The Washington Post reported today that President Obama has personally nixed a proposed commission to investigate the enhanced interrogation torture policy of the Bush administration.
With the exception of a few high profile presidential commissions (Roberts, Tower, Rogers and Warren) most of these efforts are simply efforts in political posturing.
The Rockefeller Commission (President's Commission on CIA Activities Within the United States) formed by President Gerald Ford in 1975 and chaired by VP Nelson Rockefeller, investigated a collection of CIA programs that were similarly out of control. The commission's report detailed activities that many Americans thought were unacceptable. The commission's findings in Chapter 11 on Operation CHAOS received the most attention, and was likely the most productive area of work for the commission. Would a commission appointed by Obama uncover covert CIA programs inside or outside the U.S? Perhaps now is not the time to find out.
Once upon a time the CIA acted badly, but got away with it.
Nancy Reagan: History’s Handmaiden
8 years ago
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