Some Republicans believe President Obama killed any chance for bipartisanship when he opened the possibility of prosecution and a congressional investigation of Bush-era lawyers who authorized "enhanced" interrogation techniques on terror suspects.
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.
Read the full article HERE by Carl Cameron and Trish Turner and The Associated Press.
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