Dems Push for Torture Hearings, Ignoring Obama

[cal04]

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/04/22/us/politics/AP-US-Torture-Probe.html

Brushing aside the president's suggestions, congressional Democrats pushed ahead firmly on Wednesday toward investigations into the Bush administration's harsh interrogation of terror suspects including hundreds of instances of waterboarding and other abusive practices.

President Barack Obama said a day earlier that if there was to be an investigation, the independent commission that looked into the Sept. 11 attacks would be a better model than a congressional probe that might break down along party lines. But Democrats were moving in their own directions, and Republicans were united in their opposition to a commission that they see as an effort to vilify George W. Bush now that he is out of office.

Democrats moved toward separate hearings in the House and Senate and seemed to be jostling each other for leadership roles on the issue, all but ignoring Obama's effort to head off an uncontrolled, partisan sprint toward a rash of probes that could impair the foreign policy he now steers.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California pointedly noted that her Intelligence Committee already is investigating the Bush administration's legal underpinnings for the interrogation program and the value of information gained from it. And several Democratic leaders appeared to favor using that panel for any hearings.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said the Intelligence Committee inquiry ''will answer a lot of the questions the American people have. ... One way or another there needs to be a public accounting of these troublesome policies.''

[babylonsister]

1. I think everyone should investigate and come up with their own

results, than compare, than prosecute. Problem solved!

[Luminous Animal]

2. I have little faith

that any Congressional hearings will be not much more than a whitewash.

[EFerrari]

3. Right. The Sept 11 Commission was not politicized.

Must have been my overactive imagination.

[McCamy Taylor]

4. How can disavowing torture do anything but help our foreign policy? The Arabs know we tortured.

We now have to punish the torturers---or they will hate us forever.

[L0oniX]

5. Torturing to get a connection between 911 and Sadam ...fixing the facts.

It failed ...you fucking jack asses. It's time to throw these criminals in prison like any other decent country would do. Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz need to be the first ones tossed in prison.