President Bush has issued an ultimatum to Senate Democrats over the troubled nomination of attorney general hopeful Michael Mukasey. Mukasey’s confirmation is in doubt over his refusal to condemn waterboarding as a form of torture. On Thursday, President Bush said the nation would remain without a permanent attorney general if Democrats voted against Mukasey.

President Bush: “As Judge Mukasey explained in a letter to committee members, he cannot do so for several reasons. First, he does not know whether certain methods of questioning are in fact used, because the program is classified, and therefore he is in no position to provide an informed opinion. He has not been read into the program, and won’t, until he is confirmed and sworn in — won’t be, until he is confirmed and sworn in as the attorney general.”

Bush was speaking before the right-wing Washington think tank the Heritage Foundation. On Thursday, Democratic Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts became the fourth Judiciary Committee member to announce that he will vote against Mukasey next week.