Atttorney General: Think No Torture...See No Torture

It's not very reassuring that the Nation's chief law enforcement officer, Attorney General Michael Mukasey, won't provide a legal opinion as to whether "waterboarding" constitutes torture, and thus, constitutes a violation of the federal statutes prohibiting torture. Mukasey says that's not his job. I find such a claim incredulous!

I thought the job of the Attorney General of the United States was to enforce this Nations' laws and to insure that every person who violates those laws is held accountable for their actions. And I also thought, apparently in error according to Mukasey, that in order to carry out his or her duties, an Attorney General would have to render a judgment call as to whether an actor's conduct fell within the conduct prescribed by a federal criminal statute. After all, the Canons of Legal Ethics require a prosecutor to believe that a crime was committed before charges can be filed. So, it would seem logical that when it comes to whether conduct is illegal or not, especially when the conduct centers around torture, the Attorney General would have an opinion.

But not with this Attonrey General. The way he sees it, that's not his job.