From the Shit You Already Knew Department
Balloon Juice — ... ). It would simply consume Washington and destroy Obama’s agenda, and they want to avoid that at all cost. Holder, on the other hand, may not give two hoots about Obama’s agenda and the delicate sensibilities of the Democrats, and go after them anyway. ...

A Handy Distraction: Despite Promises To The Contrary, Obama Looking Bush-Era “Torture”
Say Anything — ... So what’s a struggling President to do?  Well, sometimes the best defense is a good offense. ...

NEWSWEEK: Holder 'May be on Verge', 'Leaning Toward Appointing' Torture Prosecutor
The BRAD BLOG — ... In a long article from NEWSWEEK's Daniel Klaidman today, it's reported that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is weighing the appointment a special prosecutor to investigate Bush/Cheney-era torture policies, and may now be "on the verge" of finally doing so... ...

Not Gonna Hold My Breath...
Eschaton — But maybe he could at least waterboard something from his garden. There's precedent for that investigative technique. 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 ...

Newsweek: AG May Probe Bush Torture-Era Policies
TalkLeft — Newsweek has a long feature article on Attorney General Eric Holder. 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. [More...] But wouldn't that go against what Obama ...

Cheney ordered CIA to lie to Congress
Daily Kos — ... Sources told the New York Times that this specific intelligence program was not interrogation-oriented, nor was it a domestic surveillance program, so this is not directly related to the Bush administration's role in torturing suspected terrorists, but it is quite possible and somewhat likely, in my opinion, that the sheer amount of evidence of illegal actions piling up is what's prompting AG Eric Holder's newfound willingness to look into torture prosecutions of ex-Bush administration officials: ...

Holder Considers A Torture Prosecutor
The Atlantic Politics Channel — A Justice Department official confirms Newsweek's report that Attorney General Eric Holder is leaning towards appointing a special prosecutor to investigate Bush administration-era torture and interrogation policies.  Newsweek's Dan Klaidman cites four departmental sources, and Holder himself, as admitting that, after a review of the programs, Holder began to consider an investigation, even though President Obama and Obama's top aides oppose any sanctioned look back at the policies of his predecessor.  When Obama asked Holder, a longtime friend and law school ...

Can't Let Go... Team Obama Wants to Probe Bush-Era "Torture"
Gateway Pundit — Waterboarding the Al-Qaeda 9-11 Planner Prevented a Massive LA Terror Attack They Just Can't Let Go. They just can't. Team Obama is still talking about prosecuting Bush officials over so-called "torture" of three Al-Qaeda terrorists. The latest article promoting this was written by Daniel Klaidman from hyper-partisan Newsweek. It's not clear from the article if Klaidman was one of the lucky reporters who was partying with the president on the 4th of July or not: It's the morning after ...

Yes, Please
Shakesville — Obama doesn't want to look back, but Attorney General Eric Holder may probe Bush-era torture anyway.

Saturday Reading: Litigious
Ben Smith's Blog — Eric Holder may name a special torture prosecutor. Bush bashing never gets old. Obama speaks about his story and Africa in Ghana. I talked to Guy Raz about Hillary. Gail Collins is amused by Ensign. David Brooks won't say which GOP senator ... felt him up. Mike Henry moves downballot. Goldfarbs burrow in. Kirk's still thinking about it. And Frank Ricci is a litigious guy.

AG Holder leaning towards appointing special prosecutor
The Reaction — ... Put me in the I'll-believe-it-when-I-see-it camp. While I don't want to see Obama's agenda stalled, the reality is that the same people who are currently saying no to anything Obama will be the same people up in arms over any decision to look into Bush era crimes. Sure there will be yelling on the TV. Sure we will be subjected to an endless loop of Newt and Liz, but that's about it. It's not like Republicans are playing nice now. If it's a choice between getting yelled at and the rule of law, well, that's not a very hard choice. Is it? ...

Is anyone actually surprised by this?
Brilliant at Breakfast — ... Newsweek reported yesterday in a profile of Eric Holder that the Attorney General is considering appointing a prosecutor to investigate the Bush Administration's torture activities. That doesn't have me as excited as it does some of my compatriots, because the Justice Department is still lousy with Bush appointees, and I suspect any "investigation" will end in a proclamation of "bad activities done out of goodwill for our nation" and nothing will be done. ...

Torture investigation
Political Animal — ... , there's been quite a bit of talk over the last 12 hours over the possibility of the Justice Department launching some kind of probe of Bush-era torture policies. If this is a trial balloon, Attorney General Eric Holder is pushing it very high so it can be easily seen. Newsweek got the ball rolling with this report , published online late yesterday. Holder ... 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 ...

Attorney General Eric Holder may probe Bush/Cheney torture regime
Crooks and Liars — I haven't had a chance to read the whole article, but it seems encouraging. Newsweek: Mindful of history, Holder is trying to get the balance right. "You have the responsibility of enforcing the nation's laws, and you have to be seen as neutral, detached, and nonpartisan in that effort," Holder says. "But the reality of being A.G. is that I'm also part of the president's team. I want the president to succeed; I campaigned for him. I share his world view and values." These are not just the philosophical musings of a new attorney ...

Holder ‘leaning toward appointing a prosecutor to investigate’ Bush admin’s torture policies.
Think Progress — ... within the parameters of various laws, and I don’t want to prejudge that.” Yesterday, Newsweek’s Daniel Klaidman reported that Attorney General Eric Holder “is now leaning toward appointing a prosecutor to investigate the Bush administration’s brutal interrogation practices”: ...

Investigation?
Suburban Guerrilla — Link: The Obama administration may not be so quick to “turn the page,” after all: Newsweek reports that Attorney General Eric Holder “is now leaning toward appointing a prosecutor to investigate the Bush administration’s brutal interrogation practices, something the president has been reluctant to do.” Holder’s decision could come within weeks.. “I hope that whatever decision I make would not have a negative impact on the president’s agenda,” Holder says. “But that can’t be a part of my decision.” Holder has ...

A princely move
Classical Values — A princely move I don't know what readers might think, but I think what is happening here is a classic Machiavellian strategy: ...[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 ...

Democrats Are Manipulating The News Cycle: Time For More Torture Talk
Wizbang — Newsweek is reporting that Attorney General Eric Holder is leaning toward appointing a special prosecutor to investigate Bush administration interrogation tactics and The New York Times is hyperventilating about Vice President Cheney ...

The Sunday Word: Confirmations and Torture Investigations
The Caucus — ... policies would directly contradict President Obama’s repeated pledge to continue “looking forward and not backwards,” they write. The article mentions: Alone among cabinet officers, attorneys general are partisan appointees expected to rise above partisanship. All struggle to find a happy medium between loyalty and independence. Few succeed.“You have the responsibility of enforcing the nation’s laws, and you have to be seen as neutral, detached, and nonpartisan in that effort,” Mr. Holder told Newsweek . “But the reality of being A.G. is that I’m also part of the president’s ...

Holder Considering Special Prosecutor
Matthew Yglesias — Haven’t heard this kind of talk in a while: 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 ...

The Holder Trial Balloon: Abu Ghraib Redux
Commondreams.org Views — Yesterday, I treated this new Newsweek report that Eric Holder is "leaning toward appointing a prosecutor to investigate the Bush administration's brutal interrogation practices" as something to celebrate.  But new facts about what that investigation would entail and, more importantly, would exclude -- facts added by today's Washington Post -- strongly suggest it's the opposite.  At least if that article is to be believed -- and it seems clear that Holder dispatched his allies to leak his plans in order to gauge reaction -- the investigation ...

Good Advice From the Right
The Mahablog — ... Reports are that President Obama doesn’t want to “look back” at the crimes of the Bush Administration, because this would distract from the enormous domestic agenda he is trying to push through. There are reports that General Eric Holder may appoint a prosecutor to investigate torture ordered by the Bush Administration. I hope so, but I’m not going to hold my breath until he does. ...

Jude : B-Team Blogger Scoops Drudge ?
Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog — Not really, because I found it at Huffington Post, where it had pride of place for hopeful haters yesterday, but in this age of Obaman self-reference I feel compelled to point out that Drudge's headline right now links to the same story posted here yesterday, namely Eric Holder's getting ready to go after Bush officials, in Newsweek. Because it's all about me, right? Me is what's happening again...except this time the only 'me' that matters is him, our President. If the 70's were the Me Decade, then maybe this is the Him Decade. Or the He Decade, whichever you like. I'm ...

Quote of the Day
Sister Toldjah — ... … on AG Holder’s reconsideration of whether or not to prosecute members of the Bush administration for the alleged “authorized torture” that took place under Bush’s administration, allegations that have been ramped up thanks to Obama’s helpful friends in the Democrat Congress and mainstream media over the last several days (think ...

Rally TheBase!
JustOneMinute — Regardless of their many other divisions all Dems were united in loathing Bush and Cheney.  Now Eric Holder prepares to rally the base : [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 ...

Carol Platt Liebau: A Momentous Decision
Townhall.com Blog's TownHall Blog — In a puff piece about Attorney General Eric Holder, Newsweek praises the "attractive, poised, and uncommonly elegant" Cabinet officer and his wife , before musing on the "tension that the best of his predecessors have confronted: how does one faithfully serve both the law and the president?" All this big, sloppy kissing is a windup to a piece focusing on the fact that Holder may -- contrary to the assurances of his boss -- insist on trying to investigate Bush officials for "torture." Holder insists he isn't focusing on the politics of such a decision. That must be true, ...

Andy Worthington: Will Eric Holder Be The Anti-Torture Hero?
Politics on HuffingtonPost.com — ... In an important article for Newsweek, "Independent's Day," Daniel Klaidman manages not only to present a convincingly intimate and sympathetic first-hand portrait of Eric Holder, the first African-American Attorney General in U.S. history, demonstrating how "[h]is first instinct is to shy away from confrontation, to search for common ground," and how he remains haunted by his role in the pardon of Marc Rich at the end of the Clinton administration, but also to explain how "[f]our knowledgeable sources" told him that Holder is "leaning toward appointing a prosecutor to ...

Attorney General Eric Holder to Appoint Prosecutor for Bush Administration Crimes?
FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog — ... Please Eric do it. 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 ...

Quote of the Day
Right Wing News — ... Bush or the one that allegedly lied to Nancy Pelosi? The entire torture prosecution meme, and the Potemkin Panetta "lying to Congress" Theatre, is all part of a two scene drama: the rehabilitation of Nancy Pelosi and the diversion of attention from a failing Obama policy in multiple areas. The torture debate was settled months ago but the egos in the Democratic Congress and a sinking Obama presidency require a new distraction now that Sarah Palin is off the front page. ... on AG Holder's reconsideration of whether or not to prosecute members of the Bush administration for ...

Rep. Israel: Cheney 'must be held accountable'
News — ... that Cheney personally ordered a still-undisclosed program concealed from members of Congress. That program had made headlines this week after Democratic members of Congress wrote CIA director Leon Panetta asking him to apologize to lawmakers for insisting, contrary to the assertions of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), that the CIA had never misled Congress in its classified briefings. Attorney General Eric Holder, meanwhile, has reportedly been eyeballing naming a special prosecutor to investigate Bush administration counterterrorism initiatives. Cross-posted to the ...

Reason Morning Links: The Return of the Bush Scandals
Hit & Run — ... into a U.S.-backed Afghan warlord's alleged crimes. And the Department of Justice may look into Bush-era torture policies after all -- though it's ...

Is President Obama Hurting the Nation by Being Too "Forgiving" of the Bush Administration?
BuzzFlash.org - Progressive News and Commentary with an Attitude | Fight Ignorance: Read BuzzFlash — BUZZFLASH DISCUSSION By all accounts -- including his own -- President Obama doesn't want to "dwell" on the transgressions -- illegal and otherwise -- of the Bush/Cheney administration. Yes, Newsweek set up some expectations that Eric Holder may pursue a very narrow investigation of "possible" torture legal violations, but as BuzzFlash's P.M. Carpenter points out, it looks like any potential probe ...

Newsweek Praises Holder, Contrasts With Gonzales, Who Ran Justice Department 'Like Tammany Hall'
NewsBusters.org - Exposing Liberal Media Bias — ... Newsweek falls back on conventional liberal narratives in a gooey profile of attorney general Eric Holder titled "Independent’s Day." The magazine is delighted that Holder wants to investigate and prosecute Bush officials for harsh interrogations. Holder is trying to strike a balance on the independence meter between so-close-it’s-crooked (Alberto Gonzales) and almost irrelevant (Janet Reno): ...

The Rude Pundit — ... Yet the very nature of investigation and criminal proceedings is to look backward, with the knowledge that the past very much impacts the present. If Attorney General Eric Holder does go forward with a probe of Bush-era torture policies and if Dianne Feinstein and other Democrats are ...

Will Holder investigate Bush's torture regime? If so, how far will he go? (Likely not far enough.)
The Reaction — ... By now, I suspect, many of you have read, or at least read about, Newsweek's article on Attorney General Eric Holder and the possible appointment of "a prosecutor to investigate the Bush administration's brutal interrogation practices" (i.e., torture). Like ...

Liz Cheney: Investigating My Dad Would Prove Americans ‘Can’t Trust’ Democrats With National Security
Think Progress — ... Cheney also responded to news that Attorney General Holder is considering appointing a special prosecutor to investigate “the Bush administration’s brutal interrogation practices,” calling it “shameful.” She added that her father is “very angry” about the development: ...

No, America, There Ain’t No Sanity Clause…
Hot Air » Top Picks — ... …His real name is Attorney General Eric Himpton Holder, Jr. :“You have the responsibility of enforcing the nation’s laws, and you have to be seen as neutral, detached, and nonpartisan in that effort,” Holder says. “But the reality of being A.G. is that I’m also part of the president’s team. I want the president to succeed; I campaigned for him. I share his world view and values.” 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 ...

7/13: Mr. Ricci Goes To Washington
Blogometer — ... ) want AG Eric Holder to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the George W. Bush admin.'s use of torture. However, lefty bloggers ( ...

Linky Monday: from the sublime to the banal
Bitch. Ph.D. — ... 2. Speaking of needing prodding, apparently Eric Holder is considering investigating Bush-era war crimes. (The two stories--the Afghanistan investigation and possible war crimes investigations-- ...

Will Holder Investigate Bush’s Torture Regime?
The Moderate Voice — ... By now, I suspect, many of you have read, or at least read about, Newsweek’s article on Attorney General Eric Holder and the possible appointment of “a prosecutor to investigate the Bush administration’s brutal interrogation practices” (i.e., torture). Like ...

Is the Justice Department Serious About Torture Trials?
Pajamas Media — The risk that prosecution of Bush-era officials would devour the Democrats is great. [image] In an effort to make Clinton’s confederate in the corrupt pardon of Frank Rich look like an independent agent, Newsweek published an Eric Holder fluff piece suggesting that despite the president’s desire to let the issue die, the hard hitting free agent attorney general might seek to prosecute those who engaged in or permitted torture of captured terrorists under the Bush administration. Holder, 58, may be on the verge of asserting his independence in a profound way. ...

The Torture Investigation Mystery Show
Comments from Left Field — ... Daniel Klaidman’s piece, published Saturday in Newsweek, which reported that AG Holder had returned to the possibility of prosecutions. ...

"Holder Faces Avalanche Of Work, and Scrutiny; Attorney General Blasted From Left, Right"
How Appealing — ... And this week's issue of Newsweek contains an article headlined "Independent's Day: Obama doesn't want to look back, but Attorney General Eric Holder may probe Bush-era torture anyway."

Anthony D. Romero: Tortured Logic
Politics on HuffingtonPost.com — ... Recent reports that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is considering appointing a prosecutor to investigate illegal torture carried out during the Bush administration is a positive sign, especially given President Obama's desire to avoid what he has called "a backward-looking" inquiry. When Holder began studying the brutal acts carried out in America's name, some of them even exceeding the horrors authorized in the infamous Justice Department torture memos, he reportedly said it "turned my stomach." In "Tortured Logic," ...

Holder still eyeing investigation
Political Animal — HOLDER STILL EYEING INVESTIGATION.... About a month ago, Newsweek reported that Attorney General Eric Holder is "leaning toward appointing a prosecutor to investigate the Bush administration's brutal interrogation practices," despite the president's reluctance. An announcement, the article noted, "could come in a matter of weeks." How's that coming along? We're apparently getting closer to the ...

Holder to appoint prosecutor on Bush-era torture
Political Animal — HOLDER TO APPOINT PROSECUTOR ON BUSH-ERA TORTURE.... We learned in July that Attorney General Eric Holder was leaning towards appointing a special prosecutor to investigate "brutal interrogation practices" from the Bush-era. Today, Holder did ...

Ari Melber: The Problem with Holder's Partial Torture Prosecutor
Politics on HuffingtonPost.com — ... reports that Holder will appoint prosecutor John Durham to "examine nearly a dozen cases in which CIA interrogators and contractors may have violated anti-torture laws," a possibility that Newsweek first discussed in July. Accounts from both publications, however, predict a very narrow inquiry. The mandate, according to the new Post article, is only "to look at whether there is enough evidence to launch a full-scale criminal investigation of current and former CIA personnel who may have broken the law in their dealings with detainees." ...

Cheney on Fox News Sunday
democracyarsenal.org — ... First I am a little confused.  Is the problem with Holder’s decision that he is conducting a political witch hunt as a “political appointee” or is it that he is not working with the approval of the President.  Unlike what Cheney's view of the Justice Department, Holder is aparently not taking political agendas into consideration at the Justice Department.  ...

DOJ to Limit Criminal Investigations of CIA Abuses
TalkLeft — ... Remember this Newsweek article describing how Holder poured over the documents night after night and they made him sick to his stomach? After all that, DOJ is going to investigate two or three cases? ...