So its ok for the Bush adminsitration to destroy these tapes to protect the agents involved but Libby's outing of Valerie Plame isn't a big deal?
This administration is an absolute disgrace.

A word or phrase is "Orwellian" when it is impenetrably obtuse or even oxymoronic. Objective truth is eroded by the endless blowing of windy rhetoric. Reality is then constructed to suit the needs of the moment...."enhanced interrogation techniques."....

Does anyone remember the Nixon tapes? So many of the present administration members got their start in the Nixon administration. It is as the legend of the hydra headed dragon came to be--Nixon got disgraced, but he left behind the seeds of his clones, and they have been busily dismantling the Republic.

Ryan --- Lets break it down - again: 1) Libby did not out Valarie Plame she was outed by a reported who was not charged with any wrongdoing. 2) The reason he was not charged is that "outing" V Plame was not a violation of the law. She was not considered a covert operative (the person who actually wrote the law testified that the rule did not apply in her case). 3) Libby was found guilty because when he was asked a series of questions regarding who he told and when he told them, his testimony differed from other testamony. He stated that he testified to the best of his memory, but was charged 250 grand and given 5 yrs when no law had actually been broken to begin with. The tapes were destroyed under George Tenet and again - there is no evidence that anything illegal transpired. Perhaps if the Dems can get enough people in to testify, they can find someone else to charge even though no law was broken. Congress and the Dmes who control it are a far bigger disgrace than this administration.

Mike - I respect your opinion, but Plame was found (during the course of the investigation) NOT to be a covert operative - She had not been in the field for over 5 yrs - when she was in the field her status ws not listed as an operative. Her job in both Washington and abroad was as an analyst. Further, the "outing" law requires proof that anyone (even an actual operative) who is outed was outed as an intentional act to cause harm - not the case here. I don't have the facts, but I would bet that the number of investigations by republicans since the Clinton years are significantly less than those of Democrats during the Bush years. But if you can prove me wrong - I will glady admit my error.

ok, back to the story at hand. Without the tapes, there is now plausible deniability on the issue of torture. Therer is no proof, and no one who will testify. No one that can be compelled to tesitify.

When did America get so wimpy? Why do we care about the feelings of terrorists who would kill us all (Dems-Republicans, Black-White-Hispanic, Catholic-Christian-Muslim..) in a heart beat. The "wimp-fication" of America is disqusting. Water-board them all!! The terrorists behead the people they capture; that is not going to change because we stop putting water in the terrorist noses. You wimpy Democratics and Liberals will get us all killed.

Well, I will let you tell us how many investigations against GW there are/have been. Keep in mind there was no serious investigation of any kind until after the dems took control in 2006.
Clinton's started right after he came into office with Whitewater in 1993 and that lasted throughout his presidency at a cost of $80+ million.
Then there was Filegate, Travelgate, Chinagate, and my all-time favorite where Dan Burton investigated his Christmas card list!
So do you really think the dems had more investigations on Bush than Clinton? If so please list them.

^ oh dang, I forgot Pardongate after he left office. For some reason repubs did not have any problem with Bush Sr. pardoning almost his entire cabinet after he lost the election in '92. As a matter of fact he did it on Christmas eve while congress was in recess.
I don't remembers repubs demanding any investigation over his abuse of pardons. Most thought it was funny.

For someone to say they think GW has been investgated more than Clinton makes me question whether you really keep up with politics or get the news from Rush Limbaugh?

Since 2001, a series of laws have been passed by Congress, or by Presidental order, which now allows the President total control over all 3 branches of government during an emergency i.e. a dictorship. We are at risk of losing our Freedom.

Bush "has no recollection" of hearing about either the tapes' existence or their destruction before being briefed about it Thursday morning, White House press secretary Dana Perino has said. She also said the president has "complete confidence" in Hayden's handling of the matter.

This is BS, if Miers knew, then Bush new it. Bush is a terrible liar.

And this guy is heading the CIA?? Everyone knows you can doctor the tapes so that no cannot indentify the faces and voices. His statement also
makes it clear that they were doing this to protect their own.... because they knew it was illegal. This is obstruction of justice since they hid the existence of the tapes from the Congressional 9/11 commission. Heads should roll and people should go to jail.

GW can do anything he wants and most of his cronies are good with it. Torture, outing CIA agents, starting wars under false pretences, etc.
Repubs used to make all these claims about how Clinton was taking away their civil rights "daily" but they sat around while actual civil rights really did get taken away.
But they have sure helped my to understand how Nazi Germany became so unthinkably evil... they think just like them.