Cynical:
10 cosponsors because it is circle the wagons time on Versailles-by-the-Potomac

Charitable:
The anti-bush fervor there and in the hinterlands is understandably - How in the EFF are we going to clean up Little Georgie's big mess

I don't think Americans in general want to revisit the partisanship an investigation of the sort would stir up.

At least I don't. We've got some HUGE agendas to get going, fixing health care, making sure we've got a clean environment, scalable energy policy, massive focus on early childhood education. These issues need attention from both sides of the isle.

I understand people feel the Constitution has been walked upon. But, starting this now isn't going to help in the slightest to get support from the other side on the big agendas I mentioned.

I don't understand how Democrats can move on Obama's agenda without addressing torture, and the Bush Administration's possible crimes with respect to torture.

I understand that there're are huge problems confronting us, and that they need attention. But it seems deeply immoral to simply turn the page on the Bush years. And dangerous, as well, for our future. But I fear we're going to hear a lot of "The past is past, and it's time to move on" language. I hope, fervently, that I'm wrong, and I was very much heartened by Obama saying we're going to abide by the Geneva Conventions. I have little faith in the Democrats, however.

It's time we turned the page on the page-turners.

Yeah - who needs an outside "bi-partisan" commission. Why can't Congress just have one hearing a month from now until the end of time on the Bush era crimes until it's all been exposed. Be the bull dog - bite down and never let go.

Fuck the kumbaya stuff. There need to be indictments, not only so that justice is served but to deter future officials from similar conduct.

NO! No! NO!

Mr. Conyers is under the spell of the Democratic Party leadership and he knows better.

The "truth" has already been investigated to the point that we ONLY need an Obama AG to appoint a special prosecutor and to do what they have to do to enforce the subpoenas for Bolton, Miers and Rove.

No more commissions and reconciliation. We want accountability and we want it now. If Obama won't stand up for accountability for the criminals who have gotten us into this dark and dreary hell we're in, then he is not my president and you shouldn't support him either.

If Dem leadership, including Pelosi and even VP-elect Biden, were part of the Bush cabal or if they signed off to torture and spying and did nothing to stop them, then they need to be responsible for their actions that allowed Bush and Cheney to remain in office to do more damage to our country and to the global economic picture.

Congressman Conyers, we will not support you on this one. We want a special prosecutor and we want it as soon as the new AG has taken his oath of office.

just to clarify how important our representatives believe this investigation is (except, of course, to appease us commoners), the newly formed Department of Homeland Security held a bash in New York City after its 1st year in existence to give out lifetime achievement awards (remember that?).

The bill: Just over a million dollars.

3 million dollars budgeted for this committee won't even buy the doughnuts for the 1st month of meetings, let alone an investigation....

Any takers? Let's not kid ourselves.

For eight years the Congress has completely abdicated its role as a counterbalance to the executive; most of these people have no regard for their constitutional role much less respect from themselves, with the results we see today all around us--the dismal economy, the eroded civil liberties, the torture, the corruption and self-dealing, the official lies, a fractured Middle East and the bloodbaths of Iraq and Afghanistan. The rule of law has been laid at the feet of expediency and trampled to dust by the most abject of political cowards. I don't think our country will ever be the same, in that we won't even be able to maintain the illusion that everyone is equal before the law.

It will take a foolish trip to Europe by Cheney or Rumsfeld and some inspired Spanish judge to even make this seem like a possibility for which an enlightened and civilized people should strive.

A U.S. court gave a 97 year sentence today to a U.S. citizen for committing acts of torture overseas. Charles "Chuckie" Taylor is the son of the former Liberian President, Charles Taylor, who is himself in The Hague facing a "654-count indictment for war crimes and crimes against humanity."

It would be nice to believe that the U.S. justice system would hold other American citizens accountable for their acts of torture but I somehow don't think it will happen.

Keep an eye on the documents. So I was just talking to friends about whether the new administration and congress were going to investigate and prosecute Bush Administration officials for war crimes. I said I thought that it was a long shot, but what they could do was to actually force the release of all the documents so that investigators and historians can investigate themselves. Hell, they don’t even have to force the release, all they have to do is prevent the agencies from fighting new Freedom of Information Acts requests. This will not be as good as a Congressional investigation, because independent investgators will not have subpoena power. But at least it will serve as a kind of privatized Truth Commission, and a chance for the facts to be revealed.

I am an American. War crimes were committed in my name. I want the entire world to know exactly what was done and who authorized and ordered it.

I'm very pleased to see my Rep's name (Delahunt) on the co-sponsor list.

Is your Rep's name on the co-sponsor list? Why not?

When the enormity of the lies of a regime is so great and the extent of its assault on the people so deep, including even the natural environment itself, yes, a Truth Commission is not simply a good idea but vital to begin to repair the damage to the Republic and the world. I don't think we fully realize just what we've been through quite yet, and it is going to take a Truth Commission to be able to see it.

When someone robs a bank or commits a murder, do we set up a Truth And Reconciliation Commission? Or worse, do we say, "Oh, that's in the past. We need to put it behind us"? Hell no. We charge the malefactors with their crimes and hold them accountable.

What's different about this situation, and why does the political class merit different treatment for their crimes?

There was discussion last evening on the Rachel Maddow Show last evening speculating that if we do not clean up our own mess, the international community might do it themselves. Though I am not quite convinced of that, this issue will not simply go away. Though I am hopeful that the Obama administration will emphatically break from the policies of the current administration, we must do more than "turn the page." Transparency means accountability.

Yet with so many problems in front of us, I can't imagine a "Truth and Reconciliation Committee" being on the front burner at this time.

"So why does such a 'good' bill only have 10 co-sponsors?"

It's not a good bill. Only farleft moonbats are concerned about the "rights" of these sociopaths, who would if given a chance, gratuitously slaughter gays, "liberated" women, and atheists. It's hysterical to me that people who claim to be liberals and renounce hatred of gays, feminists and atheists seem to sympathize with the most hateful group of parasites any cult has produced.

The reason more congessmen do not want to jump on this bandwagon is because the election is over, and they no longer need to pander to bed wetting socialist traitors.

Obama is not about to pursue the Bush Era Crimes even via a Truth and Reconciliation committee, let alone a vigorous prosecution effort: it might cost Obama a vote keeping him below 80% on his stimulus package in the Senate. Consensus is much more important to Obama than reality.

A friend of mine took Occam's Razor to the problem and came up with a most elegant solution

I wish I could claim credit

Obama should pardon Bush, Cheney et al for war crimes, so that stigma would be attached to their reputations for eternity.

Unfortunately, I doubt this will come to fruition.
and if so, it may result in the sort of 9/11 Commission's or Iran Contra's compromised findings that were chock full of 'truthiness'. Many of the crimes of the Reagan/Bush years weren't addressed during Clinton's administration either.

I think it is imperative that this happens on some level, for the sake of accountability, future deterrence, and the need to generate the political will (through public indignation) to overturn many of the unconstitutional laws and corrupt practices which were initiated during this administration.

I applaud Conyers for this and his previous repeated attempts to expose, admonish, and prosecute the administration's corruption. I just don't think it will occur given the host of problems facing the country. And that makes me sad.

This Sunday on CNN, Cheney already gave his testament, so we're beyond needing a commission which is intended to do nothing but help dick Cheney hide his criminal acts.

Cheney's torture acts should go straight to the DoJ for prosecution since we already know that he tortured. If indeed no one is above the law, how do we account for the fact that Cheney is telling the entire nation that he waterboard three people?

We don't need a commission, we need a prosecution at this point in time. If Obama doesn't want to do it, than someone from CIA should practice extraordinary rendition on Dick Cheney so that he can get an appointment before "The Hague".

John Conyers merely wants to help Dick Cheney and George Bush cover up their criminal acts of torture with a long, drawn out committee. We already know Dick Cheney is guilty of torture because Dick Cheney has already admitted he tortured on national TV, in fact just yesterday on CNN.

TMP is merely the flip-side of Glenn Reynolds, I mean, by all means, lets protect Obama from dealing with the truth, and help cover-up the that waterboarding that WAS done by the Bush Administration.

And Repugs just love to use the ticking-time-bomb scenario, so in the three occasion Dick Cheney used waterboard on three Mideastern individuals to "save lives", where was the BOMB?

Obama can't move beyond this with "no one is above the law" BS because at this point, if Cheney isn't prosecuted once Obama is in office, it's a lie, you know, just like that LIE Obama told everyone about that FISA Bill.

While I believe Cheney needs to be taken to court, people tend to leave off the MAIN MAN in this crime -- George W Bush. He could have started or stopped any of this. HE is the one to blame. He was the DECIDER as he so loved to call himself.