I give my Senator Chuck Schumer some credit for appearing here, but it's abundantly clear that he and the Dems in the Senate have forfeited all or most of the good will that existed prior to the 2006 election.
ClammyC has one of his usual excellent diaries up on this, but as I was commenting there it occurred to me that Schumer (et al.) could earn the good graces of this and the other progressive communities through some dramatic gesture.
For example, his vote on the Mukasey nomination has within just months proven extraodinarily naive, at best.
Not only has Mukasey failed to clarify his torture/waterboarding position, he has blatantly closed down any investigation of waterboarding or electronic eavesdropping. It's clear that Schumer's "faith" in Mukasey was egregiously misplaced.
Schumer is generally a very liberal Senator and I don't join in the blanket attacks on him by many today. However, he has failed on some defining issues -- not only the recent Mukasey disaster, but on the Iraq war itself.
Here's one possible way for Schumer to begin regaining his lost stature -- initiate impeachment proceedings against Mukasey.
Or maybe against Scalia for openly advocating torture.
If you think this is nuts, what else do you suggest? If I get a lot of suggestions, I'll do another diary tomorrow with a poll including them.