Wow. This, just out from Newsweek would surely rattle some cages, to say the least, of those in our government and elite media circles who would just rather stick their heads under the sand and move on from illegal human rights violations and war crimes committed by the White House's previous occupants. But it would certainly be a welcome change from the last few years of just turning a blind eye to this kind of stuff because it is hard and uncomfortable and difficult to reconcile.
Holder, 58, may be on the verge of asserting his independence in a profound way. Four knowledgeable sources tell NEWSWEEK that he is now leaning toward appointing a prosecutor to investigate the Bush administration's brutal interrogation practices, something the president has been reluctant to do. While no final decision has been made, an announcement could come in a matter of weeks, say these sources, who decline to be identified discussing a sensitive law-enforcement matter.
What clues exist to Holder's possible feelings on this issue? There's his great "we need a reckoning" speech, for one. Bits from Holder's speech about the rule of law to the American Constitution Society:
The choices that are being made by those conservatives, those neo-conservatives, who control all three branches of our government, threaten to undermine the real progress that this nation has made in so many areas over so many years. With all due respect to President Reagan, the problem is not government. The problem is with those who run the government. In the struggle against terrorism, these people have made a mockery of the rule of law.
The notion that the Department of Justice would in essence sanction the use of torture as part of the President’s plenary power over military operations is as wrong as it is shortsighted. This position flies in the face of the entire history of American law, helping to create a climate in which unnecessarily abusive conduct can somehow be considered
legitimate.
And I love this one:
Throughout this nation’s history, it has been liberals who have pushed the envelope, who have taken chances, who have made this nation better than it was. By contrast, and we see this especially today, conservatives have been defenders of the status quo, afraid of the future, and content to allow to continue to exist all but the most blatant inequalities.
Who knows what Holder will do, but one would think that if he is "leaning" towards this, then perhaps only a strong pullback from President Obama would stop him. Or perhaps, the President is perfectly happy with this inquiry. That's not even getting into what kind of investigation it would be, whether it would be a Patrick Fitzgerald type of thing or some candy-ass bipartisan whitewashing just to say that there was a full invesitgation and now we can put it behind us and oh by the way, no one recommended for prosecution but we will issue some strong disapproval statements.
Holder also states in the Newsweek article:
"I hope that whatever decision I make would not have a negative impact on the president's agenda," he says. "But that can't be a part of my decision."
Let's hope not.