Tit for Tat in the Torture Investigations

This is wonderful! The Republicans, in trying to ward off the Democrats’ investigations of Bush and the Republicans for torture-related war crimes, are threatening retaliation. To be consistent, say the Republicans, there must be investigations of the Clinton-era “renditioning” program, Democrats who knew of the torture under Bush, even Eric Holder himself.

Will the Democrats back down? Probably, since they know they are complicit in Bush’s war crimes and other criminality, past and present. But I say: Convene the war crime tribunals, enough for the whole bunch,* and don’t stop at torture and renditioning — conducting aggressive wars and occupations, whether it was Bush, Clinton or anyone else, is also a war crime.

* In reality, I am reluctant to see even politicians prosecuted by government. But if anyone should ever be investigated and prosecuted by the state, it is those politicians who knowingly violate individual rights, constitutional safeguards and international law, especially the ones who do so at the level to which we are all now accustomed.