Gallup To Release Poll On Bush Investigations

The political establishment will soon have a better sense of where the public stands on investigating the Bush administration for the possible torture of detainees.

An official at Gallup confirms that the polling firm will be conducting a survey this weekend on criminal investigations into the Bush years. The survey, likely to be released on Monday afternoon, will provide one the first measures of public sentiment on this topic since Barack Obama suggested he would be open to an independent commission investigating the use of now-outlawed interrogation techniques.

Elizabeth Mendes, an associate editor at Gallup, says the survey will ask "how closely people have been following the news about this issue, if they think the techniques were justified, and if they think there should be an investigation." There could be another question relating to the makeup of such an investigation, though that has not been finalized.

The results of the Gallup survey have the potential to add either fire or cold water to the debate over whether or not the Bush administration should be investigated for authorizing harsh -- possibly illegal -- interrogation techniques. Republicans, in general, have argued that the country is uninterested in a partisan witch-hunt and would prefer to move on from the entire episode. Democrats, by and large, have insisted there is a moral and political appetite among the public to figure out what went wrong and whether laws were broken. The White House has somewhat straddled the middle, though with stated preference toward looking forward.

The last time Gallup polled this issue was on February 12, when the firm found that 62 percent of the public supported some sort of investigation into the "possible use of torture in terror interrogation." Thirty-eight percent favored a criminal investigation, 24 percent favored an investigation by an independent panel, and 34 percent said they favored neither.

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Comments

[pmorlan]

The Washington Post /ABC poll released today shows that it's not just liberals who favor accountability for torture.

http://democracity.blogspot.com/2009/04/post-poll-shows-its-not-just-liberals.html

[VOICEOFKNOWING]

Dangerous times call for dangerous deeds... That' what I say!

[John McClenahan]

ACT!

Vote for special prosecution:

https://secure.aclu.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=Nat_Petition_SpecialProsecutor&s_src=olcpage&s_subsrc=flyer

God help us.

The radical right certainly is'nt.

[urthsong]

Cheney, Rumsfeld and others caught on to the idea that they didn't need to obey the laws if Republicans were in power. Worst case scenario, they might get pardons. That's what angers Cheney. Bush didn't pardon the culprits. There must be justice, not for political reasons, but to restore and preserve our Constitution and the basis of everything that has made America a beacon to the world. Until our heirs and the rest of the world can be assured that criminal conduct will not go unpunished, our laws will remain toothless and worthless. How can anyone or any government trust in our government if, with any election change, it cannot be relied upon to respect the rule of law? This is why we are looking to the future when we demand justice.

[wdw505]

if you were afraid of bugs......­.would i be torturing you with a room full of bugs that do not bite

if you are afraid of heights, i do your interview in a clear floored room 50' in the air

how about a woman interrogator in a bikini or maybe naked against a very religious man.......

where does your definition stop stretching where does it stop......­. this country is turning into a bunch of cry babies

[chitown8]

if you were afraid of bugs......­.would i be torturing you with a room full of bugs that do not bite

Yes if I hyperventilate and die!

if you are afraid of heights, i do your interview in a clear floored room 50' in the air

Yes if I hyperventilate and die!

how about a woman interrogator in a bikini or maybe naked against a very religious man.......

Not so much because who is the idiot the person that does the interview or the lady naked?

See John Birge that was what they claim they did to solve crimes in Chicago which led to numerous pardons. Torture does not work.

[JessWonderin]

No one called OUR FAMILY . . . move 12 MORE Votes to the INVESTIGATE NOW column . . . .

[truthinreporting]

As much as I don't want energy and time taken away from Obama's policies to correct so many of our country's inequities, I equally don't want the unlawful deeds of the Bush administration to go unpaid for. It is in the best interests of our country to bring to light, and prosecute all those who were responsible. It's not just about retribution, but about returning our country to a land of laws and integrity.

[From the Raft]

Polls don't tell what is right no more than the results of torture tell whether it is right.

[Mrphd2b]

Beelzebub Junior

[bygollymissmolly]

It will be interesting to see this poll. We all need to remember that Gallup is known for "cooking the books" on it's polls. Back when polling the election, they were caught polling an equal number of Democrats and Republicans even though the population breaks down to many more Democrats than Republicans being registered. At the time there was a 10 point difference between registered Democrats and registered Republicans. Needless to say their polls were skewed as compared to the polls of other outfits who polled people according to percentages of registrations in the various political parties.

[HdTinkler]

>Think its about time America started living by higher principles doing the right moral thing. If we don't we are no better than the barbaric people we say we're standing up against.
The TRUTH has nothing to hide and only makes a people stronger..­...we need to stop hiding and come out of the shadows.

[plooger]

> investigating the use of now-outlawed interrogation techniques.

Ummm... the investigation would be to determine whether the techniques employed, at the time, were illegal (i.e. outlawed). The phrase used by the author implies a change of US laws in regards to torture, where no change has occurred.

[liberty68]

Regardless of the poll results about whether there should be an investigation, the fact is,laws were obviously broken which has clearly be shown, except to the brain-dead. We don't take polls to decide whether to go after criminals, especially when crimes against humanity, The Geneva Conventions, were committed.

[jinxed]

you do if you are a repub and are trying to duck responsibility as usual... this is their way of trying to defuse an awkward situation for them...

[RJII]

i'm betting total of 78% say investigate in some form. the rest are the remaining GOP base--fanatic lost teabaggers.

[IntellectuallyHonest]

Oh, no, the truth might come out. People want justice and jail time for the likes of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz.

[From the Raft]

My favorite crook: Wolfowitz I love to hate him!

[dragonlady620]

Don't forget Rove.

[cminca]

I can't speak for everyone, but I can't wait for the perp walk.....