112th Congress: Send in the clowns!

The worst Congress in the United States has been seated.  

One Republican, Allen West, is a war criminal and another one, Tim Griffin , is just a plain old criminal.

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Congressman Robert Wexler on torture

We are on the cusp of perhaps the most significant development in our multi-year quest for accountability:

Multiple sources are reporting that Attorney General Eric Holder is likely to appoint a Special Prosecutor to investigate possible crimes committed by and under the authority of the Bush Administration – particularly as they relate to the use of torture.

Let there be no doubt in anyone’s mind: such an appointment is critical to the integrity of our system of government. As you know, I have been pushing for such accountability for quite some time.

All of the evidence publicly available raises significant questions as to whether the Bush Administration or interrogators violated the law regarding the authorization and use of interrogation techniques. Such techniques such as excessive waterboarding and extreme physical brutality likely violated existing American law and international treaties against torture and led to the death of prisoners held in US custody.

The Attorney General testified in the Judiciary Committee recently: “If somebody was tortured to death, clearly a crime would have occurred.”

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There are those who fear that an investigation will distract and divide us at a time when we need to focus on very pressing issues such as health care, the economy, and foreign policy. The truth is that we can and must do both. Just as we must repair our health care and economic system, we must also repair of system of justice.

The appointment of a Special Prosecutor has nothing to do with politics. It has to do with the seriousness of the allegations and the evidence that supports them.

In fact, by appointing a Special Prosecutor – the Department of Justice separates itself from the investigation, allowing the evidence to be considered totally independent of political or institutional influences.

I refuse to believe that many Americans, regardless of their political leanings, would want any President, Vice President, or Cabinet official to exist above the law. That is not democracy.

Should we fail to investigate alleged abuses of power – even at this late date – we concede our rights and set dangerous precedents for the future.

Enforcement of our laws preserves the balance of power – not simply between branches of government – but between citizens and their elected leaders.

Sincerely,

Congressman Robert Wexler

Paid for by "Wexler for Congress"

PO Box 810669

Boca Raton, FL 33481

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Tom Davis, Cyber Czar?

Time magazine reported on Friday that former Republican congressman Tom Davis of Virginia is the White House's leading candidate to be the first cybersecurity czar.

Tom Davis, a moderate Republican from Virginia, has emerged as a leading candidate for the Obama administration's newly created position of cybersecurity czar. Sources familiar with the White House's deliberations on the subject say Obama officials feel a Washington power player would make a better candidate than a tech guru.

"They want someone who understands technology issues, but more importantly, knows how to get things done in Washington," says a cybersecurity expert who has been consulted by the White House. "There are very few people who have that combination of skills, and Davis is at the top of that short list."

Davis, who served in the House of Representatives for seven terms before retiring last fall, has extensive experience in tech policy. He authored the Federal Information Security Management Act in 2002, chaired the Subcommittee on Technology and Procurement Policy and was a co-chair of Congress's Information Technology Working Group.

Davis also has good connections to the private IT sector. His district, the 11th, is peppered with technology companies. Since retiring from Congress, Davis worked for the consulting firm Deloitte.

Davis retired from the House last fall, because of his long track record with regards to technology policy. He is a respected figure in the federal IT community and would arguably bring more profile to the administration's cyber efforts than any of the other nominees.

His standing as a moderate Republican is also attractive, as it should give him the ability to reach out to key players in technology policy such as Sens. Collins, Lieberman and Coburn.

Davis made memorable quote at the end of his Congressional term: 

We are hearing a lot today from Republicans and their concern about their "brand," and Davis takes it to another level in his memo; "a congressional GOP brand tied to George Bush is struggling"; "...deep seeded antipathy toward the president, the war, gas prices, the economy, foreclosures and, in some areas, the underlying cultural differences that continue to brand our party."

And the kicker, "the Republican brand is in the trash can...if we were dog food, they would take us off the shelf."

Source: http://techinsider.nextgov.com/2009/06/tom_davis_to_be_cyber_czar.php


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