GOP hacks, led by uber-hacks Duncan Hunter and James Sensenbrenner call for an investigation of Sandy Berger to ascertain the full extent of Clinton’s blameworthiness for every disaster taking place on George Bush’s watch:

WASHINGTON ? A group of House Republicans called Wednesday for a congressional investigation into the improper handling of classified documents by President Clinton’s national security adviser, Sandy Berger.

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Ten lawmakers led by House Armed Services Chairman Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., and Judiciary Chairman James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., released a letter calling for the House Government Reform Committee to investigate.

They asked the committee to determine whether any documents were missing from Clinton administration terrorism records, to review security measures for classified documents and to seek testimony from Berger.

Which might make sense, but for one thing: The Berger incident has been fully investigated, and it has been established that the documents Berger took had been printed out from a computer, and thus no documents were actually lost as a result of Berger’s bumbling or perfidy.

We know already that the 9/11 Commission had every single document Berger mishandled. Republican Commissioner Slade Gorton:

GORTON: Well, we can?t shed any light on exactly what happened there and on Sandy Berger?s troubles with the Justice Department and the Archives. What we can say unequivocally is we had all of that information. We have every one of those documents. All of them have ? are infused in and are a part of our report.

DOBBS: So the commission was denied no information as a result of whatever Sandy Berger did or did not do at the National Archives?

GORTON: That?s precisely correct.

GORELICK: And we have been so assured by the Justice Department.

The lead prosecutor in Berger’s case, Noel Hillman:

“Nothing was lost to the public or the process,” Hillman said.

Even the conservative WSJournal Opinion Journal took note and dismissed the Berger canard:

Some people [in this case GOP hacks] won’t let a bad conspiracy theory go. We’re referring to those who loudly assert that former NSC adviser Sandy Berger was trying to protect the Clinton Administration when he illegally removed copies of sensitive documents from the National Archives in late 2003.

On Wednesday, we quoted Justice Department prosecutor Noel Hillman that no original documents were destroyed, and that the contents of all five at issue still exist and were made available to the 9/11 Commission. But that point didn’t register with some readers, who continue to suggest a vast, well, apparently a vast left- and right-wing conspiracy. The Washington Times, the Rocky Mountain News and former Clintonite Dick Morris have also been peddling dark suspicions based on misinformation.

The confusion seems to stem from the mistaken idea that there were handwritten notes by various Clinton Administration officials in the margins of these documents, which Mr. Berger may have been able to destroy. But that’s simply an “urban myth,” prosecutor Hillman tells us, based on a leak last July that was “so inaccurate as to be laughable.” In fact, the five iterations of the anti-terror “after-action” report at issue in the case were printed out from a hard drive at the Archives and have no notations at all.

So the Republican Hack0cracy in Congress wants to investigate an “urban myth” based on a premise, “so inaccurate as to be laughable.” The documents Berger took had been printed out from a hard drive at the Archives. All anyone had to do was print them out again.

Obviously, the implication is that Berger somehow ditched documents which would establish Clinton’s responsibility for North Korean nukes, 9/11, global warming (if such a thing really exists) and the pathetic federal response to Hurricane Katrina, provided you believe the MSM’s hyped account that the response was not completely adequate.

Hence, the call to investigate completely old, bullshit claims which never made any sense to begin with.

This call for an “investigation” undoubtedly has more to do with Berger’s rebuttal of John McCain’s “It’s all Clinton’s Fault!” gambit than any real desire to “uncover” facts residing on the computers of our National Archives which can and have been accessed repeatedly:

SANDY BERGER, FORMER CLINTON ADVISER: Well, Sen. McCain is just wrong. It’s basically a diversion from what’s the situation we face. Let’s get the facts straight here.

When we came to office in the ’90s, the North Koreans already had a nuclear program. They produced enough plutonium to make two nuclear weapons. When they threatened to make more plutonium in 1993, we said we’d take them to the U.N. Security Council. That threat brought them to the table. We reached an agreement which froze and ultimately would lead to the dismantling of the plutonium program. No plutonium was made during the Clinton administration.

That agreement fell apart during Bush II, and now they’ve made enough plutonium for six to eight bombs. So two bombs worth of plutonium under Bush I, six to eight under Bush II, zero under Clinton. So it’s just really beside the point.

Typical Republican bullshit, only more inept than usual.

Update: Clueless hat-wearing hack Roger Simon, aspiring to the stupidity attained by Duncan and Sensenbrenner, fails to notice how pointless and hackworthy this call for an “investigation” is:

I’m not sure if this investigation of “Pants” was triggered by this appearance, but it sure caught the attention of a lot of people. [It would require more than an ounce of brains to be sure of that]. . . . course what Berger did is vastly more dangerous to the public good than anything even conceived of by poor Foley. . .

Indeed, the 9/11 Commission was deprived of the sweat-licked printouts toted in the Berger jockstrap.

More – Wingnuttia piles on:

Flopping Assholes also drinks the Stoopid-flavored Kool Aid.

California Conservatives takes a gulp, too: “It isn?t unthinkable that Berger might?ve taken documents that had Clinton?s notes on them, notes that might?ve caused Clinton serious damage.”

Instadipshit proves that law professors can still be dumbshits:

INTERESTING, if a bit later than it should be: “The House Government Reform Committee will review the Sandy Berger-National Archives case in order ‘to determine whether any documents were missing from Clinton administration terrorism records

What next, Glenn — a demand that the Watergate break in be investigated? Teapot Dome?

The Conservative Voice, with a mugful o’ Stupid: “Sandy Berger may finally be investigated for his role in confiscating and, subsequently, destroying documents.”

Update (10/12): Waxman asks for an explanation, “It would be regrettable if the letter from Republican members that you received today and your own letter to NARA were prompted by Mr. Berger’s criticism of the Administration.”

Update (10/13): The Wingnut Stupid-fest continues:

Ace of Spades quotes addled NRO-inmate Andrew McCarthy’s recitation of the “laughable” Berger canard: “Annotated on some of those copies is believed to be reactive commentary by some high-ranking Clinton officials. The report and the manner in which it was finalized were patently germane to the commission?s investigation.” Fact-challenged McCarthy wraps up: “And let?s finally see the drafts of that after-action report.” All you have to do is print another copy off the Archives hard drive, you dope.