If government officials are prosecuted for approving torture, let’s include Congress

President Obama says he’s open to prosecuting Bush officials for their anti-terror legal advice. This comes only two days after Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said no prosecutions were being considered because this is not the time for “anger and retribution”.

So much for “looking forward”.

Well, if government officials are to be prosecuted for approving “torture,” shouldn’t we include Congress? After all, Congress was fully briefed and approved of the “enhanced” interrogation tactics used by the CIA. But then, that would mean Congress would have to investigate and prosecute itself. You know, kind of like Barney Frank fixing the financial mess he helped create.

The Wall Street Journal notes in its “Presidential Poison” editorial that Bush officials won’t (or shouldn’t) be the only ones on the hot seat if this goes forward: “Congress will face questions about what the Members knew and when, especially Nancy Pelosi when she was on the House Intelligence Committee in 2002.

The Speaker now says she remembers hearing about waterboarding, though not that it would actually be used. Porter Goss, her GOP counterpart at the time, says he knew exactly what he was hearing and that, if anything, Ms. Pelosi worried the CIA wasn’t doing enough to stop another attack. By all means, put her under oath.

Here’s an idea that might help jog Pelosi’s memory as to what she actually heard and approved:

Waterboard ‘er.

Source: Wall Street Journal