Sheldon Whitehouse: “the Senate is now called upon to consider President Bush's nominee to succeed Alberto Gonzales as Attorney General of…”

“the Senate is now called upon to consider President Bush's nominee to succeed Alberto Gonzales as Attorney General of this Nation the person we must rely on to repair what has been left broken to uphold the rule of law where political loyalties once ruled and to lead the Department of Justice forward at a time of upheaval; and of urgency. In many ways, President Bush has made a fine appointment in Judge Michael Mukasey; far better than we have come to expect in this administration. He is not a political hack. He is not a partisan ideologue. He is not an incompetent crony. We have had our share of those. No, he is a brilliant lawyer, a distinguished jurist, and by all accounts a good man. And no one feels more keenly than do I the need for repair and recovery of the Department of Justice. In a small way, I served this Department, as a U.S. Attorney, and I feel how important this great institution is to our country; and how important an Attorney General-- such as Judge Mukasey could be--is to this great institution. I wish it were so easy. But there are times in history that rear up, and become a swivel point on which our direction as a Nation can turn. The discussion of torture in recent days has made this such a point. Suddenly, even unexpectedly, this time has come. It calls us to think--What is it that makes this country great? Whence cometh our strength?…”