The CIA and the Department of Justice have both announced they intend to investigate the CIA's destruction in 2005 of al Qaeda interrogation tapes. The White House says that it will not comment on the matter while the internal investigation is underway and has directed press secretary Dana Perino not to answer questions about it.
However, presidential candidate Joe Biden indicated on Sunday that this sort of self-examination would be unacceptable.
"Let me put it this way," Biden told ABC's George Stephanopoulos. "Rhetorical question -- anything this Attorney Generals' offices have done since this guy's become president that you're going to take on face value? Not me. (Laughs) Not me." Biden emphasized that current Attorney General Mukasey "is the same guy who couldn't decide whether waterboarding was torture."
Biden also stated that CIA Director Michael Hayden appears to be wrong in claiming that the destruction of the tapes was fully lawful, since both White House counsel Harriet Miers and the Justice Department told the CIA not to destroy them.
"Hayden is not to be the judge of whether or not his condoning the destroying of the tapes was lawful," said Biden. "It appears as though there may be an obstruction of justice charge here, tampering with evidence."
"It really does call for a special counsel," Biden continued. "The easiest, straightest thing to do is just take it out of the political realm. Appoint a special prosecutor, and let them decide, call it where it is."
Senator Russ Feingold has written to the Attorney General, asking him to clarify his views on the CIA's "alternative interrogation techniques" and to urge President Bush not to veto legislation which would outlaw them. Biden believes that there might be enough votes in the Senate to override even a president veto. "Our credibility internationally has been absolutely devastated," he said, adding that "this administration is out of control."
Biden referred as well to the new National Intelligence Estimate on Iran, quoting Defense Secretary Gates as saying that US policy on Iran "has annoyed our friends and caused confusion for our allies." Biden's summary of US foreign policy was that "this is a Nixon administration without the competence."
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