Mukasey or the Muck (Must Read)

The Wall Street Journal ^ | September 19, 2007 | DANIEL HENNINGER

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Judge Michael Mukasey's acceptance of George Bush's offer to become his third attorney general brought to mind the title of a relatively obscure 19th century French novel called "La Bas," which means, "down there."

"La bas," of course, would be modern Washington. "Down there" the denizens push a great grinding wheel that circles endlessly. George Bush proposes. Harry Reid repudiates. Into this spun-down place comes a nominee for attorney general who is said to have "little Washington experience." Let us not dwell on the latter-day meaning of that phrase. We shall posit, however, that Washington needs Judge Mukasey more than Judge Mukasey needs Washington.

Wonder Land columnist Dan Henninger on Judge Michael Mukasey's attorney general nomination and how his experience could stem political infighting on the war on terror.

In the spirit of the hallowed Don Quixote, your columnist will now pick up his lance, mount his old steed Rocinante and make his once-a-year rush toward the Beltway windmills. The song goes like this: If they'll let him, Michael Mukasey could make Washington and the nation a better place.

The nation's betterment is the easier task, so that first.

At this moment in the history of the country's needs, what it needs, perhaps even more than Hillary Clinton's Plan B for health care, is a blueprint to protect itself from the uncounted Islamic terrorists who think God wants them to blow up Americans. Killing Americans was explicitly the goal of the terrorists arrested Sept. 5 in Germany, where they had targeted the U.S. air base at Ramstein, Frankfurt's airport and hotels.

The plan proposed by the Bush administration to meet this threat includes the Patriot Act, the National Security Agency's Terrorist Surveillance Program (the warrantless wiretap/FISA controversy), and the military commission trials for Guantanamo prisoners.

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"As to how the Mukasey nomination might better Washington itself, two words: Scooter Libby. What exactly was it about, running as a central issue in the life of Washington from mid-2003 to mid-2007? It lasted four years on dreams that it would lead to Dick Cheney or Karl Rove. This is not the politics of a great power but of dying Rome, a political class too disorganized to protect its people."

The loss of country started with the politics of the Clintons and the bar has continued to be lowered.

[ml/nj]

Hillary Clinton's Plan B for health care

This phrase brings to mind the notion that someone should ask her what was wrong with Plan A.

ML/NJ