Free Republic

SNIPPET: "Two of Congress's most radical members believe George W. Bush's America was the equal of apartheid South Africa. Last week, Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy proposed that Congress establish a “truth commission” to investigate alleged Bush misdeeds. In the House, Judiciary committee chairman John Conyers seconded Leahy's request." SNIPPET: "If the investigation exposes the ongoing, covert measures Bush has taken to keep America safe, Leahy will only smile as they are revealed. He has a long history of exposing the most vital secrets of our nation. At least one operative was murdered after Leahy publicly leaked a 1985 intercept that...

PRINCETON, NJ -- Earlier this week, Sen. Patrick Leahy called for a special commission to investigate possible government wrongdoing by the Bush administration in its anti-terror policies, as well as possible attempts to politicize the Justice Department through the firing of U.S. attorneys who were viewed as potentially disloyal to the administration. While Americans appear to support some kind of investigation into these matters, no more than 41% favor criminal probes.

Democrats Call for “Truth and Reconciliation” The Obama administration has moved forward with lighting speed to impose its agenda upon us before anyone can mount an effective opposition. This has obviously been planned for a long time. That we have been so poorly served by our duly elected politicians, especially three Senate Republicans and virtually the entire Democrat Party, is discouraging beyond words. Unless some of these people get a serious dose of moral integrity overnight, Obama's massive spending bill will become law, and the beginning of the end of our great nation will hove into sight. It is now...

A U.S. "truth commission" should investigate Bush administration policies including the promotion of war in Iraq, detainee treatment and wiretapping without a warrant, an influential senator proposed on Monday. Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, urged a commission as a way to heal what he called sharp political divides under former President George W. Bush and to prevent future abuses. He compared it to other truth commissions, such as one in South Africa that investigated the apartheid era. "We need to come to a shared understanding of the failures of the recent past," Leahy said in a...

Senator seeks Bush-era "truth commission" Mon Feb 9, 2009 2:05pm EST By Randall Mikkelsen WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. "truth commission" should probe Bush administration policies including the promotion of war in Iraq, detainee treatment and wiretapping without a warrant, an influential senator proposed on Monday. Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, called for the commission as way to heal what he called sharp political divides and to prevent future abuses. He compared it to other truth commissions, such as one in South Africa that investigated the apartheid era. "We need to come to a shared understanding...

Washington: Sen. Pat Leahy has proposed a "truth commission" that would probe the activities of the Bush administration. Does the senator really want to take the U.S. down the road of radical Third World politics?Don't forget this is "Leaky Leahy," a nickname the Vermont Democrat earned for his habit of revealing sensitive government information. A series of negligent — some might say deliberate — disclosures led to his 1987 resignation from the vice chairmanship of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Such a person has no moral authority to sit in judgment of anyone. Lawmakers should shun Leahy's witch hunt....

All the talk of bipartisanship is a sham, and Republicans are foolish to listen to any of the sweet talk. President Obama agreed with Attorney General Holder when he used the identical phrasing with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on January 11 saying, “No one is above the law.” Thus far, President Obama has been vague about investigating the Bush administration saying, “He wants to look forward.” But Obama told the Philadelphia Daily News that, if there was evidence of criminality, he would ask his Justice Department to “immediately review the information that’s already there and to find out are there inquiries...

President Obama in his first prime time presidential press conference took a question from the legitimate news source Huffington Post: Sam Stein, Huffington Post. Where’s Sam? Here. Go ahead. Question: Thank you, Mr. President. Today, Sen. Patrick Leahy [D-Vermont] announced that he wants to set up a truth and reconciliation committee to investigate the misdeeds of the Bush administration. He said that, before you turn the page, you have to read the page first. Do you agree with such a proposal? And are you willing to rule out right here and now any prosecution of Bush administration officials?

The Democrats campaigned on the promise of an era of post-partisanship. That was the campaign. Their governing style, however, is as rigidly partisan as ever, as these remarks made by Senator Pat Leahy demonstrate.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is calling for a “truth commission” to look into alleged abuses inside the Justice Department during former President George W. Bush’s time in office, including a review of Office of Legal Counsel memos that authorized “enhanced interrogation techniques” against detainees, the warrantless surveillance program and other hugely controversial policies. Leahy said such a panel would not seek to build criminal cases against Bush officials but to “get to the bottom of what happened — and why — so we make sure it never happens again.” Some Democrats have called for criminal investigations of...

WASHINGTON (AP) - The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee is proposing a "truth commission" to investigate abuses of detainees, politically inspired moves at the Justice Department, and whole range of decisions made during the Bush administration. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said the primary goal of the commission would be to learn the truth rather than prosecute former officials, but said the inquiry should reach far beyond misdeeds at the Justice Department under Bush to include matters of Iraq prewar intelligence and the Defense Department. Leahy outlined his suggestion for a "truth and reconciliation" commission during a speech at Georgetown...

In two days, Sen. Pat Leahy (D-Vt.) will begin the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on Eric Holder, former Clinton deputy attorney general who is President-elect Barack Obama’s highly controversial nominee to the office of Attorney General. Holder, best known for playing a major role in the Clinton pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich, will face skeptical Republicans, including ranking Republican Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.). Specter has run into a Leahy roadblock in his attempts to get some of the background documents on the nomination. Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy has refused to sign off on document requests by Republicans...

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Vice President Dick Cheney said Sunday that Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, deserved it when Cheney launched the f-word at him in 2004. In an interview with "Fox News Sunday," Cheney was asked if he had any second thoughts or embarrassment. "No. I thought he merited it at the time," Cheney said, laughing. The incident occurred in June 2004 when both Cheney and Leahy were on the Senate floor. Sources who related the incident to CNN at the time said the vice president had told Leahy to either "f— off" or "go f— yourself."

Cheney: Yes, I Did Tell Leahy to 'Bleep' Himself @ 10:15 am by Walter Alarkon Vice President Dick Cheney acknowledged that he indeed cursed out Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on the Senate floor in 2004 — and he said he had no regrets about doing so. "Did you really tell Senator Leahy, 'bleep' yourself?" Fox News's Chris Wallace asked Cheney on Sunday. "I did," the vice president replied. "Any qualms, or second thoughts, or embarrassment?" Wallace asked. "No, I thought he merited it at the time," Cheney joked. "And we've since, I think, patched over that wound and we're civil...

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Monday dismissed any concern that Attorney General nominee Eric Holder’s confirmation process would be haunted by the pardon of Marc Rich. Speaking at a press conference to praise President-elect Barack Obama’s nominations, Leahy singled out Holder as “a longtime friend” and an “especially fitting” choice to lead the Justice Department. He predicted Holder’s involvement in the 2001 pardon of Rich — a fugitive commodities trader granted clemency on President Bill Clinton’s last day in office — would play only a minor role in the upcoming hearings. Leahy acknowledged that, while the topic...

Dems say they won’t get fooled again By: Glenn Thrush September 21, 2008 06:51 PM EST Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) says he’s seen this movie before: The Bush administration, citing an unprecedented national threat, puts the hammer on Congress to ram through gargantuan legislation with a minimum of review — and the murkiest of repercussions. “We will do something this week — but if we learned anything from right after 9/11, it’s that the biggest mistake is to pass anything they ask for just because it’s an emergency,” Leahy says. The Senate Judiciary Committee chairman knows of what he speaks....

"I believe there are others involved, either as accessories before or accessories after the fact," Mr. Leahy said. "I believe there are others who can be charged with murder." Mr. Leahy's skepticism was echoed by GOP Sens. Arlen Specter (Pa.) and Charles E. Grassley (Iowa)...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Members of the U.S. Senate don't typically earn money from another job after they're elected to the august body because of concerns that they will be unduly influenced by customers or colleagues. Oklahoma pro-life Sen. Tom Coburn is an OBGYN and is coming under fire for helping his patients. When he is not in Washington, Coburn works at the Muskogee Regional Medical Center. The hospital changed from a public one to private ownership in April and, following that decision, Coburn has come under fire for working there. However, Coburn changed his practice and now delivers babies...

At last there's a liberal who's tough on terrorism: Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont). Too bad it's make-believe. Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, a man who's done everything in his power to obstruct President George W. Bush's efforts to fight Islamofascist terrorism, has a cameo appearance in The Dark Knight.The Hill reports that in the movie Leahy confronts Batman's nemesis, the Joker, played by the late Heath Ledger. (See screen capture above from a clip of the movie on youtube.com.) "We're not intimidated by thugs," Leahy says. "You know you remind me of my father. I hated my father,"...

WASHINGTON — After four years pursuing one former Army scientist on a costly false trail, F.B.I. agents investigating the deadly anthrax letters of 2001 finally zeroed in last year on a different suspect: another Army scientist from the same biodefense research center at Fort Detrick in Frederick, Md. /snip The other puzzle involved the skills necessary to produce the high-quality aerosol powder contained in the letters addressed to the senators, Tom Daschle .. and .. Patrick J. Leahy. Scientists familiar with germ warfare said there was no evidence that Dr. Ivins, though a vaccine expert with easy access to the...