海角大神

James Comey is no Chuck Hagel.

It鈥檚 true that both men are Republicans who are 鈥� or, in Comey鈥檚 case, soon will be 鈥� serving in high Obama administration posts.

But ex-Senator Hagel struggled through his Senate confirmation hearing to be secretary of Defense earlier this year, appearing ill-prepared to answer tough questions he must have known were coming. In contrast, Mr. Comey, Obama鈥檚 pick to be the next director of the FBI, sailed through his Senate hearing test Tuesday like an America鈥檚 Cup yacht with following winds.

It was clear from the start that Comey鈥檚 day would be relatively easy. Sen. Pat Leahy (D) of Vermont, the Judiciary Committtee chairman, has long pushed for the harsh interrogation practice known as waterboarding to be considered torture. Comey, as an official in the George W. Bush administration, objected strongly to the practice.

So Senator Leahy started off with the question on which he knew he and Comey would agree: Is waterboarding torture?

鈥淵es,鈥� said Comey, flatly.

鈥淲ould you agree to answer this question the same way no matter who was president?鈥� Leahy continued.

鈥淥h certainly,鈥� said Comey.

Following that, other senators of both parties praised Comey鈥檚 independence, referring several times to his role in facing down the Bush White House over a warrantless surveillance program.

Comey, meanwhile, agreed in principle with many senators on particular questions, while avoiding committing himself to policy details.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) of California, for instance, asked him what he thought about the force-feeding of prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. Comey replied that 鈥淚 frankly wouldn鈥檛 want [that] done to me,鈥� but noted that that FBI isn鈥檛 in charge of Guantanamo and so the question was outside his scope.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it鈥檇 be worth much, my opinion, at this point,鈥� he said.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R) of Texas asked Comey whether he was concerned that in the Benghazi, Libya attack and the Boston Marathon bombing the FBI had failed to connect dots of evidence beforehand that might have enabled the US to thwart the plots.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know enough from this vantage point, senator, to comment on the particular cases. Obviously I think it鈥檚 always important to connect the dots as best you can,鈥� said Comey.

Comey used the word 鈥渢ransparency鈥� often, saying he saw it as a key value for the FBI, particularly when dealing with Congress. But he also to some extent defended the US government鈥檚 collection of vast amounts of its citizens鈥� telephone metadata via National Security Agency snooping.

鈥淎s a general matter 鈥� the collection of metadata and analysis of metadata is a valuable tool in counterterrorism,鈥� Comey said.

He also held that the secret court that authorizes NSA surveillance activities is not a 鈥渞ubber stamp,鈥� as some critics charge.

鈥淔olks don鈥檛 realize it is a group of independent federal judges who sit and review requests by the government, who gather information, and it is anything but a rubber stamp,鈥� he said.

Comey was a federal prosecutor for 15 years prior to becoming an appointed official in the Bush administration, rising to the office of deputy attorney general. After leaving government he became general counsel at Lockheed Martin. Later he moved to the same position at hedge fund Bridgewater Associates.

As was definitely not the case with Chuck Hagel, Comey seems assured of confirmation in his new post.

鈥淚鈥檇 be surprised 鈥渋f confirmation is not unanimous, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R) of Utah told the FBI nominee.