Why would he not?

Brazilian woman claims she
spent ten hours with husband
in hotel room, unaware he was dead.

It is being said that Attorney General Holder is thinking about appointing a special investigator to look into the torture issue. Thinking about it? What’s to think about? How can he not appoint an investigator? He is confronted with obvious flagrant violations of the law and constitution. He is the head of our Justice Department. There have been multiple and obvious war crimes committed, some of which have already been admitted to, so what’s the problem? Personally, I believe this whole business has been a charade. Obama does not want to appear vindictive and has insisted all along that he does not want an investigation, but only to look forward. Holder has been biding his time, waiting for the best opportunity to announce his intention, as our chief law enforcement officer, to investigate what both he and Obama have had to know all along were crimes of great magnitude. Dick the Slimy has now made it easy for them to finally investigate. If, after the revelation that Cheney was conducting a secret (probably assassination squad), and had instructed the CIA to not inform the Congress about it, our Attorney General would look like an absolute and incompetent fool if he did not investigate. And once the investigation begins there is no telling where it will ultimately lead. Justice delayed is justice denied.
John McCain, probably speaking for most or all Republicans, insists that to open up an investigation of the wrongdoings of Bush/Cheney, and especially releasing the torture photographs, will just cause our enemies to hate us all the more, so we shouldn’t do it. I disagree entirely. It is no doubt true that revealing the depths of our depravity in this matter will (and should) create even higher levels of anti-American animosity, but to not investigate what the whole world knows were serious war crimes, because they were committed by Americans rather than Germans or Japanese, will lead not only to more revenge but also to utter contempt for our nation, a contempt that will linger probably forever. The only way we can avoid the worst of the fallout from our crimes, and to exonerate at least most of our citizens who were unknowingly dragged into this mess, is to investigate and prosecute and hold accountable those who were the guilty parties. In this case Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Rice/Yoo, and many others. And if what we think we know already about their crimes can be legally demonstrated they must be suitably punished just as any other war criminals have been punished. You cannot seriously try to maintain a case for American exceptionalism based upon a foundation so teeteringly rotten as this one.

What useful purpose is being served by the Sonia Sotomayor confirmation hearings? It cannot be her confirmation which everyone, including Republicans, knows is going to happen. I am proud to say that I did not watch this dreary and wasteful performance (although I did catch a few snatches of it). Why do we need to waste days in listening to every Senator pontificating about the duties of judges (to a judge), the story of Sotomayor’s life and accomplishments, tales their own lives and accomplishments, Row vs Wade, past nominees, and whatever else pops into their heads. Don’t they realize just how silly they look, both Democrats and Republicans? Of course in the case of Republicans they not only look silly, they look positively obnoxiously idiotic. This is especially true of Hatch, Graham, Inhofe, and overwhelmingly true of Sessions. The fact that Sotomayor can sit there and tolerate the levels of stupidity being expressed is enough by itself to assure her confirmation. She appears to me to be so far above the level of her inquisitioners as to be virtually saintly. Shouldn’t we have some kind of rules, regulations, or laws that insist states cannot elect senators unless they can demonstrate intelligence beyond the level of ground squirrels? The level of discourse being currently demonstrated during these farcical hearings is embarrassing, even shameful. If there are any kind of supernatural beings looking down on us they must be laughing hysterically, along with the rest of the world. Racism, sexism, and paternalism live! Intelligence and reason, not so much.

LKBIQ:
Corporation, n. An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility.
Ambrose Bierce

TILT:
The average life expectancy of a Tasmanian Devil in the wild is estimated at six years.