One of the few issues that Mark Udall was proud of during his one-term as a Blue Dog, Fiscal Conservative Senator was his principled stand against the CIA's use of torture and the NSA's vast spy network that was used against innocent Americans as much as any guilty terrorist.
For this I cheered him.
Now that his political fate has been determined, it is time for Udall to determine the fate of the Senate Intelligence Committee's report on torture by releasing it:
Human rights and transparency advocates have been urging U.S. Sen. Mark Udall to release a classified report on the CIA’s alleged use of torture. Udall has been at the center of debate about how heavily the report should be redacted before its release to the public. Udall has pushed for as much transparency as possible, looking to the “truth and reconciliation” approach forged in recent decades in countries like South Africa, which have sought to overcome histories marked by civil conflict.
In his first interview since losing his reelection bid to Republican Rep. Cory Gardner, Udall told The Denver Post that he hasn’t taken the option of ‘leaking’ the report off the table.
“Transparency and disclosure are critical to the work of the Senate intelligence committee and our democracy so I’m going to keep all options on the table to ensure the truth comes out,” Udall told the Post.
He was referring to the privilege provided to members of Congress through the Constitution’s “Speech or Debate Clause,” in which Udall could read the report into the record on the floor of the Senate because lawmakers are immune from prosecution when speaking officially in the chambers.
Mark Udall should do what's right for the country in this case. He should put the lie to Bush and Cheney-era torture policies, and he should put future presidents on notice that they are not above the law.
There are many who feel the same way. And it is undeniable that we can't claim the high road in support of human rights when we so often take the low road for the convenience of leaders who could not care less about the legacy they leave behind (and who failed so miserably with the tools they were given).
As his term winds down, will Mark Udall be a 'Senator with Guts" or will he simply be a Company Man?