Day 94
April 23, 2009
"I think it would be very unwise, from my perspective, to start having commissions, boards and tribunals until we find out what the facts are."
Senate majority leader Harry Reid, commenting on the torture debate to reporters in an off-camera session
"You had your eight years go away."
Meghan McCain, Senator John McCain's daughter, speaking about former Vice President Dick Cheney and former Bush aide Karl Rove while co-hosting ABC's The View
Just a couple of days after the President raised the prospect of a torture truth commission, Reid's remarks underscore the news that Senate leaders seem uninterested in a second interrogations probe and probably won't appoint an independent panel outside the Senate Intelligence Committee's investigation. Defense Secretary Robert Gates also makes headlines during a visit to a North Carolina Marine Corps base, by saying he backed releasing the memos because their disclosure was inevitable.
A couple of children of prominent Republicans speak out, highlighting the divisions within the GOP. Liz Cheney comes to her father's defense in an interview with MSNBC, telling the news station that waterboarding is a valuable interrogation tool, not torture. At the same time, Meghan McCain continues her very vocal critiques of the Republican Party, including directly targeting the former VP and one of Bush's closest former aides.
Obama stays out of the fray and instead puts his focus on the credit-card industry, meeting with CEOs at the White House. He tells reporters he'll push for a law to provide "strong and reliable" protections to credit-card users though his remarks aren't able to hold everyone's attention; top economic aide Larry Summers takes a snooze during the event.