Commission of Inquiry

After George W. Bush leaves office it is possible, albeit unlikely, that he could be prosecuted for criminal acts performed during his tenure. If so the most likely charge against him or others in his administration would be torture. Harpers Magazine notes the most recent uses of "commissions of inquiry". The Warren Commission in 1963 investigated the assassination of JFK. The Kerner Commission in 1967 reported on the race riots in US cities (I am not sure who appointed those commissions). Some commissions are appointed by the President. For example the Rockefeller Commission in 1975, appointed by Ford, investigated the CIA's use of domestic spying. The Robb-Silbermann Commission in 2004, appointed by Bush II, looked into why no WMD's were found in Iraq. In the mid 1980's the Tower Commission, appointed by Reagan, dealt with the Iran-Contra scandal. Some commission are a "hybrid" of both legislative and executive origin. The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks on the US or better known as the 9/11 Commission. The problem with presidential commissions is they "...can easily be accused of covering up for previous administrations, or conversely, of seeking 'victor's justice'".
(Source: "Justice After Bush" by Scott Horton in Harper's Magazine from December 2008).