Jay Bybee, author of several of the Bush Administration legal memos released this week, was rewarded for his effort with a lifetime appointment to the Federal 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Put simply, one of the key architects of the successful effort to ignore the Constitution now sits in judgment of constitutional issues.
While many raised concerns about Bybee during his confirmation, the damning secret memos were, well, secret.
John Conyers is holding hearings today as to whether some kind of Truth Commission should be set up. This is a good idea, though it pales relative to the necessity to prosecute the responsible.
But an even easier step is available - the impeachment process applies to Federal judges, and begins in Conyers' own Judiciary Committee. He can finally indicate that he is serious by starting impeachment hearings. The resulting testimony, under oath, will reveal a great deal.
Having members of the Judiciary Committee on record as to whether they support the outlandish legal reasoning of now Judge Bybee would be useful on its own account.
A successful impeachment would lead to a trial in the Senate, where it would be equally useful to have senators on record.