Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Rachel Maddow Presses Carl Levin on Torture Indictments



Watch the clip and see what you think Sen. Levin is saying. My interpretation is that he will send all the material he and the Senate Armed Services Committee have gathered on the Bush administration's organization of torture and send it to incoming President Obama's Justice Department for possible prosecutions. In addition, Sen. Levin calls for an independent commission, with subpoena power, to investigate the role of the CIA, which remains obscure and mostly unexamined.

Pressed by Maddow, Sen. Levin said that the country to see what is revealed in such an investigation and let the issue of possible indictments flow from that.

Kudos to Rachel Maddow, the newest addition to the cable punditry set, who gave prominent time to the discussion of the SASC's recently released report on detainee abuse, and on the subject of possible prosecutions arising from the material in that document. Levin, as possibly befits someone in his position, was cagey, but I can't see much wrong with what he proposes.

The main question is what kind of politics and justice will flow out of the "change" administration of Barack Obama? Reading the tea leaves will make you dizzy, veering now to the right, and then back to the center -- rarely to the left.

I look forward to the upcoming battles. At least the issue is out there. Let's push it for all it's worth!

H/T to Scott Horton, who you should be reading everyday anyway!

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