Is Truth and Reconciliation Dead in the Water?
Yesterday, the website Consortium News published an article by Charlotte Dennett pouring some cold water on the hope many liberals have that Congress will form a truth and reconciliation commission to investigate Bush-era torture and other instances of wrongdoing. Dennett reported that, at a meeting with Sen. Patrick Leahy, the Judiciary committee chairman had said the idea was dead in the water. "[I]t's not going to happen," Leahy reportedly said.
Today, Leahy released a statement addressing that article: "In contrast to reports circulating on the Internet, Leahy said he is continuing to explore the proposal."
"I am not interested in a panel comprised of partisans intent on advancing partisan conclusions," Leahy said. "I regret that Senate Republicans have approached this matter to date as partisans. That was not my intent or focus. Indeed, it will take bipartisan support in order to move this forward. I continue to talk about this prospect with others in Congress, and with outside groups and experts. I continue to call on Republicans to recognize that this is not about partisan politics. It is about being honest with ourselves as a country. We need to move forward together."
That leaves open the questions of Senate math--will any Republicans support the formation of such a commission?--and whether the committee will exercise any of its other options. As Daphne Eviatar wrote in the Washington Independent "Leahy and the Senate Judiciary Committee could still initiate a comprehensive inquiry into the role of the Justice Department in potentially illegal conduct under the Bush administration.... There's no need for a truth commission to get the investigative ball rolling."
I'll follow up with Dennett and will let you know what I find.
Josh
Matt
Eric
I know one thing for sure....
Unless Leahy and the other clowns in Washington press it, it won't happen... and guess what folks... there is no pressing IMHO
So much for any of those mobsters actually caring for the rule of law... or the multitude of patriots who have given their lives just to prevent these things from happening...
Remember, folks, people actually DIED to prevent torture, illegal or unnecessary wars, lack of recourse for wrongs done by leaders...
Anyone venture to guess just how many congressmen would NOW be ready to die for their country or OUR freedom?
April 2, 2009 5:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Just as we need drastic measures to ensure our economic future, we also need a truth commission to ensure that future Bush wannabees know they will be held accountable if they try to run roughshod over the Constitution.
April 2, 2009 6:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Of course it is. We must look forward because the monster we see in the rear view mirror is ourselves.
Obama can go F* himself. He could care less about what America stands for. If you don't stand for the rule of law, you stand for nothing.
April 2, 2009 5:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
This absolutely must happen. Letting this go is far worse than giving immunity to telecoms before we know what they did.
We need to know exactly what we've done. This wouldn't be a witch hunt, where people are hauled into jail for doing what the previous administration advocated. This would be a 'here's what we did' so we will not ever EVER do it again.
April 2, 2009 5:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
So, Leahy won't hold hearing into Republican lawlessness because Republicans don't support it? Is that some kind of joke? I'm not a fan of "truth" commissions - let's go right to criminal proceedings instead - but their inability to even get *that* going is just plain pathetic.
Leahy, Conyers, Reid Pelosi, et al are just continuing their sterling track recod of ball-less appeasement. Even when they are in the majority the Democrats act like the minority.
April 2, 2009 6:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
We know the truth, the only reconciliation needed
is to throw the book at them.
April 2, 2009 7:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
The only "truth and reconciliation" comes from a Special Prosecutor anyway. As Johnathan Turley once put it, "Commissions are where all good legal investigations go to die a quiet death." A T&RC is just a sidestepping process to slow down prosecution of crimes.
If it dies on the vine, so much the better -- so long as the DoJ keeps declassifying Bush legal memos (currently being slowed down...), so long as Spain keeps on the pressure through its own prosecutorial moves, and so long as congress can bust through Rethug obstruction for picks like Obama's choice to head the Office of Legal Counsel at the Justice Department, Dawn Johnsen (who has been very, very vocal about the illegalities of Bush torture polices).
Keeping up the "hope" for all those latter things to occur, paving the way for inevitable and unstoppable prosecutions, my be a remote one. But that hoped for action is far, far better than some show piece, feel-good Truth & Reconciliation committee.
April 2, 2009 7:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Isn't a truth commission of politicians an oxymoron?
April 2, 2009 8:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
As I've said all along; Regarding the Bush gang, Leahy is nothing but a blowhard, good only for making empty threats and banging his desk while feigning righteous indignation.
Unfortunately, he's not the only spineless Democrat in charge of a committee.
April 3, 2009 9:43 AM | Reply | Permalink