MukaseyCallsWaterboarding‘Hypothetical,’DodgesLegalQuestionOfWhetherItIsTorture

InawrittenresponsetoquestionsfromSenateDemocratsyesterday,AttorneyGeneralnomineeMichaelMukaseyrefusedtoexplicitlysaywhetherhebelievedwaterboardingtobetorture.Inthefour-pageletter,Mukaseycalledtheinterrogationtechnique“overtheline”and“repugnant”on“apersonalbasis,”butaddedthathewouldneedthe“actualfactsandcircumstances”tostrikea“legalopinion”:

Hypotheticalsaredifferentfromreallifeandinanylegalopiniontheactualfactsandcircumstancesarecritical.

CNN’sEdHenrynotesthatwithhis“factsandcircumstances”hedge,“essentiallyMichaelMukaseyisdodgingthequestionofwhetherlegallywaterboardingistorture.

SenateDemocratshavesaidthatMukasey’sansweronthequestionofwaterboardingandtortureiscrucialtotheirvoteonhisconfirmation.“It’sfairtosaymyvotewoulddependonhimansweringthatquestion,”JudiciaryCommitteeChairmanPatrickLeahy(D-VT)toldreporterslastweek.Sen.DickDurbin(D-IL)calledit“theseminalissue.”

Sen.LindseyGraham(R-SC),ajudgeadvocategeneralinthemilitary,hassaidthatitshouldn’tbedifficultforMukaseytobeclearontheissue:

Ifhedoesnotbelievethatwaterboardingisillegal,thenthatwouldreallyputdoubtsinmyownmindbecauseIdon’tthinkyouhavetohavealotofknowledgeaboutthelawtounderstandthistechniqueviolates”theGenevaConventionandotherstatutes.

TimereportedyesterdaythatifMukasey“refusestodeclarewaterboardingexpresslyillegal,helookslikelytoberejectedbytheJudiciaryCommittee.”

--ThinkProgress;courtesyofFrankLeidermann,AssociateEditor