First Wonks Anonymous will state his biased views on the subject of Bush administration "interrogation" policies. They were torture and the people who planned and ordered these interrogations are in violation of US and international law. Our national honor is compromised if we do not take steps to bring the high level officials who promoted torture to account for their actions.

Wonks Anonymous does not care if this torture stopped any terrorist attacks. He rather doubts that it did.

At the same time it would be a political disaster if the President or the Congress undertook the investigation of these crimes. The President would have the resources but the commitment of the administration's political capital to a potentially drawn out investigation would be a disaster. Furthermore it would tend to perpetuate the cycle of political revenge that has plagued the nation since Watergate.

Please note that Wonks Anonymous doesn't really care who started this and whose fault it was.

Congress, for its part, has shown itself to be entirely incompetent to investigate and prosecute high crimes and misdemeanors. They thoroughly botched the Iran Contra investigations and failed to take up or even suggest impeachment during the past few years.

Which leaves the, now defunct, office of independent counsel. We need an non partisan jurist with experience as a prosecutor to investigate and, if necessary, prosecute those responsible for torture. Prominent Republicans who have opposed torture - are you listening John McCain? - need to support this as well as Democrats.

Then everyone needs to step aside and let the independent counsel do his or her work.