Originally posted at MyDD.com
Sitting in the airport Friday afternoon, I couldn't believe what I saw on CNN: the entire narrative about torture had been yoked by Republicans - and re-directed at Nancy Pelosi. Frankly, it's probably the first big political success Republicans have had since January. Blatantly dishonest, but successful.
But nearly lost is the notion that torture is illegal. And lost is the uncomfortable truth: the Bush administration tortured detainees for political cover after the Iraq invasion - no 'ticking time bomb,' no '24' impending attack. The Bush administration tortured because they wanted an Iraq-9/11 connection that didn't exist. But no one's talking about it, or what should be done.
And with the White House "looking forward," the opportunity to enforce the rule of law is slipping away.
Back in late 2005, opposition to the Iraq war was also floundering. The Senate easily defeated timetable measures. The only resolution with enough support to pass had weak language about how 2006 "should be a period of significant transition to full Iraqi sovereignty." It was Republican-written.
Then, on November 17th 2005, Jack Murtha stepped forward. As a former Marine who originally voted for the war's authorization, Murtha's voice cut through the false Washington conventional wisdom that dissent about our sustained occupation came only from the far left.
Who's the Jack Murtha for torture investigations?
Whose call for a special prosecutor would get the political media's (and the White House's) attention?