In my post the other day, http://www.dailykos.com/..., I was asked my thoughts regarding the secret Senate probe into CIA role in torture by Sen. Feinstein.
My concern is that the hearings will be secret and that we will never see a report when they are done. It is quite likely that any secret panel probe will provide immunity to witnesses. Such immunity would interfere with any subsequent Congressional investigation and potentially preclude any subsequent criminal prosecutions. My question is this; has anyone heard anything about how immunity will be handled by this probe? It is key that we give voice, before any inquiry, that the entity that does the questioning be able conduct a fair and independent probe.
It is very unlikely that we are going to get any prosecutions or legal responses. Most likely the best that will happen would be Sen. Patrick Leahy's Truth Commission or perhaps Sen. Feinstein's efforts on behalf of the Senate Intelligence Committee. The problem is that Feinstein's efforts will be blocked by the CIA and a great deal of information will be withheld. If readers of this blog are really interested in influencing the proceedings, then it would behoove us all to spread the word virally, suggesting that people contact their congressional representatives now to insist on full disclosure. Remember, even if the inquiry starts as a secret proceeding, the truth will eventually find its way out.
Meanwhile, read Mark Danner's harrowing article in the current New York Review of Books;http://www.nybooks.com/.... It tells you what you need to know about the war crimes committed by the CIA.