“The current campaign against terrorism may require even broader exercises of federal power domestically,” said a 2001 memo written in President Bush’s Justice Department and released by the Obama administration. Alex Brandon / Associated PressFrom McClathcy Newspapers:
WASHINGTON — If growing political pressure doesn't subside soon, President Barack Obama may have to do something he's resisted doing since he took office: support a new investigation into how the Bush-era CIA interrogated suspected terrorists using techniques that are widely considered torture.
Again Thursday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said that Obama thinks that the idea of a commission wasn't "workable" and that "something like this would likely just become a political back-and-forth."
Liberal activists on Thursday delivered 250,000 petitions to Attorney General Eric Holder demanding an independent prosecutor. Liberals in Congress are calling for a commission. Obama himself all week refused to rule one out, saying that a bipartisan, independent panel would be the best option.
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My Comment: Personally, I completely support a bipartisan and independent investigation on this matter .... an investigation that would look at the entire affair from who and what was done to obtain intelligence and information, to a listing of the attacks and threats that were nullified or prevented because of this intelligence. And when completed .... a full account must then be given to the American people for their input and judgement.
But .... (heavy sigh) .... I am very skeptical that this is going to happen.
With talk of an investigation being bantered around just in the past 24 hours .... many senior Democrats have since come out that (as part of their oversight responsibilities at the time) they were present when discussions of interrogation techniques were outlined. Of course .... realizing the political minefield that this is within their own political base .... I have also been witnessed to the 101 excuses that these same politicians are now listing in front of any TV camera that is working on why they should not be held accountable for what they were actually responsible for.
With politics being politics, I know that such an investigation will probably discomfort everyone .... and worse .... it would politicize intelligence operations and criminalize policy differences at a time when the U.S. is involved in two major wars and must face a number of foreign policy challenges united.
This is a time when President Obama should lead .... but instead .... we have him now passing the buck to his Attorney General with the hope that he can now distance himself away from this mess. This has been handled very poorly by the White House .... and I know that in the end there is going to be blowback from this debacle.