Biden wants special counsel in tape case

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

WASHINGTON - A Senate Democratic leader said Sunday the attorney general should appoint a special counsel to investigate the CIA's destruction of videotaped interrogations of two suspected terrorists.

Sen. Joe Biden, a Democratic presidential candidate and chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, cited Michael Mukasey's refusal during confirmation hearings in October to describe waterboarding as torture.

Mukasey's Justice Department and the CIA's internal watchdog announced Saturday they would conduct a joint inquiry into the matter. That review will determine whether a full investigation is warranted.

"He's the same guy who couldn't decide whether or not waterboarding was torture and he's going to be doing this investigation," said Biden, who noted that he voted against making Mukasey the country's top law enforcer.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071209/ap_on_go_co/cia_videotapes

[gateley]

1. He feels it's better to take it out of the political realm -- here's more info:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3813049

[DeanDem10]

15. It will always be

It will always be in the political realm in any case.

[fascisthunter]

2. Absolutely.... Perfect Ground for a Special Prosecutor

I would say, considering the man is already biased and highly compromised to be impartial on this issue.

[skipos]

3. kick

[grahamhgreen]

4. How does one NOT know that torture is wrong?

[roxnev]

16. stupidity

[WheelWalker]

5. I think the fact that Bush has "complete confidence in Hayden's handling of the matter"

is justification enough to give this to a Special Counsel.

[PufPuf23]

6. Good for Biden -- he is growing on me !!

[stlsaxman]

8. Growing on a LOT of folks lately...

Go, Joe. Go!

[1corona4u]

11. I second...er, third that...

[K Gardner]

7. K&R

[jillan]

9. God bless you Biden!

[comtec]

10. I don't dare get my hopes up yet again!

I have been disappointed by all of them soooooo many times. I just can't dare to hope.
because a special prosecutor has NO limitations!
if they really do assign a special prosecutor for this, he will have carte blanche to investigate EVERY THING related to this case, no matter how vague (Lewinsky anyone?)

the entire house of cards will come down, but of course with all the executive orders * has signed, god knows what he'll SAY he is able to do!

so no, i can't hope, not any more. I can only wait out the election cycle and hope Hilary, teh ordained one, can do somethign useful to fix this mess her boy * has done to the world. :cry:

[gateley]

17. I didn't know the special prosecutor would have carte blanche -- no WONDER

everybody else seems to be against it. :eyes

[comtec]

25. at least as far as I recall he does

which is, again, how we got the Clinton impeachment bullshit.
it was something like 12 degrees of separation, hell kevin bacon is closer to Clinton than the way they wormed their way to that knee pad wearing... nvm.

Sorry i'm too lazy to wiki the info on special prosecutors, but that does seem to be my recollection.

[L. Coyote]

12. It is a crime to lie to Congress. This issue includes not telling Congress the truth.

Small wonder the propaganda has focused on Pelosi, one of the witnesses to what was not revealed. Is that why the tapes had to be destroyed, to cover up that particular crime, lying to Congress?

[DeanDem10]

13. At long last perhaps...

this (impeachment) will get back "on the table," where it belongs.

[DeanDem10]

14. But...

this issue being the reason for Biden opening up the subject is really horrific. Surely, we'd gotten well into impeachment territory long before this.

[humbled_opinion]

18. Oh give me a break we have had so many chances to impeach

the criminals but we have failed to act. By the time the investigation is completed on this there will be a new POTUS. Impeachment was our responsibility this year and we blew it... All I have to say is when Hillary is in the WH the Repugs are not going to give a single inch and they will be on her with inuendo and investigation and complaint after complaint... Hillary means this country remains divided indefinately and believe me they will figure out some way to bring articles of impeachment on her....

[kestrel91316]

19. kestrel's prediction: Mukasey to Biden: GFY.

[noise]

20. Please explain the reason Biden is upset

Why are the Democrats upset? I've been following this story and I truly don't get their outrage. It is no secret that the CIA used harsh interrogation techniques (torture) on the high level al Qaeda detainees. Congress knows this. The public knows this. For crying out loud, Congress is passing legislation to make clear what tactics constitute torture in 2007! And the White House has already said Bush would veto it! Hadyen and Mukasey were confirmed despite their refusal to say whether waterboarding constituted torture. So IMO the outrage cannot possibly be related to the use of torture.

Is it related to obstruction of justice? No. Nobody in D.C. gives a shit about Moussaoui. To be fair, it is pretty difficult to feel bad for Moussaoui.

Is it related to the 9/11 Commission? Doubtful. Nobody in Congress seems willing to question the CIA's 9/11 narrative. Rep. McKinney was willing to and that is probably why she is no longer in Congress. Rep. Kucinich brought up the prospect of revisiting a couple of issues but that quickly went away.

Honestly, I don't understand the Congressional outrage. It comes across as fake.

The public should be outraged at the unrelenting secrecy and deceit of government officials.

[1corona4u]

21. Biden didn't vote for Mukasey though...

so it's even more of an issue for him to have Mukasey looking "into" it. Biden doesn't trust him at all.

Feinstein's vote is responsible for Mukasey getting confirmed.

[Steely_Dan]

22. Keep it up, Joe

It is good to hear someone in your position taking up the banner. You are acting more like a President than you are a candidate.

-Paige

[L. Coyote]

23. The inference is obvious. Bush ordered the Waterboarding Tapes destroyed.

[1corona4u]

26. Precisely.

[tecelote]

24. Yeah, good idea, start an investigation!

That'll shut everybody up for the next ten years while we "investigate".