Apr 22, 2009 13 Comments ›› Snooper
NOTE: Kudos to VP Cheney for pressing the issue to bring forth ALL the memos if the Truth is to be made know. Personally, this is all a witch hunt for the pussies and witches of the anti-Americanist groups like MoveOverWeSuck and none of these State Secret memos should ever see the light of day. However, seeing that the defeatocrats tried to lose the war 45 times, maybe they can save the day now.
Article at The Hill, posted by Mark “Snooper” Harvey
President Obama on Tuesday revived the prospect of Congress creating a “Truth Commission†to investigate whether the Bush administration tortured enemy combatants, saying he was open to prosecuting those who authorized the harsh interrogation techniques.
Obama said he wasn’t advocating for the creation of an independent commission, and hedged on whether there is a need to pursue action against the past administration.
But the president stated that “if and when there needs to be a further accounting†of what took place, the effort should be done in a “bipartisan fashion†so that those investigating “have credibility.â€
The comments, offered after a meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan, gave new life to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy’s (D-Vt.) call earlier in the year for an independent commission, which had all but fizzled.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, opposes the idea, preferring instead to let her congressional panel conduct any inquiry.
On Tuesday, Leahy touted Obama’s remarks.
“I agree with President Obama: an examination into these Bush-Cheney era national security policies must be nonpartisan. This is in line with what I have proposed through an independent Commission of Inquiry,†Leahy said in a statement.
Feinstein stood by her position.
“I think the appropriate effort is ours because we have access to the classified information,†she said in an interview.
Meanwhile, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) announced that he will soon hold hearings on the Bush administration’s legal memos justifying the use of numerous enhanced interrogation techniques.
Senate Democrats are split over what to do.