This ain't a primary diary and I apologize for interrupting the frenzy, but it's important...
The AP is reporting that John Yoo, former AG John Ashcroft and former Assistant AG Daniel Levin have all agreed to testify before Congress about military interrogations. Tenet is still in negotiations and David Addington (Darth Cheney's Chief of Staff) is supposedly still considering whether to appear. It looks, though, like a subpoena has been authorized for him already, probably anticipating a refusal to appear.
From the AP story:
John Yoo, the former Justice Department lawyer who wrote a now-repudiated memo allowing the harsh interrogations of military prisoners agreed late Monday to testify to Congress about those practices, averting a subpoena. Yoo is now a law professor at University of California-Berkeley.
Yoo's memo, dated March 14, 2003, outlines a legal justification for military interrogators to use harsh tactics against al-Qaida and Taliban detainees overseas — so long as they did not specifically intend to torture their captives.
Dates for the testimonies aren't given, except for a vague "sometime in the future". Who knows if this means they are just stalling, but hopefully not. Their testimony could certainly go a long way into figuring out who exactly was involved with this.
The Judiciary Committee hearings are meant to determine what role administration lawyers played in creating and approving interrogation procedures that went far beyond those traditionally used by U.S. forces, and whether any of them violated their legal or ethical obligations, said Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich.
Maybe the admin figured the Justice Department is in enough hot water already, what's a litte more gonna hurt?
What's interesting is that some of these folks have AGREED to testify, not even needing to be compelled. I suppose there could be any number of reasons why they are giving this appearance of being cooperative.
Let's start with the most cynical/paranoid: The Bush admin could figure it's late enough in their term that they can start letting people testify, that will get enough hot water boiling that the start of specific charges could be brought against specific people. Enough so that when Bush issues his inevitable barge-load of last-minute pardons everyone who is likely to be in trouble can be in the process of it, so his pardons can stick. (Keep in mind I know nothing of the process of pardons, so not sure if my thought process here is valid.) Everyone gets in just enough trouble to be pardoned.
It could be that they've had enough time to think this through, corroborate, hide evidence, etc. that they feel they can talk their way out of this.
It could be that rats are finally deciding to leave the sinking ship (I'm not hopeful about this one).
Feel free to add your theories/analysis, this is big so it'll be front paged by Kagro or someone more capably analytical, soon, i'm sure.