Attorney General Considering Torture Probe

Holder May Appoint Criminal Prosecutor to Investigate Bush Administration's Interrogation Practices

(AP)  Attorney General Eric Holder is considering whether to appoint a criminal prosecutor to investigate the Bush administration's interrogation practices, a controversial move that would run counter to President Barack Obama's wishes to leave the issue in the past.

Holder plans to make a final decision within the next few weeks, a Justice Department official told The Associated Press on Saturday night. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on a pending matter.

Justice Department spokesman Matt Miller said Holder planned to "follow the facts and the law."

"We have made no decisions on investigations or prosecutions, including whether to appoint a prosecutor to conduct further inquiry," he said. "As the attorney general has made clear, it would be unfair to prosecute any official who acted in good faith based on legal guidance from the Justice Department."

A move to appoint a prosecutor is certain to stir partisan bickering that could create a distraction to Obama's efforts to push health care and energy reform. Obama has repeatedly expressed reluctance to having a probe, saying the nation should be "looking forward and not backwards" when it came to Bush-era abuses.

Newsweek magazine, which first reported the development on Saturday, said Holder was aware of the political implications of having a probe and preferred not to create unnecessary trouble for the White House. Still, the attorney general was troubled by what he learned in reports about the treatment of prisoners at the CIA's "black sites."

The probe would focus in part on whether CIA personnel tortured terrorism suspects after Sept. 11, 2001. Holder has said those who acted within the government's legal guidance will not be prosecuted, but has left open the possibility of pursuing those who went beyond the guidance and broke the law.

Holder has discussed with his staff the possibility of a prosecutor, saying he needed someone with "gravitas and grit," the magazine reported. In the end, the attorney general asked for a list of 10 candidates, five from within the Justice Department and five from outside.

"I hope that whatever decision I make would not have a negative impact on the president's agenda," Holder told Newsweek. "But that can't be a part of my decision."

[hermitdave]

Can't you just see the hearings. The committee calls George Bush, there is a sudden halt in the proceedings. The Atty. General announces the hearing will recess and convene in CLOSED hearings like the 9/11/01 hearings and George will get to hold hands with Uncle Dick Cheney and no transcript will be allowed. Then after weeks of hearings with Rummy and Pearl and Wolfie the Atty. General will announce that all high officials are innocent, but 2 janitors and a bus boy at the Pentagon are guilty and receive life in prison.

[egresor]

this is interesting

i wonder how much of this is political strategy? a bit machiavellian but wasn't he a politician too?

obama has some very big programs to push thru hostile hurting republicans who are licking their chops at something to tear him on, but without seeming to be negative and destructive to progress. Even if it isn't the direction they want to go.

cheney does what many guilty people do. when put on public trial - defends what he should have known could not be defended. his attempting to justify a policy of torture showed him guilty of it. (you should have kept quiet dick)

so now the prospects of torture investigations and who knew what and the possible prosecution of the cheney and bush looming (congress too).

reminds me of the anthrax mailings.

(wanna mess with us? here you go! have a little innocent envelope of government anthrax in your mail )

wanna torture investigation republicans?

hmmm...?

wanna fight our programs....hmmm?

[kbbpll]

the nation should be "looking forward and not backwards" - I'm sure the Nazis wished for the same after WWII.

[IrishWench01]

So we should just ignore any of the wrongs commited in the country and just move on? We don't allow everyday citizens to do that, why would we allow our own government to escape the consequences of their actions?

[hungry1968-16]

by darthcheney345 July 12, 2009 8:37 PM PDT
LOL! You guys pretend not to know.

You just can't face the REALITY

that Obama is continuing most of the Bush policies that you liberals decried as violations of the constitution.

That means now Obama has taken over the "constitution shredding" department, as he continues the warrantless wiretaps, indefinite detentions at Gitmo, free trade, and drones that kill civilians.

Remember, all that stuff that you hated when Bush did it?

Now your messiah the almighty infallible Obama is DOING THE SAME THINGS.

Ooh, you have to go back and re-write so much history when that happens...







Uh huh.

Nevermind the fact that the "warrantless wiretaps" are being conducted WITHIN the FISA laws (unlike under Bush), and the fact that Obama ordered the closing of Guantanamo Bay, right?

But please, do tell us all how "free trade" is now considered "constitution shredding". As always, this post from you should be hilarious.

[thusspokezara]

Mr. Holder we are on our knees. We beg you. We implore you. Please appoint a special prosecutor. A good one. Make sure that it is someone who will not wilt from the political pressure. Please pick one ASAP. We need to get to the bottom of all this.

[erasmus111]

by darthcheney345 July 12, 2009 8:40 PM PDT
I don't want to have to pay for a new one like I did last time.

Where did you get yours from? Mr. Bean?

[erasmus111]

by cs4466 July 12, 2009 8:15 PM PDT
When it comes to appearing ignorant or not, I'm afraid darthcheney345 doesn't have much of a choice in the matter.


: )

[darthcheney345]

Try looking under you Hello Kitty backpack.

Maybe that's where you left your brain.

I don't want to have to pay for a new one like I did last time.

You better really look for it this time.

Understand? Now get moving. Turn off that TV and LOOK!

[thusspokezara]

Dear Mr. Holder please appoint a prosecutor. Please. Pretty please. I can't think of any reason why you would not. Please appoint a good one. We can't wait. These criminals must be brought to justice. Please appoint one ASAP. There are so many good candidates. Don't tarry. If you need any good recommendations, ask Vice President Biden.

[darthcheney345]

Yes, yes please start a partisan witch hunt.

Then when more and more Democrats get implicated (as Pelosi already is), the partisan hunters will become the hunted.

And we'll discover there were as many Democrats as Republicans involved.

Then watch the backpedalling begin... some major news story diverts attention... the investigation is quietly dropped and nobody asks about it again....

just like Hillarygate/Travelgate....

[hungry1968-16]

by darthcheney345 July 12, 2009 7:29 PM PDT
GovernmentControl, you're assuming there will BE a next president.

With Obungler at the helm, we are in greater danger than ever of having the president overthrown in a coup d'etat by the Pentagon.

We may well become a military police state by 2012.






No chance.

The republicans and their "constitution shredding" days are over.

[darthcheney345]

The republicans and their "constitution shredding" days are over.
------------------

That's why the Democrats are doing that now.

hungry, was that really the best you could come up with?

That was so sad and weak.

Like OBAMA!

OOOH! That took you by surprise. C'mon admit it, you didn't see that coming.

You know you didn't.

[hungry1968-16]

by darthcheney345 July 12, 2009 7:56 PM PDT

That's why the Democrats are doing that now.




Care to explain this nonsense, or would you prefer to just appear ignorant, rather than proving it to be a fact?

[cs4466]

When it comes to appearing ignorant or not, I'm afraid darthcheney345 doesn't have much of a choice in the matter.

[darthcheney345]

LOL! You guys pretend not to know.

You just can't face the REALITY

that Obama is continuing most of the Bush policies that you liberals decried as violations of the constitution.

That means now Obama has taken over the "constitution shredding" department, as he continues the warrantless wiretaps, indefinite detentions at Gitmo, free trade, and drones that kill civilians.

Remember, all that stuff that you hated when Bush did it?

Now your messiah the almighty infallible Obama is DOING THE SAME THINGS.

Ooh, you have to go back and re-write so much history when that happens...

[GovernmentControl]

Holder will go to prison.

[darthcheney345]

I wonder if he's one of Madoff's 10 co-conspirators?

[jschmidt27]

Would be nice to have Holder answer why he dropped the voter intimidation charges against the new black panther party when the case was won.

[cs4466]

I think this is the Wikipedia definition of "red herring".

[jschmidt27]

Case was one Holder droppped it-why? So is now the Cheney accusation to take the attention away from the Dems failures?

[darthcheney345]

So is now the Cheney accusation to take the attention away from the Dems failures?
--------------
Yes.

[GovernmentControl]

Obamas presidency, and his 3rd world government policies, wont last forever. Members of the obama administration should prepare to face prison time just as soon as the next president moves into the white house. Live by the sword, die by the sword.

[cs4466]

Wow Osama Bin Laden has internet access. Who'd have thought?

[darthcheney345]

GovernmentControl, you're assuming there will BE a next president.

With Obungler at the helm, we are in greater danger than ever of having the president overthrown in a coup d'etat by the Pentagon.

We may well become a military police state by 2012.

Unless Obungler suspends the constitution and declares the USA to be a communist dictatorship.

Obama may well be the LAST president of the USA as we know it.

[darthcheney345]

by erasmus111 July 12, 2009 5:24 PM PDT
Baby
-----------
Get in the d@*n truck, and we'll discuss it.

[erasmus111]

Go suck an egg.

[darthcheney345]

Git outta the d@*n truck! And don't go tryin' to climb back in no more, ya hear!!

[erasmus111]

I'll go find someone that doesn't have a freakin' CROOKED hook.

[darthcheney345]

CROOKED hook.
-----------

I keep tellin' you. It's a hook. It's SUPPOSED to be crooked.

How could you hook onto anything with a straight hunk of metal? It would just slide right off.

Women. You just can't explain anything mechanical to them.

If it doesn't involve screaming and crying and getting pregnant, they can't understand it.

[erasmus111]

A hook is supposed to look something like this - ? It ain't suppose to have another kink in it.

"If it doesn't involve screaming and crying and getting pregnant, they can't understand it."

And if you aren't careful, I just might have to straighten it out for you. So it looks like this _____

[darthcheney345]

by skyk-2009 July 12, 2009 4:35 AM PDT
You point means what?
---------------

skyk! I thought you disappeared into the woodwork.

Last week you vowed that you would turn against Obama if he didn't enact a tax on imports and subsidize exports from the USA.

Then I pointed out that this would be protectionism, and Obama has declared repeatedly that he is adamantly opposed to protectionsm.

I never saw if you responded.

So, are you against Obama now, like you vowed?

Or is that just another broken promise from an Obamabot?

ROTFLMAO!

It's so funny to see Obamabots going down in flames.

[j40405]

Sure, investigate. As long as every single Democrat Allows investigations into all of their congressional decisions, commitee hearings, probes into what they knew and when, probes into whether or Not Mr obama is actually a citizen etc. investigate away as long as they finance all of the other probes to follow. Perhaps there should be probes of ms Feinstein and Mrs Pelosi, Checking out their peronnal finances, deals they have made and in the process of making etc. Lets just check everyone out. After all, fair is fair. Justice should be administered to everyone fairly.

[darthcheney345]

Now you know why Obamd DOESN'T want this partisan witch hunt.

The hunter becomes the hunted.

Democrats have too much to hide....

BTW, when do we find out the names of Madoff's 10 co-conspirators???

I bet there are a Democrat or two on that list... just a hunch. LOL!

[darthcheney345]

LOL! You call wikipedia "research???"

Check out THIS list:

Spitzer Geithner Daschle Richardson Blago Burris Edwards Kilpatrick Mahoney(followed Foley on decency crusade, then had affair) Kennedy

Clinton

Obama's blunders:
ill fated plan to close Gitmo, getting spanked by his own party in Congress
Geithner Daschle Richardson
"Special Olympics" gaffe
"punch drunk" TV interview
Capt Phillips taken hostage
N Korea weapons testing, launched seven missiles in one day on 7/4/2009
NYC "photo op" flight
cancel F-22 program
bow to Saudi king
continuing Bush policies on drones, wiretaps, Gitmo detainees, free trade
GM debacle

Democrats are the party of Joe Kennedy to Madoff.

Ted Kennedy drowned a girl in a car and pled guilty to leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in the death of his passenger. And he got NO PUNISHMENT. He's still the most powerful member of the Senate.

When it comes to low down, it doesn't get any lower than the Democrats.

[South-of-Heaven]

The time is now. Clotheline the GOP and Slaughter it.......

[darthcheney345]

Hate to burst your bubble, the the GOP already did that to themselves.

Which will give them plenty of time to heal their self-inflicted wounds and recover, just when the public gets fed up with the Democrats again like they did 8 years ago.

Remember? That's why the GOP got in power in the first place?

It will happen again in 2012.

[cs4466]

Heheh yep, the GOP doesn't need any help from us. They're entirely self-decapitating.

[darthcheney345]

They're entirely self-decapitating.
-------------
Now the Democrats are doing the same thing.

[cs4466]

Hon, I *told* you not to double up on those pills. They affect your judgement.

[darthcheney345]

by cs4466 July 12, 2009 3:15 PM PDT
-------------
And I told you not to call me Hon.

If you don't listen to me, don't expect me to listen to you.

[wmsshields]

If anybody thinks that Holder will do this without BoBo's blessing, and even encouragement, you are sheep. BoBo needs these distractions to keep the MSM from reporting on the failures of his administration, as if they would, but these distractions keep the sheep amused and twittering about how BoBo inherited all the deficits (almost doubled now in six months under the Dems), unemployment (oops, it did not stop at 8% as promissed by BoBo), passing legislation without reading it and considering its impact, firing of inspectors general when they get too close to friends of BoBo, dismissing criminal charges against Black Panthers, etc. Scary thing though, it works. Libs are having a field day while this country is going to the dogs-dems.

[cranialnerves]

It is so fun watching Republicans become completely unglued! It's hard keeping up with all the lies and contradictions they spew as they go down for the third time.

[wheeljc]

They just cannot help themselves!! Scoring -- what they perceived to be the the ultimate prize -- POLITICAL POINTS WITH THE LEFT, far outweighs national security of this Country.

They forget that they took the same approach during the Clinton era. HOW DID THAT WORK FOR US?? {Remember Somalia; first World Trade Center bombings; bombing of Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia (killing 17 US Airmen); bombing of two US Embassies in Tanzania and Kenya killing hundreds; bombing of the USS Cole; and findly, 9-11!!} Don?t forget, some of the same players are in charge again (Mr. Eric Holder being one of them). Innocent people died during this period of 'legaleeze and non activity'!

Think that the President is RIGHT! ?Look forward, not backwards.? If they are trying to provide cover for Pelosi, she has already done damage .. to herself. If they are trying to take our minds off the economy, THIS WILL NOT DO IT!! Can only imagine some of the folks rushing to an open microphone, and yacking as though they comprehend CIA operations that they are complaining about! If they continue to build 'TURTLE TUNNELS' and PORK PROJECTS FOR MEMBERS LIKE JOHN MURTHA, then they are going to face another 1994 in 2010. (Guess the new congress will then want to investigate all of the CZARS!!) What will Mr. Holder do then -- say "NO, NO, No!"???

Do they not understand that a growing number of citizens ? though not for hiding info from authorized members ? can flat understand why some in the CIA are increasingly dubious of providing anything to members of congress?? As each day goes by, it becomes increasingly clear that they only care about one thing ? THEIR OWN PERSONAL POWER.

Heck, I would argue that the majority of the CIA leaders have taken an oath ?TO PROTECT AND DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION AGAINST ALL ENEMIES, BOTH FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC.? When you look at what some on capital hill have done ? and are doing ? would you trust your personal life to them?? The CIA may just be protecting our Constitution against the egotistically loquacious mental midgets on capital hill!

I sure hope their actions now do not cause more casualties in this country and overseas. THIS TIME FOLKS, A LOT MORE FOLKS ARE WATCHING, AND IT WILL BE ON THEIR HANDS -- DUE TO THEIR OWN EGOTISTICAL LOQUACIOUSNESS!!

NOW, RE-READ THE FIRST PARAGRAPH!! (Especially members of Congress & DOJ!!)

[iam4honesty]

WOW!!

You're insane!

[darthcheney345]

Excellent post, wheeljc! You hit the nail square on the head.

I, too, feel the strong sense that another 9/11 catastrophe is imminent.

And Obama's weakness is to blame.

[cs4466]

Perhaps we should look at who kept us safer. How many people (military and civilian) by terrorists under Clinton? How many under Bush? How many under Obama? Haha, that's the only real test!

[darthcheney345]

by cs4466 July 12, 2009 2:53 PM PDT

Excellent question.

Under Clinton, we had a seemingly endless string of terrorist attacks, from the WTC bombing to the USS Cole attack.

Bush kept us safe for SEVEN YEARS from any terrorist attack on U.S. soil.

Obama - it hasn't been even six months yet. Give him time. He's sure to exceed Clinton's count.

[cs4466]

How many under Clinton? Lets see.. maybe a few hundred in eight years, including operation Desert Storm in Iraq? How many under Bush? Ten THOUSAND Americans? Or is it closer to eleven thousand? (military + civilians) in eight years? Not even counting the civilian population of Iraq that died at the hands of the American Military.

Yea. I know who kept us safer. The math doesn't lie. Too bad people like you do.

[darthcheney345]

Now even Obama's AG is defying him.

Obama has lost the respect of his own party.

OBAMA = One Big A** Mistake, America!