Toward the end of the Bush administration, hardly a news cycle went by without another revelation of a secret program or some kind of political skulduggery. Mr. Bush and his inner circle managed to keep the lid on in most cases. But now that Mr. Bush is out of office, Democrats in Congress are demanding to air all the dirty secrets before a ”Truth Commission” or a similar forum. Sounds like a good idea — but it isn’t.
… Before Congress jumps the gun, it should let the new administration delve into the record to determine if there is any basis for further investigation, given the broad authority of presidents. …
In fact, Attorney General Eric Holder is doing just that at the Justice Department, which produced the secret memos authorizing torture, warrantless surveillance and other practices showing contempt for established legal practices. …
Meanwhile, Congress itself has a number of open investigations into possible criminal violations. These include … harsh interrogation of detainees, the allegedly political prosecution of a former Democratic governor of Alabama, the secret memos, and the role of former White House aides Karl Rove and Harriet Miers in the firing of federal prosecutors.
… These investigations should be allowed to run their course before pondering creation of a ”Truth Commission” …