I agree with the posters who said have a special prosecutor, not a commission. The 9/11 commission is the perfect example for not allowing even former members of Congress to be on any panel or the special prosecutor. We were first offered ethically challenged Kissinger and when he was roundly laughed off the stage we got the oh-so-ethical Philip Zelikow, who had coincidentally co-written two books with none other than Kindasleazy Rice! How much more non-partisan can you get! He had total control over everything that commission did, and did not, do. We all know what we got as a result. Weren't there a couple of former congresscritters on that panel as well? Oh yeah, and Fred Fielding who is now legal counsel for the Bush administration who is telling KKKarl and Miers they have executive privelege. Now that's non-partisanship if ever I saw it. I just firmly believe Obama or Leahy or Holder will not appoint someone to head whatever we end up with who will be considered non-partisan enough to actually get and reveal the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Let's get someone like Hans Blix who knew and told us that what we were doing to Iraq was illegal. Maybe we would listen to him now.

To those for whom it doesn't seem to register, this much is patently clear.

Your tax dollars were(are?) being used to finance the torture of INNOCENT 'suspects'. Apparently, you have no problem with that. Ergo, if somehow you were mistakenly taken into custody in some sort of sweep, you have no objections to being un-justifiably subjected to the same treatment.

I, on the other hand, have monumental objections to such use of ANY of our government's dollars, let alone my share of tax revenue.

There is not a day goes by, for months, if not years now, when I do not agonize over the senseless brutality being committed by the United States on its captives.

Investigate.

Prosecute.

Incarcerate.

Republicans.

Democrats.

Independents.

Enablers.

Conspirators, all.

It is the only way to restore integrity to both our justice system and to our nation.

I am a strong Obama supporter, BUT, if President Obama continues to use his Justice department to hide and obstruct the truth of his predecessor, then he should be held to account as well as the others, as an accessory after the fact.

I have no mercy for the guilty.

I concur 100 percent to keep any and all Senators, Congressmen/women off any investigation committee. The ideal person in my opinion to head up any committee is get either some former UN "president" and possibly a Red Cross Person. If you need more people recruit people from Switzerland.

We need a fair and impartial "jury" to point fingers as to who is responsible for what and do NOT hold back. We (the US) has to show the world that we had a lapse in judgement and we are putting those responsible on trial.

The side/issue is if they are found guilty what to do with them. GITMO is out, I suppose we could resurrect Alcatraz or how about Devils Island and not visitation period.

Before Bush/Cheney, at least it was not official policy. If it took place, it was the deepest, darkest of deepest, darkest secrets. Even naive, nasty Poster G'hagen says that the Clinton Administration tried hard to make sure it never happened.

I have asked all the US veterans I know about torture. WW2 guys say they never saw it, but they also say they hardly ever saw any prisoners because both sides fought to the death, as a rule. Some Vietnam guys say any prisoners went straight to South Vietnamese allies (early form of rendition?).

All Americans now in their 40s/50s/60s grew up on war movies showing the Nazis and Japanese as cruel torturers, with the American GIs and British as non-torturing good guys.

If or when American torture took place in the past, it was supposed to be secret, because it is evil. The NeoCons tried to make that evil into a component of our American way of life.

Whatever we discover about NeoCon torture, or about any torture by any American at any time before, will contribute to our understanding. It will help us end American torture, whether we can prosecute or not.

-- timbuktom

Click on my sig.

Welcome to the United States of Israel.

Obama has been in office for six weeks only. He has lots of elephants and gorillas in the room, mostly left by the W. Bush administration.

Obama never has tortured anybody. Give him some time to work on this issue.

i think that everyone in both parties is avoiding the elephant in the room . . .the possibility that president george w. bush could end up in jail along with all his fellow criminals. They did break the law in more than one way, not just torture but wiretapping kidnapping etc. etc. Practically his whole administration is guilty of some such activity and NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW. The irony is that Obama resists such a path because He would have to com;ute and parden the lot in order to keep our two party system.

the outcome of the dancing around to avoid that could simply make all our laws irrelevant.

The Republicans woud be a party that considers itself to be above the law, a party of law breakers as well as makers.

Who would want to represent that. It would probably kill the party and make for the inhancement and gaining of new power for some of the smaller ones, which imh is not all that bad. I looked at a long list of such during the election. We would have a multi-party system.

Before Bush/Cheney, at least it was not official policy. If it took place, it was the deepest, darkest of deepest, darkest secrets. Even naive, nasty Poster G'hagen says that the Clinton Administration tried hard to make sure it never happened.

I have asked all the US veterans I know about torture. WW2 guys say they never saw it, but they also say they hardly ever saw any prisoners because both sides fought to the death, as a rule. Some Vietnam guys say any prisoners went straight to South Vietnamese allies (early form of rendition?).

All Americans now in their 40s/50s/60s grew up on war movies showing the Nazis and Japanese as cruel torturers, with the American GIs and British as non-torturing good guys.

If or when American torture took place in the past, it was supposed to be secret, because it is evil. The NeoCons tried to make that evil into a component of our American way of life.

Whatever we discover about NeoCon torture, or about any torture by any American at any time before, will contribute to our understanding. It will help us end American torture, whether we can prosecute or not.