Next to Nil?

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi remain divided on the question of prosecution over interrogation memos.

We’re tracking a variety of perspectives… beginning with the Canada Globe and Mail.

It has the perspective of one moderate Republican who relates prosecuting the former administration to the politics of Latin America.

"If there is evidence of criminality, then the Attorney-General has the full authority and should prosecute it, but going after the prior administration sounds like something they do in Latin America in banana republics." (Globe and Mail)

Al Jazeera English brings the view of Jane Karpinski, the former commander of Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison, who was demoted after photographs of tortured prisoners were released.

Karpinski says if the former Vice President and President are being investigated, prior members of other government branches should be as well.

“…Those are the most senior positions in the United State government. If you’re going to open investigations or inquiries and include them, then certainly the senior members of the military should not be exempt. They need to be questioned and all those details needed to be included as well. Why should anybody be exempt?” (Al Jazeera English)

In an interview on BBC Radio 4, Josh Gerstein of Politico discusses whether or not the Bush Administration will actually be prosecuted.

“… I think the likelihood that there’ll be any prosecutions is next to nil…. If you talk to lawyers they’ll tell you it’s almost impossible to prosecute anyone for the kinds of things people are talking about prosecuting people for. The real question is not whether people will be prosecuted, but, believe it or not, who will make the decision not to prosecute.” (BBC)

FOX News talks about the possibility of a 9/11-style truth commission. The network says the decision lies with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

“She is the holder of the key to this, perhaps. Speaker of the house and all in treatment...to the proceedings, would begin in the House of Representatives. She has not specifically weighed in on the possibilities of the impeachment proceedings but certainly, yesterday, she was on the record as being one of the few people in Washington in favor of establishing the so-called truth commission.” (FOX News)

The Washington Post brings comments by White House spokesman Robert Gibbs…

"I think the last few days might well be evidence of why something like this would likely just become a political back-and-forth." (The Washington Post)

At the end of May, the Department of Defense will produce 44 photographs showing abuse of prisoners in Afghanistan and Iraq during the Bush Administration.

Newsy.com will continue to follow the coverage of this story.