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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices

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From: bentway	11/17/2007 10:05:53 AM
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Bush embarrassed by new attorney general By Alex Spillius in Washington Last Updated: 1:53am GMT 17/11/2007 telegraph.co.uk President George W Bush has been forced into an embarrassing climb-down by his new attorney general within days of his appointment. Michael Mukasey, who was sworn in Tuesday, has reopened a dormant inquiry into the US government's warrantless wiretapping programme which was effectively blocked by the president 18 months ago. Mr Bush said Mr Mukasey had "my complete trust and confidence", but has agreed to let the investigation by the justice department's Office of Professional Responsibility restart. It was shut down in 2006 when the National Security Agency refused to grant the department's lawyers the necessary security clearances to quiz officials. The scheme aroused controversy because it allowed the NSA to listen in on telephone conversations of terror suspects or those suspected of links with terrorist activity without gaining a warrant from the courts. Democrat congressmen, led by New York representative Maurice Hinchey, have long demanded an inquiry to test the programme's legality. Mr Hinchey said he was "happily surprised" by the decision. Crossing America: Toby Harnden's voyage across the states Follow Toby Harnden as he travels from coast to coast to weigh up the mood of US voters "It now seems because we have a new attorney general the situation has changed. Maybe this attorney general understands that his obligation is not to be the private counsel to the president but the chief law enforcement officer for the entire country," he said. Mr Mukasey, formerly chief judge in Manhattan, was approved by the senate for the country's top legal job by the slimmest margin in living memory, after he refused to condemn as torture the interrogative technique known as waterboarding. But during his appointment hearings it was clear he would be more of his own man than his predecessor Alberto Gonzales, a personal friend of Mr Bush, who was forced to resign after numerous controversies and failures. Mr Bush has seen all but a handful of his close advisors who framed policy during the war on terror desert the White House as the war in Iraq, the detentions in Guantanamo Bay and domestic security tactics have grown more and more unpopular. advertisement Mr Mukasey was considered a reliable conservative and talented legal mind who was also acceptable to Washington. The administration has vehemently defended eavesdropping on phone lines, saying the NSA's activities were narrowly targeted to intercept international calls and e-mails of Americans and others inside the US with suspected ties to the al-Qa'eda terror network.

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