Democrats end bipartisanship

Fox News:

Mark your calendar: April 21, 2009. That's when the Era of Bipartisanship died.

That's what some Republicans suggested after President Obama opened the possibility of a congressional investigation and prosecution of Justice Department lawyers who authorized "enhanced" interrogation techniques on terror suspects during the Bush administration.

If the coffin needs a final nail, it will come if Democrats decide to fast-track Obama's legislative priorities through a budget maneuver known as "reconciliation."

Democrats in the House and Senate agreed Friday on a budget framework that would protect Obama's health care plan from a Republican filibuster using the tactic.

Republicans and some Democrats oppose reconciliation because it would prevent a long debate on what they consider complex issues.

Bipartisanship was already on life support after Republicans largely opposed the president's economic policies, and it took a turn for the worse on Tuesday when Obama said it would be up to his attorney general to determine whether "those who formulated those legal decisions" behind the interrogation methods should be prosecuted.

Those methods, described in Bush-era memos Obama released last week, included tactics such as slamming detainees against walls and subjecting them to a simulated drowning technique known as waterboarding.

Obama acknowledged the complexities involved with prosecuting Bush officials.

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Going after the Bush officials would be a huge screw up. It would also be a political mistake with voters who support efforts to stop terrorist attacks even if it leads to discomfort for the terrorist. Republicans will probably respond with efforts to block the Democrat agenda at every turn. They will require the full reading of every bill and use the filibuster more routinely. In the House there will be other efforts to thwart the Democrat agenda. There will be efforts tp highlight the Democrat hypocrisy on the issue if CIA interrogations.