Further evidence of the political myopia of Democrats that will assure their defeat at the polls. To Americans who have fled the Balkanized ranks of the Democratic party, who decry the endless nannytization of the United States pushed on them by socialist democrats, and who believe in the principle that The enemy of my enemy is my friend, the Republican party has provided a welcome home. Republicans have also asked and answered the question ???What credibility can a party that is steered by the moral leadership of Ted Kennedy, enthusiastically embraces the egalitarian fantasies of Earth Father Al Gore, gives a platform to a self-promoting clown like Jesse Jackson, and takes seriously the rantings of Al Sharpton,??? have to those who love America?
- 1
- 2
‘Holy Hell’ Over Torture Memos
Email To A Friend
Please fill in the following information and we'll email this link.
The internal controversy over the memos is viewed as especially significant in light of the larger debate over whether there should be "accountability" for Bush-era tactics in the war on terror, including calls in Congress for a "truth commission" to investigate the matter. Until now, that debate has been cramped by the fact that most of the key material—including those that describe precisely what tactics were used by the CIA in interrogations and what happened to high-level suspects in U.S. custody—has been classified, making it at least theoretically a federal crime for officials with direct knowledge of these issues to publicly discuss them.
If the Justice memos were to be declassified, it would free up a host of former officials to talk about precisely what took place during White House and Justice Department meetings over the issue of interrogations. If the White House were to overrule Holder and side with Brennan and Panetta, it could essentially shut the door on attempts to have a full public airing of these issues, according to human-rights activists, lawyers and others who have followed the debate.
"It is our goal to release [Office of Legal Counsel] opinions to the maximum extent possible, while still protecting national security information and ensuring robust executive branch decision-making," said Tracy Schmaler, a Justice Department spokeswoman, in a statement. "We continue to review OLC memos for possible release and to consult with the departments and agencies to whom OLC provides legal advice about the appropriate path forward with respect to other memos."
Jameel Jaffer, an ACLU lawyer who is overseeing the litigation, said he still remains hopeful that the Justice Department will release the memos later this month. He added, "This is arguably the most important test thus far of the Obama administration's commitment to transparency."
© 2009
- 1
- 2
Discuss