An "independent" counsel

Well, well, well. They've finally been forced to appoint another independent counsel:

The Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into the destruction of CIA interrogation videotapes and Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey appointed an outside prosecutor to oversee the case.

The counsel is John Durham, a federal prosecutor in Connecticut. Don't know anything about him, but it's getting harder and harder to find anyone who's really independent in this government, so I've got to be suspicious. Nevertheless, we can hope he's a Patrick Fitzgerald type.

They really didn't have any choice about this, once Kean and Hamilton openly called this obstruction of justice in today's Times. Hopefully, this will be pursued to its source in the White House and the Office of the VP and not just pinned on some small guy down in the ranks of the CIA. It looks to me like Tenet may also be deeply involved.

By the way, can the President pardon all these people (including himself) before they are tried and convicted?

Update: Everything I'm hearing about Durham sounds good -- so maybe we're actually going to get some action.