Another game of chicken?

When it was first reported that former judge Michael Mukasey was Bush's choice for Attorney-General, a number of Democrats applauded the move. Now, however, The New York Times is reporting that one of those very senators, Charles Schumer (D-NY), along with Patrick Leahy (D-VT), chair of the all-important Senate Judiciary Committee, is threatening to hold up the Mukasey nomination if the White House does not come up with documents that the committee has been seeking, but on which the administration has been stonewalling.

As Leahy put it, “All I want is the material we need to ask some questions about the former attorney general’s conduct, on torture and warrantless wiretapping, so we can legitimately ask, ‘Here’s what was done in the past, what will you do?’ ”

Now, what makes this especially interesting is that the White House announced today that the interim A-G, now that Alberto has left the building, will not be the respected Solicitor-General, Paul Clement, but Peter Kiesler, a partisan who had announced his resignation as an Assistant Attorney-General. Last spring, Kiesler was fingered as one of three political appointees who put the fix in on the government's racketeering case against Big Tobacco.

So, is the White House challenging Democrats by letting them know it'll be business-as-usual, Alberto-style, unless they knuckle under on the documents and confirm Mukasey? And if they do, would he have the professionalism, integrity and political courage to turn the documents over?

To spice the stew further, Kiesler has been nominated to the DC Court of Appeals, and Sen. Leahy has already expressed reservations.

Stay tuned.