Torture, Surveillance and Beltway Theatre

By Steve Hynd

There's plenty being written today on reports that AG Holder is ready to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the Bush administration's torturing ways, that Congress is ready to open an investigation into the Bush administration's snooping illegal surveilance and that Dick Cheney was central to both of those programs and their coverups.

But before everyone goes all hopenchange again, it's worth noticing that any Holder investigation will most likely be rigged. As Glenn Greenwald points out, reports say that "the investigation will only target 'rogue' CIA interrogators who exceeded the limits of what John Yoo authorized, and would not include high-level policy makers who authorized the torture tactics and implemented America's torture regime."

And before anyone gets their hopes up about Congress doing the right thing, the Republican argument will be that secrecy in the service of national security trumps legality. There will be enough DINOs in both houses to agree and scupper any real investigation. Unless it's one of the reporters who broke the story, who rightwingers want prosecuted for leaking an illegal but secret program, of course.

Beltway theatre, business as usual.