Senator Jack Reed is getting some play for his comments on former Vice President Dick Cheney's latest pronouncements on Afghanistan. From The Hill:

Republicans have developed a pattern of criticizing President Barack Obama for trying to fix problems the GOP caused, one Democratic senator said Thursday.

Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.

My last post included a link to an article from The Hill reporting that Rhode Island Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed are among those backing an independent investigation into Bush-era interrogation techniques.

But Sen. Reed's office says the boss actually prefers a process that relies on the standard judicial and Congressional oversight process.

Lil' Rhody may be a long way from Guantanamo, but the escalating debate over Bush-era interrogation methods is putting a big ol' spotlight on our two fair Senators.

Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed are calling for an independent commission to investigate W's adventures in waterboarding. And things could be getting a little awkward in the Senate hallways.

Once upon a time, truth and reconciliation commissions were seen as necessary for progress and healing in places such as Chile and South Africa.

From Senator Whitehouse:

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) praised a proposal today by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) to create a “truth and reconciliation” commission to look into certain actions by the Bush Administration:

One of the repudiations of the Bush administration in Obama's inaugural address was his assertion "[that we] reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals."

In the same theme, US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, in a floor speech last night, asserted that we must look back even as the nation moves forward.

From Slate's Jacob Weisberg:

1. "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."—Washington, D.C., Aug. 5, 2004

2. "I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family."—Greater Nashua, N.H.

Strange times:

List of some of the songs played to detainees by US military interrogators in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, according to Reprieve:

Enter Sandman - Metallica Bodies - Drowning Pool.

Shoot to Thrill - AC/DC.

Hell's Bells - AC/DC.

I Love You - from the "Barney and Friends" children's TV show.

During his newser to introduce his national security team yesterday, President-elect Obama faced the inevitable question --basically how could he draft Hillary to be his SoS after their bitter back-and-forth during the bygone primary season, not to mention their different stances on the war in Iraq.

Cool as jazz, Obama was disarming in his response.

From College Hill:

Thursday 13 November
The Iranian Nuclear Crisis: Forestalling Worst-Case Outcomes
Mark Fitzpatrick, Senior Fellow for Non-Proliferation, International Institute for Strategic Studies, will discuss “The Iranian Nuclear Crisis: Forestalling Worst-Case Outcomes." Fitzpatrick's research focus includes nuclear proliferation concerns and preventing nuclear danger in the emerging ‘nuclear renaissance’.

As the US marks Veterans Day, the sacrifices of those who serve should be remembered. Yesterday, Chris Chivers, formerly of the ProJo, had another of his dispatches from a remote and dangerous outpost in Afghanistan.

For now, the soldiers of Apache Troop absorb and repel attack after attack. Sergeant Michael Ayres, a squad leader, summarized the practical mindset: standing watch behind heavy machine guns, the soldiers, he said, are waiting for reinforcements so they can change the nature of their fight.

A local appearance tomorrow by former Army interrogator Mike Ritz is especially timely given fresh revelations about the Bush administration's support of waterboarding:

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration issued a pair of secret memos to the CIA in 2003 and 2004 that explicitly endorsed the agency's use of interrogation techniques such as waterboarding against al-Qaida suspects - documents prompted by worries among intelligence officials about a possible backlash if details of the program became public.

Roger Williams University is scheduled to receive a visit at 7 tonight by Tom Trento. Here's how the College Republican Federation of Rhode Island, which is sponsoring his appearance, describes it:

This Thursday Tom Trento will be heading to Roger Williams University to give a proactive presentation on Radical Islam, the angry left, and gutless citizens! Tom will be showing "Wild & Crazy" pictures and videos from the Democratic and Republican Convention!! ( You do not want to miss the "anarchists".

Speaking of the public appetite for torture, Philip Gourevitch, the author (with Errol Morris) of Standard Operating Procedure, will be at Brown's Watson Institute at 4 on Thursday.

Here's a bit about the book.

“Standard Operating Procedure,” with Philip Gourevitch, editor of The Paris Review, staff writer for The New Yorker, and author of We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families: stories from Rwanda

Although the Democratic National Convention begins in four days, US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, one of Rhode Island's superdelegates, says he is undecided who he will support when Hillary Clinton's name is included in a roll call vote during the DNC.

Whitehouse, speaking this morning during a taping of WPRI/WNAC-TV's Newsmakers (tape from the show should be on this Web site later today), nonetheless expressed confidence that Barack Obama has a lock on the nomination.

As part of a forthcoming story on US Senator Jack Reed, N4N was in the house at Local 121 this week when Matt and Kim videotaped an interview with Rhode Island's senior senator. Particularly interesting is the Democrat's response to a question about his favorite blogs (in answering, he notes that he reads the ProJo and the Phoenix online).