Spain sentences Madrid bombing masterminds to 42,900 years for mass murder; Sen. McCain will vote against Mukasey for AG if he doesn't bar torture...

1 November :: Spain's top criminal court has sentenced masterminds of 11 March 2004 Madrid train bombings to more than 42,900 years each for mass murder; the Audiencia Nacional also ruled out definitively any involvement by Basque separatist group ETA, citing Islamist extremist conspiracy as proven by evidence... Sen. John McCain, a Republican presidential candidate, says he would vote against Mukasey's nomination to be AG if he does not take stand against torture; Mukasey refused in Congressional hearing to declare abusive interrogation techniques 'torture'; McCain rival for Republican candidacy, Giuliani, a friend of Mukasey, has said he is not sure mock drowning is torture, saying "it depends on who does it"; Sen. McCain was routinely tortured during 5 1/2 years as PoW in North Vietnam... Senate judiciary committee chair Patrick Leahy (D-VT) has called for committee vote on Mukasey for next Tuesday, as Judge Mukasey has attempted to clarify his positions by written response; committee vote decides if full Senate will debate or vote on nomination... Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) has issued campaign video claiming her opponents in party primary have engaged in "politics of pile-on" by attacking her positions, responses, Senate votes, on a number of issues, in Monday night's debate... Foreign service officers at State Dept. react angrily at plan to force them to serve in Iraq, under threat of disciplinary action, including dismissal if they refuse the assignment; one officer quoted by the AP said an Iraq assignment amounted to "a potential death sentence", with many feeling work in war zone should be discretionary based on diplomats' willingness, support for the mission... Church ordered to pay $10.9 million for staging anti-gay hate rally at fallen soldier's funeral, after soldier's father sues for defamation; signs expressed hatred for homosexuals, praised the death of troops, suggest God "hates" and attacked American tolerance...