Pat Leahy: New Justice to Be Confirmed by August

By GottaLaff

Is this anything like health care reform legislation being completed by summer, er, fall, er, before Christmas, er, in March?

I'm sure we're all looking forward to the kindly old white Congress-gentlemen on the right side of the aisle reaching out to their brethren in a grand gesture of bipartisanship, coming together as one to confirm their president's Supreme Court nominee:

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee predicted Sunday that a new Supreme Court justice would be confirmed before Senators leave town for the August recess.

Leahy To Hold Hearing On Free Pass To Yoo And Bybee

By GottaLaff

I was in tears yesterday when I heard the outrageous news about John Yoo and Jay Bybee wriggling out from under a prison sentence for their part in legalizing torture.

But there is good news. It comes from Senator Pat Leahy, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Commitee:

The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing to examine the Office of Professional Responsibility Report on the Office of Legal Counsel, Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced today. The report was released to Congress today.

The hearing will be held Friday, February 26, at 10:00 a.m. Witnesses will be announced in the coming days, and the hearing will be webcast live online.

I will be watching.

One hearing won't do it, but maybe, possibly, hopefully it will open the door to much more... at the very least, disbarment.

More details here.

********

All my previous posts on this subject matter can be found here; That link includes one specific to only Fayiz al-Kandari's story here. Here are audio and video interviews with Lt. Col. Wingard, one by David Shuster, one by Ana Marie Cox, and more. My guest commentary at BuzzFlash is here.

Lt. Col. Barry Wingard is a military attorney who represents Fayiz Al-Kandari in the Military Commission process and in no way represents the opinions of his home state. When not on active duty, Colonel Wingard is a public defender in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

If you are inclined to help rectify these injustices: Twitterers, use the hashtag #FreeFayiz. We have organized a team to get these stories out. If you are interested in helping Fayiz out, e-mail me at The Political Carnival, address in sidebar to the right; or tweet me at @GottaLaff.

If you'd like to see other ways you can take action, go here and scroll down to the end of the article.

Then read Jane Mayer's book The Dark Side. You'll have a much greater understanding of why I post endlessly about this, and why I'm all over the CIA deception issues, too.

More of Fayiz's story here, at Answers.com.H/t: VNDNBRG

Leahy, Lieberman to introduce antitrust repeal amendment

By GottaLaff

Red herring or not, Senators Leahy and Lieberman (yes, that Lieberman) are introducing an antitrust repeal amendment to the health care bill.

Here is an excerpt from the red herring post I just linked to:

Sure, let Congress repeal McCarran-Ferguson -- antitrust experts say it's outdated anyway. But just remember that if the repeal distracts the lawmakers from real antitrust reform, as seems likely, the health insurance industry will be laughing all the way to the bank.

I wish I were knowledgeable enough to know how to respond to that with any authority. But I'm not. So I won't.

Now let's hear from the Odd Couple:

Sen. Joe Lieberman has joined Leahy in calling for a repeal, an interesting move for the Connecticut Independent whose state is home to several insurance firms' headquarters.

Hmmm, what's Traitor Joe up to? Afraid of losing his chairmanship again? Got something else up his slimy, tattered little sleeve?

“Anti-competitive conduct that reduces consumer choice and drives up prices is harmful to consumers and should be subject to the full range of federal remedies to end such practices," [Lieberman] added.

If he doesn't want to reduce consumer choice, there is a solution: Support a strong public option. I guess Big Insurance hasn't paid him to do that, though.

The partnership between Leahy and Lieberman is also strange given that Leahy called for Lieberman to lose his chairmanship of the Homeland Security Committee after campaigning for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) for president in 2008.

To be a fly on the Senate wall...

Obama administration will not sign land mine ban

By GottaLaff

A BushCo policy lives on:

The Obama administration has decided not to sign an international convention banning land mines.

State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said Tuesday that the administration recently completed a review and decided not to change the Bush-era policy.

Patrick Leahy was not happy, nor were human rights groups, and I can't blame them:

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., criticized the State Department's review of the land mine policy as "cursory and halfhearted."

The senator described the decision to stand fast on the current policy as "a lost opportunity [...] We should be leading this effort, not sitting on the sidelines."

Go here for more.

VIDEO- Sen. Patrick Leahy: No need to interrogate bin Laden

By GottaLaff



Lindsey Graham has the right to remain silent:

If the U.S. captures Osama bin Laden, there's no need to interrogate him, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said Thursday.

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the chairman of that committee, said that arguments raised by Republican senators about whether bin Laden would be afforded Miranda rights if he were captured amount to a "red herring."

"The red herring that my friend [Sen.] Lindsey Graham [R-S.C.] was covering is not realistic," Leahy said during an appearance on "Washington Journal" on C-SPAN.

Liveblog: Face the Nation, Leahy v. Sessions on Cheney, special prosecutor

By GottaLaff

I'm liveblogging Face the Nation, with Bob Shieffer, is on now. He's talking to Patrick Leahy, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Jeff Sessions:

Leahy: I still prefer a truth commission. The inquiry would go into everything, while special prosecutors are narrowly focused. Eric Holder is a superb A.G., but I don't want to see the higher ups break the law, but punishment for the lower level troops. I won't interfere with his decision, but I'd like to see the inquiry, and may have problems doing both... immunity issues.

Sessions: It would be sad to me if the A.G. decided to use a special prosecutor...

Leahy: I admire the CIA agents on the front line, but remember Abu Ghraib. The lower echelon got punished, not those who condoned the actions. If someone higher up broke the law, we need to know.

Shieffer: What about the V.P., allegedly, told the CIA not to tell Congress...

Sessions: Sources, sources... leaks from unnamed sources don't turn out to be what they appear to be. I don't know what the facts are, but Cheney served his country with fidelity... outstanding record.

Leahy: We can't leave it lay. It's either true or not true. Nobody is above the law.

Senator Leahy On Judge Sotomayor - Republicans "were going to object no matter who it was. And several have told me that privately."

Not that we didn't know this already, but it's good to see someone come right out and say it.

MIDDLESEX, Vt.—The chairman of the Senate's upcoming Supreme Court hearings says Republicans told him they would have objected no matter whom President Barack Obama nominated to the high court.

Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy told The Associated Press on Thursday that, quote, "They were going to object no matter who it was. And several have told me that privately."

Republicans did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Leahy should have called them out by name and had them defend their statements.

No June confirmation hearings for Sotomayor

By GottaLaff

Per MSNBC just now, Senator Pat Leahy says there will be no June confirmation hearings for Judge Sotomayor.

Leahy Questions Specter Subcommittee Chairmanship

By GottaLaff

Leahy is saying, "Not so fast":

Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Thursday appeared to throw a little cold water on the Democratic leadership’s plan to give recent party-switcher Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.) a plum subcommittee chairmanship.

Though Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) announced earlier in the day that he would relinquish the Crime and Drugs subpanel and take over a reconstituted Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law, Leahy told reporters, “Nothing’s been worked out.”

Leahy indicated that he does not know how he will fund the new subcommittee, which existed in the 110th Congress but was disbanded this year. [...]

Specter, however, said he talked to Leahy Thursday morning and feels secure that he will chair the subcommittee. He plans to hold his first hearing on imposing tougher penalties, such as jail time, on individuals convicted of Medicare and Medicaid fraud.

Truth commission to proceed despite Obama’s wishes

By GottaLaff

It's starting to take on a life of its own:

Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) plans to proceed with a special commission to investigate alleged Bush administration abuses of power, despite lacking President Barack Obama’s support, according to a report Tuesday. [...]

But Leahy plans to proceed despite lacking the approval of party leaders, sources familiar with the proposal told Politico’s John Bresnahan Tuesday.

“Leahy plans to move ahead with his proposal anyway,” Bresnahan writes. “While he has not found a GOP co-sponsor for legislation creating a truth commission, Leahy is expected to begin circulating a draft soon.”

In a statement, Leahy said his commission will ultimately jibe with the President’s wishes.

“When I first proposed establishing a nonpartisan commission of inquiry in February, I thought then, as I do now, that it was the best approach to conducting a thorough review of national security policies on detention, interrogation and rendition since Sept. 11,” Leahy said in a statement to Bresnahan. “Whether such a comprehensive review happens immediately or in the weeks and months ahead, the evidence that our country committed torture demands a review of the process by which these flawed policies were developed and implemented. President Obama was correct when he said that any review should be done outside of politics. A nonpartisan commission will accomplish just that.” [...]

Some liberals have critiqued the proposal, asserting that Bush officials shouldn’t be granted immunity from prosecution even if they’re forthcoming in a congressional investigation. Conservatives have attacked the proposed commission as a political witchhunt.

I can't fathom giving any of those thugs immunity. Isn't the whole point of finding out the truth dealing with the truth?

Immunity should not be an option for the likes of Rove, Rumsfeld, Cheney, Addington, or any of the other despicable BushCo war criminals. If I could scream that line, I would, but this isn't that kind of blog, and putting that in all caps would be annoyingly out of character. So, use your imaginations if you are so inclined.

But expect me to ask for a talking down if immunity becomes a reality.

FYI, earlier I posted about John Conyers and Jerry Nadler asking Holder for a special counsel.

Leahy Admits Truth Commission Idea is Dead

By GottaLaff

J Sid McCain won't support the truth commission. Then again, neither will any other Rushpublic. I guess they're just not that into the truth:

Charlotte Dennett, a journalist and former candidate for Vermont attorney general, writes in Consortiumnews.com that in a meeting with Leahy on Monday, the senator admitted that his idea for a “Commission of Inquiry” is going nowhere fast.

“We had asked for the meeting to learn why he supported a truth commission over the appointment of a special prosecutor,” writes Dennett. “Halfway through the allotted 30 minute meeting (with him taking up much of the time explaining why he was not generally opposed to prosecution, since he had been a DA for eight years and had the highest conviction rate in Vermont), he told us that his truth commission had failed to get the broad support it needed in Congress, and since he couldn’t get one Republican to come behind the plan, “it’s not going to happen.” [...]

It also suggests that Leahy couldn’t get Sen.John McCain (R-Ariz.), who was tortured as a POW during the Vietnam War — and supposed champion for human rights — to go along with the commission idea. [...]

While advocates for a truth commission may be disappointed to learn the proposal isn’t moving forward, this may mean there’s now more of a chance that senior Bush policymakers who authorized torture, warrantless wiretapping and other illegal conduct will be held accountable in a court of law. Particularly as other U.S. allies — the United Kingdom and Spain, in particular — have recently announced their own investigations related to U.S.-sponsored torture and abuse of “war on terror” detainees.

In the meantime, as I’ve written before, Leahy and the Senate Judiciary Committee could still initiate a comprehensive inquiry into the role of the Justice Department in potentially illegal conduct under the Bush administration, as Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and the Senate Intelligence Committee have done for the CIA.

IMHO, the truth commission was all show and not enough tell. However, there is still reason for some optimism about future prosecutions. John Dean tells us why (start at about 4:45):

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Leahy Vows to Name Names if Obama's Nominees Are Delayed

By GottaLaff

Watch out... Patrick Leahy is growling and pawing the ground:

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., is warning his colleagues that he will shine a light on any of them who try to hold up a nominee of President Barack Obama.

Leahy, speaking on the Senate floor Wednesday, criticized the use of anonymous "holds" and other tactics that allow a senator to delay a nomination without revealing that he or she is the one doing so. Any senator for any reason can place a hold on a nominee and thereby prevent the formal debate and vote from being scheduled.

"Today, however, there will be no more secret and anonymous Republican holds. Any effort to oppose the president's nominees -- executive or judicial -- will have to withstand public scrutiny. There will be no more anonymous holds," Leahy said in his prepared remarks.

His stance could have the effect of speeding up some of Obama's nominees, including those for the Department of Justice who have faced procedural delays. [...]

Last week, Senate Republicans -- who championed up-or-down votes during the Bush administration -- sent a letter to Obama advising that they are prepared to block votes on nominees when they see fit.

There are several methods that Leahy could use to try to identify publicly a senator who delays a nominee. He could make a request on the Senate floor to consider the nomination, possibly forcing a voice objection by a senator who placed a hold.

He could also name a senator who -- under what's known as the "blue slip" tradition -- has not given consent to consider a nominee from the senator's home state.

In the face of a possible filibuster, Democrats could move to cut off debate, as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., did Monday with Ogden's nomination, but doing so requires lengthy procedures and at least 60 votes in favor.

How dare the Democrats force the Rushpublics' hand!? What?! That's unheard of!

That would make them all accountable and stuff. And that's undemocratically unpatriotically treasonous! Only Democrats should be held accountable for their votes, never Rushpubs.

There. I've said it. Someone had to. Damn Democratic zealots.

From 9/11 Widows: An Open Letter to Senator Patrick Leahy

By GottaLaff

Update: Video added. (h/t Hippie Cyndi)

Via Buzzflash:

Dear Senator Leahy,

We felt compelled to write to you regarding your recent call for the formation of a "Truth Commission." According to your press comments, this Commission is supposed to look at the following:

* the politicization of prosecution in the Justice Department
* the wiretapping of U.S. citizens
* the flawed intelligence used to justify the invasion of Iraq
* the use of torture at Guantanamo and so-called black sites abroad

These are serious allegations of criminal activity by certain members of the Bush Administration. While we applaud your initiative in looking into these matters, we feel this approach is wrong.

As the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, you already have the responsibility and legal authority to investigate matters relating to federal criminal law without having to form a special commission. You are also bound by your oath of office to support and uphold the Constitution by ensuring that those who govern also abide by the rule of law.

Furthermore, a "Truth Commission" will not fix the real problems that our country faces, nor will it guarantee that we will get to the truth. The 9/11 Commission, which you want to model your commission after, is a perfect example of that flawed process.

The 9/11 Commission was mandated to follow the facts surrounding the events of September 11, 2001 to wherever they might lead and make national security recommendations based upon those facts. Sadly, prior to even beginning their investigation, like you, the 9/11 Commissioners agreed amongst themselves that their role was to fact find, not fault find.

This decision resulted in individuals not being held accountable for their specific failures. These people were shown to be incompetent in the 9/11 Commission's Final Report but were left in their positions, or worse, promoted. No one should be allowed to make this compromise on behalf of the American people. How can any agency be deemed fixed or reformed if the people working there are inept? How can anyone feel safer?

At the 9/11 Commission hearings, little actual evidence was ever produced. Many individuals were not sworn in, critical witnesses were either not called to testify or were permitted to dictate the parameters of their own questioning, pertinent questions were omitted and there was little follow-up. Whistleblower testimony was suppressed or avoided all together. The National Security Agency, an intelligence agency that is responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign intelligence, was barely investigated at all.

With the narrative of the 9/11 Commission's final report predetermined and with the preexisting intention to never hold anyone accountable in place, the 9/11 Commission was doomed to fail as a real investigation. The end result of the 9/11 Commission's work was that some of the recommendations that they produced were in fact, based on distortions and omissions. Since their mandate of a complete accounting was ignored, the recommendations were incomplete at best.

There was clearly no desire on the part of Congress to force the Commission to meet its legislative mandate. Accordingly, there were no repercussions for the fact that the investigation and its recommendations were incomplete. It could be surmised that holding no one accountable was more important than uncovering and disclosing the truth. This could compromise the future safety of American citizens. Why then would you want to model another Commission after it? Why would you want another Commission at all?

Senator Leahy, in light of the fact that the 9/11 Commission's worst offense was not fully investigating the September 11th attacks, completing that investigation should also be included on your list of matters to be examined.

America's founding fathers, prescient in their fears of unrestrained power, created three separate but equal branches of government. They had hoped to maintain and enforce the limits of the Executive Branch.

The Bush Administration was allowed to circumvent too many Constitutional restrictions effectively undermining America's system of justice, our nation's integrity and commitment to the rule of law. The Bush Administration's seizing of power proves the adage that "absolute power corrupts absolutely."

The days of no fault government must end; and where there is clear criminal activity, people must be prosecuted. The law must be upheld without exception before we can be assured of the safety of the nation. These duties cannot be ignored for the sake of expediency.

Senator Leahy, our nation needs you to investigate and, if warranted, refer the cases for criminal prosecution in transparent trials. We do not need another meaningless commission resulting in no accountability at the taxpayers' expense. Show all Americans that you have the courage to uphold the law, bring accountability to those who abuse their positions of power and prevent such abuses from happening again.

The November 2008 elections proved that Americans want the rule of law restored for those in Washington who are elected to represent us. You, Senator Leahy, are in the position to lead the way and work toward the change we were promised.

Sincerely,

September 11th Advocates
Patty Casazza
Monica Gabrielle
Mindy Kleinberg
Lorie Van Auken

Dear 9/11 Widows,

Thank you. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. You speak for so many Americans, including myself. You are true patriots. You put many lawmakers, not to mention loudmouthed, self-important, narcissistic public figures, to shame with your collective grasp of reality and of the real meaning of the word democracy.

Brimming with respect and gratitude

Laffy

Senate will advance torture commission; "This is going to be big."

By GottaLaff

Someone Tweeted this to me, and I went right over, and voila! News:

The Senate Judiciary Committee plans to move forward with a commission to investigate torture during the Bush administration. Committee Chairman Pat Leahy, D-Vt., told Salon Tuesday that his panel would soon announce a hearing to study various commission plans. His staff said the announcement could come as early as Wednesday.

While Michigan Democrat Rep. John Conyers and North Carolina Republican Rep. Walter Jones drafted a bill to create a commission to review abuse of war powers during the Bush administration, Leahy's Senate commission would represent the first concrete steps forward toward a broad review of U.S. torture since 9/11.

Spearheading Senate efforts to establish a torture commission is Rhode Island Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse. As a member of both the Judiciary Committee and the Intelligence Committee, Whitehouse is privy to information about interrogations he can't yet share. Still, regarding a potential torture commission, he told Salon, "I am convinced it is going to happen." In fact, his fervor on the issue was palpable. When asked if there is a lot the public still does not know about these issues during the Bush administration, his eyes grew large and he nodded slowly. "Stay on this," he said. "This is going to be big."

Let's hope this leads to more than just a lot of talk.

Bush Speechwriter: Torturers Are 'Heroes'

They're scared of Leahy. Good.