasey, said coercive interrogation methods, including a form of simulated drowning, were "over the line" and "repugnant." Still, he declined to say if he thought so-called water-boarding ws a form of torture that would be illegal in all cases.

Does this sound like politics? You betcha! As one member of the Judiciary Committee, Senator Bident (D-Del) said that Mukasey did not go far enough in condeming torture and that he would vote against the nomination.

And then there was Senator Clinton (D-NY) who is running hard for the nomination of her party for President, said she was "troubled" by Mukasey’s "continued unwillingness to clearly state his views on torture and unchecked executive power." This from someone who seems unwilling or unable to every ‘clearly state her views on anything.’