Today there was a House Judiciary subcommittee meeting which has been described by Keith Perine of CQ as "political theater." Douglas J. Feith, former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, was defending his role in developing the interrogation policies used on detainees by the current administration.

Many critics of the current administration have asserted that the "harsh" interrogation practices are equivalent to torture. This Thursday, there is to be a hearing held by the House Judiciary Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties subcommittee to further investigate the legality of the current (and former) techniques.

There has been effort to disrupt the hearing and prevent new information from coming to light, and it has been said that Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey refused a request to appoint a special counsel to investigate the roles of administration lawyers and policy makers.

Last week, Common Cause launched its Recapture the Flag campaign urging congressional and presidential candidates to sign a pledge to:

*End torture, respect human rights and restore America's reputation in the world.
*Respect the rule of law and fiercely challenge anyone who seeks to undermine the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
*Root out corruption, special interest abuses and partisan prejudice in the administration of justice.
*Hold to account - without exception - anyone who breaks the law or violates the public trust

Failing to investigate the legality of interrogation techniques is an abuse of power. Our system of democracy is based upon the ability to question in order to maintain a healthy balance of power.

The Senate is expected to vote today on HR 6304, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Amendments Act (FISA) of 2008. The legislation has passed in the House, and is expected to move through the Senate and to President Bush.

Common Cause strongly opposes granting retroactive telecom immunity which this bill will provide. Several Senators including Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), Russ Feingold (D-Wis), and Benjamin Cardin (D-MD) have also been in strong opposition to the bill.

As is tradition for the Bush Administration, Karl Rove's lawyer informed the House Judiciary Committee in a letter that he will not appear on Thursday for his testimony.

Rove was subpoenaed in May to answer questions about whether he played a role in the prosecution of Don Siegelman, former Alabama governor. Siegelman has claimed that he was brought down for political reasons. The committee also wants to question Rove about the recent allegations of politicizing the Justice Department.

Rove's attorney, Robert Luskin, wrote:

Luskin said Rove is willing to talk to the committee but not under oath and without a transcript. This serves as further evidence of the Bush Administration's unwillingness to cooperate and their abuse of power through inappropriately claiming executive privilege.