Angry Democrats no longer accept President Barack Obama's reluctance to pursue the illegality of former President Bush's torture, spying and anti-terrorism excesses and will push hard for full investigations into the actions of the previous administration.
With Attorney General Eric Holder breaking ranks from the President and contemplating a criminal probe of CIA torture of prisoners, other Democrats want Bush and his cronies investigated and, if possible, charged.
Leading the charge are two influential Democrats: Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, head of the Intelligence Committee.
"I've always preferred my idea of a commission of inquiry to look at all these issues," Leahy said Sunday.
Feinstein said the Bush administration broke the law by concealing a CIA counterterrorism program from Congress.
The assertion that Vice President Dick Cheney ordered the concealment came amid word that Attorney General Eric Holder is contemplating opening a criminal probe of possible CIA torture.
A move to appoint a criminal prosecutor is certain to stir partisan bickering that could prove a distraction to Obama's efforts to push ambitious health care and energy reform.
Obama has resisted an effort by congressional Democrats to establish a "truth commission," saying the nation should be "looking forward and not backwards."
Regarding the 8-year-old counterterrorism program, Feinstein said the Bush administration's failure to notify Congress "is a big problem, because the law is very clear."
Congress should investigate the secrecy because "it could be illegal," Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said.
According to Feinstein, CIA director Leon Panetta told Congress late last month that "he had just learned about the program, described it to us, indicated that he had canceled it and ... did tell us that he was told that the vice president had ordered that the program not be briefed to the Congress."
"We were kept in the dark. That's something that should never, ever happen again," said Feinstein.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said he agreed with Feinstein that the CIA should keep Congress informed. But Cornyn said the new assertion "looks to me suspiciously like an attempt to provide political cover" to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats. Pelosi has accused the CIA of lying to her in 2002 about its use of waterboarding, or simulated drowning, which many people, including Obama, consider torture.
"This continued attack on the CIA and our intelligence gathering organizations is undermining the morale and capacity of those organizations to gather intelligence," said Republican Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire.
Reports about the counterterrorism program, Cheney's role in directing its existence be kept from Congress and the attorney general's consideration of a special prosecutor came on the eve of Senate Judiciary Committee hearings for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor.
A Justice Department official told The Associated Press that Holder will decide in the next few weeks whether to appoint a prosecutor to investigate the Bush administration's harsh interrogation practices. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on a pending matter.
In response to the report, Justice Department spokesman Matt Miller said Saturday that Holder planned to "follow the facts and the law" and noted that Holder has said that "it would be unfair to prosecute any official who acted in good faith based on legal guidance from the Justice Department."
Feinstein and Cornyn spoke on "Fox News Sunday." Durbin appeared on ABC's "This Week." Gregg spoke on CNN's "State of the Union." Leahy spoke on CBS' "Face the Nation."
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Compiled from staff and wire sources. Associated Press writers Pete Yost and Nedra Pickler contributed to this report.
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I'm disappointed it has taken this long to get any significant interest. I'm still wondering what turned out to be the critical mass that drove the new discussions.
Was it one Inspector General's unflattering report too many! Perhaps it was the seating of the 60th likely Democratic Party Vote in the Senate that could finally allow cloture against any filibuster on such subjects.
Maybe the thousands of daily phone calls, faxes and emails finally penetrated their thick skulls.
I hope any investigation covers more than just lying to congress; there is so much more this gang is guilty of.
What’s all the fuss from the Republicans? Ken Starr dogged Bill and Hillary for years and the Rs thought that was just fine. Appoint a special prosecutor and let him get to the bottom of this. I only hope he has same zeal to prosecute that Ken Starr did.
What about "LEADING REPUBLICANS"...they want the same as the Dems?
Rush and Sara want the same?
Seriously, Leading Republicans don't commit abuses, "errors may have been made" (by someone, we don't know who, but it probably wasn't us).
Any such errors are really the fault of the devil, who only targets the pure of heart. Blame really lies with the MSM who caught them in the act; it was their fault.
Apply tears and prayers and all will be forgiven, so you shouldn't persecute those poor lambs. But, Democrats, as everyone knows, are atheists, even xtian democrats; they have no god to forgive them, so persecute away.
He's a vengeful God for their transgressions!
But, he's a forgiving God for ours.
This is code for white wash so they can say they "investigated" the incidents. Leahy and Feinstein are NWO sycophants. They have come to the front in hopes of steering the white wash in the direction they want.
As if there were not huge swaths of senior operatives quitting in protest over Bush era policies. Now all of a sudden CIA morale is important.
What about the morale of the citizens of the United States?
How are we supposed to behave knowing our government has tortured innocent people and are trying to justify it by claiming it was done to protect us?
And not just tortured, but raped 15-year old children with broomsticks in their anus in front of their mothers. How sick do you have to be to think that is acceptable MR. HOLDER?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
R U Main Core?
Ok, you had me until that thing about the broomsticks. Where did that come from?
Prison Planet
Salon
NPR
Slate
Seymour Hersh
Can't make this sick stuff up. I've done my research.