AG may press for investigation of Bush’s torture policies

Actually this is awesome for two reasons. Not only what he’s doing, but the thought process that is going into doing it.

Okay, so, we’ve all been waiting to see if anyone in the government actually gives a shit enough about ideas like “justice” and “responsibility” to go after the Bush administration’s policies on torture, and Eric Holder’s just taken the torch. Which, actually, was pretty surprising because I didn’t expect this guy to show up in the news at all. I had him pegged as a kind of quiet lackey. But lo and behold.

These are not just the philosophical musings of a new attorney general. Holder, 58, may be on the verge of asserting his independence in a profound way. Four knowledgeable sources tell NEWSWEEK that he is now leaning toward appointing a prosecutor to investigate the Bush administration’s brutal interrogation practices, something the president has been reluctant to do. While no final decision has been made, an announcement could come in a matter of weeks, say these sources, who decline to be identified discussing a sensitive law-enforcement matter. Such a decision would roil the country, would likely plunge Washington into a new round of partisan warfare, and could even imperil Obama’s domestic priorities, including health care and energy reform. Holder knows all this, and he has been wrestling with the question for months. “I hope that whatever decision I make would not have a negative impact on the president’s agenda,” he says. “But that can’t be a part of my decision.”

Now that is how it’s done.

As the article points out, the AG has to be careful not to go too far in one direction or the other in terms of loyalty and independence or else they’ll undermine themselves. However, if one has to pick a side to err towards, I’ll go with “independent” any day.

One of the problems that exists all throughout Washington, even in its interaction with the media, is the “quid pro quo” idea. This notion of “well I gave you that appointment/interview/donation, now you owe me this and this.” Alberto Gonzales seemed to operate under the principle that since Bush hired him, his job was to do whatever Bush wanted. What we need, and what this hints at, is for the president and his appointees to operate under the idea that “you got the job because I trust your decision making, so you do what you think is best for this country.”

I was watching Face the Nation this morning and they had Pat Leahy on. A point he made, which I wish more people would get through their heads, was that one reason to prosecute any lawbreaking at any level of the administration is to reinforce that we won’t stand for it in the future. As adorable as Obama standing up there saying “I promise we won’t do that,” a prosecution would actually mean something.

We got yer back, Holder. Do it right. I’m sorry if Obama is too limp to take a stand, but you shouldn’t be.