Give 'Bull' Durham a chance

0 Comments | USA TODAY, January, 2008

Was it a crime for the CIA to destroy videotapes of harsh interrogations of two suspected terrorists?

The search for a speedy answer got a boost Wednesday when Attorney General Michael Mukasey appointed a tough career federal prosecutor -- John Durham, a veteran from Connecticut known for battling organized crime -- to find out.

In naming Durham, Mukasey wisely rebuffed demands from several top congressional Democrats that he appoint a "special counsel" outside the Justice Department to lead the probe.

Outside special counsels almost always sound appealing, but history shows they often leave a trail of regrets as their inquiries take on expensive, meandering lives of their own.

The hit parade includes Ken Starr, appointed in 1994 under...