There’s probably nothing more awkward than a government investigating itself for murder and torture. You get weird details, like the announcement by DCI Panetta that the CIA will cover all the legal expenses of case officers who come under suspicion for being murderers or torturers.
“Panetta will do everything he can to ensure that anyone who needs legal representation has it, whether they have liability insurance or not,” said the senior intelligence official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak before the decision is publicly announced. “It’s a question of fairness. People who did tough jobs for the country won’t be left by the side of the road.”
I’m not saying there is anything wrong with this. It’s just strange. It’s not easy for one administration to prosecute the activities of another. Our system has the tools to do it, but not gracefully. Not least of which because of outfits like the Wall Street Journal.