A Truth and Reconciliation Commission for the Bush Administration?

Senator Patrick Leahy (pictured) has "proposed the idea of a truth and reconciliation commission to investigate abuses during the Bush-Cheney Administration -- so they never happen again. These abuses may include the use of torture, warrantless wiretapping, extraordinary rendition, and executive override of laws." He has posted a petition "urging Congress to consider establishing a truth and reconciliation commission to investigate the Bush-Cheney Administration's abuses".

Being objective, we cannot offer advice on the petition but those who are interested in it for research purpose might have a glance in this direction.

Cheney Says He Was Right All Along

Former Vice President Dick Cheney gave an interview to Politico today in which he warned of a devastating WMD attack on the US, talked up the effectiveness of torture, and  suggested that the time for diplomacy towards America's enemies was past. Sound familiar?:

Cheney warned that there is a “high probability” that terrorists will attempt a catastrophic nuclear or biological attack in coming years, and said he fears the Obama administration’s policies will make it more likely the attempt will succeed.

Cheney also "called Guantanamo a 'first-class program,' and 'a necessary facility' that is operated legally and with better food and treatment than the jails in inmates' native countries."

Of course, he offers no evidence for the confluence of terrorism and WMD, or indeed for a situation in which waterboarding prevented a terrorist attack- not because there is none, you understand, but because such information is Top Secret:

He expressed confidence that files will some day be publicly accessible offering specific evidence that waterboarding and other policies he promoted — over sharp internal dissent from colleagues and harsh public criticism — were directly responsible for averting new Sept. 11-style attacks.

The beauty of Cheney's version of history is that he can't be proven wrong- and should the worst happen on Obama's watch he'll be able to pat himself on the back and say he was right all along. Some are accusing him of fear mongering, but to me it looks like sour grapes.