Political Comment

Apparently Dick Cheney has requested declassification and release of certain documents from the CIA to bolster his argument that torture was useful and produced solid intelligence that helped keep America safe. Here's the problem with that: if Cheney (or anyone else) gets to select what is released, you have an incomplete view, only a small part of the story. It's unlikely that all the relevant materials would be declassified, only those that exonerate the Bush administration (and Cheney). That kind of cherry-picking, when they control all the evidence, is hardly likely to be proof of anything. It creates an illusion of accountability when it amounts to just stacking the deck. But then, who would expect anything less self-serving from the ex-VP? When you remember his absolute refusal to releasing other information (remember that notorious meeting with the oil industry bigwigs way back when), why would anyone trust Cheney to be forthcoming now, unless it's in a very narrow way that keeps his misdeeds hidden or obscured? The guy has no shame.