Steele Endorses Truth Commission?
During his Meet The Press appearance yesterday, RNC Chairman Michael Steele appeared to say he could potentially support a Truth Commission to look into Bush-era torture -- and he made the rather interesting claim that a lot of Republicans have called for this:
MR. GREGORY: Should there be a wider--should there be a truth commission? Should there be an investigation?MR. STEELE: I think, I think you've heard a lot of Republicans call for that. And if this is, if this is a door that the Democrats and, and their leadership, since they have the House and the Senate and the presidency and they want to expose all of this...
GOV. KAINE: Mm-hmm.
MR. STEELE: ...then let's put it all on the table and let's take a closer look at it.
Was this a genuine statement of policy on Steele's part -- or a gaffe as he stumbled his way through a subject he might not know that much about? For one thing, we can't think of any elected Republican who has called for a Truth Commission.
Josh
Matt
Eric
Brian
Sure, they're all for a Truth Commission that investigates every single thing Nancy Pelosi has said, done, worn, eaten or driven since 2001.
A Truth Commission investigating actions taken by senior Bush officials? Not so much.
May 18, 2009 11:21 AM | Reply | Permalink
Steele was obviously calling for a 'Pelosi Truth Commission,' and with no sense of irony whatsoever. This is why Conservatives don't "get" Colbert, their irony glands are malformed.
May 18, 2009 11:31 AM | Reply | Permalink
He's the gift that keeps on giving.
May 18, 2009 11:26 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think this was a major gaffe--or a minor gaffe with major implications. You can step back from insulting Rush, but how do you backpedal from this?
I feel bad for Pelosi to have had to weather this last week, but big picture I think we've raised the chances for some kind of public commission by about 30%.
At least here's to hoping...
May 18, 2009 11:33 AM | Reply | Permalink
Nice to know that the left is quite willing to sacrifice a liberal, female Speaker of the House as a tactical maneuver. Impressive...I say sarcastically.
Wouldn't your cause be better served by gathering around House/Senate folks who support your Truth Commission--and I also agree this will be a nonsense march of "I don't remember" or perhaps the 5th. That will also be impressive...I say sarcastically.
These tactics certainly gave the GOP face time these past few days. And I would say it's increased the chances that a few more GOP pols will keep their jobs in 2010. That's really impressive...I say sarcastically.
Yep, all round failure week for the geniuses who devised these particular Truth Commission tactics. Let's take down liberals instead of focusing on the radical right nuts who brought shame and disgrace to this country. Sounds impressive to me...I say sarcastically.
May 18, 2009 12:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Are you being sarcastic?
May 18, 2009 1:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Did you have to work to become such an asshole or is your condition congenital?
"Nice to know that the left is quite willing to sacrifice a liberal, female Speaker of the House as a tactical maneuver. Impressive...I say sarcastically."
Maybe I missed the bayonet at her back during her press conference... or perhaps she was waterboarded? Or maybe the strings controlling her mouth and limbs were too thin to show on my regular definition television. How, exactly, was Speaker Pelosi "sacrificed"? And what role did "the left" play in that exactly? Bullshit... I say dismissively.
May 18, 2009 1:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
you're being far too kind.
May 18, 2009 2:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh, goody, here's another of the sunshine gang.
May 18, 2009 2:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Is your naviete congenital?
Pelosi's press conference was held AFTER this nonsense erupted and it erupted because our political innocents--including at this site--have been moaning about torture (a disgraceful and shameful series of actions to be sure) and also stating that any Democrat would be treated as if they were torturing themselves. Pelosi was named and off it went. The GOP tasted blood in the water and swarmed--the Sunday political talk shows certainly showed that.
So if Paul or you want to tell me that Pelosi is an okay sacrifice to your ideas of purity, I'll fight you on it. It's not okay.
Pelosi supports these investigations and that should be soothing enough for the most heated of you. Don't be so naive. Gather your supporters in Congress and fight effectively against the CIA and GOP supporters who don't want these investigations in any way, shape or form.
May 18, 2009 2:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
So Pelosi's meandering and unconvincing discussion at the press conference (which is a normal weekly occurrence) is somehow the fault of people at Talking Points Memo?
Who knew how powerful anonymous crazed liberals on blogs were.
I missed all the calls from Democrats in Congress calling for Pelosi's head. On the other hand, everyone who has called for such action have been Republicans--and to say that they flooded the airwaves in reaction to the events of last week is to ignore that they've been flooding the airwaves for quite some time now. So how you arrived at the notion that the left is willing to "sacrifice" Pelosi is interesting.
But let's just say that you're correct in your dismissive summary of the last week or so. How can the original comment possibly be interpreted to mean that the writer wanted Nancy Pelosi hung out to dry? ???
May 18, 2009 2:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
"we've raised the chances of a public commission by 30%...."
Nice way to go about it.....
May 18, 2009 3:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
The commenter expressed sympathy for the tough week Pelosi's undergone but made the larger point that this whole flap has gotten the GOP chair on record as in favor of a Truth Commissions and a whole lot of repubs calling for investigations into the issue.
If Pelosi knew what Harman did and didn't write a letter like JH did, that's an embarrassment for her but not the "sacrifice" you're blowing it up into.
The GOP has a million times more to lose if Congress or a Special Prosecutor starts digging. The good news for all of us is that they seem not to understand this. They're punch-drunk and they're pursuing this at the very moment that it seems clear that the ticking time bomb scenario is hogwash and we actually tortured people to make a false Iraq/AQ connection.
ANYTHING that keeps torture in the news is good (a) in terms of laying the foundation for a moral reckoning/rebirth/rethinking after 8 years of slime, and (b) selfishly, pragmatically, strategically also good for the democrats.
May 18, 2009 4:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Don't be dismissive of blogs during the same time frame that a NY Times columnist lifts Josh's sentiments right off the site.
PR and GOP folks read and contribute to blogs, including this one. Heat up enough blog sites and then the media folks--who also read blogs--sit up and take notice. They are looking for a controversy to sell themselves, their point of view, their programs, their papers, etc.
What is annoying is when the "pure issue" folks who exist on these blogs and who are quite sincerely supporting an issue want everyone--those so black no light penetrates to those with a few black specks on a pristine white surface--held accountable. I don't mind that--but there's certainly a big difference between those two extremes.
Our purists want only pristine white. Anyone else, without any measure for the gravity of the offense, can be thrown under the bus.
May 18, 2009 3:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree that there is a tendency for purity tests to be applied, and for people to be found wanting, but this original commenter isn't the one applying the purity test. If he/she were, there'd be no apparent regret for the bad week Pelosi just had.
Maureen Dowd plagiarized (oops, listened carefully to a friend who was plagiarizing) Josh Marshall, not the commenters. I'm not disparaging the power of blogs like TPM. I'm just not altogether convinced that the comment section has much of an impact.
May 18, 2009 3:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Are you kidding me? Nothing the man said in that interview made any sense. It was all about equivocating. He seemed to be trying to answer both sides of the questions so as not to be held to anything.
May 18, 2009 11:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
"Let's put it all on the table and let's take a closer look at it," makes sense to me.
May 18, 2009 11:51 AM | Reply | Permalink
It's so hard to watch David Gregory on television. He's like Mr. Ed but with less brain power and knowledge about the world, and half the charisma.
May 18, 2009 12:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Plus Mr. Ed had a bigger cock.
May 18, 2009 12:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Which is clearly all I look for in a political pundit.
May 18, 2009 1:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Then do NOT watch Lou Dobbs.
May 18, 2009 2:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
A Congressional "Truth" Commission is worth a bucket of spit. I'm with CT Voter.
Special Prosecutor with wide-ranging powers.
May 18, 2009 12:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Can Congress select a special prosecutor after gathering the information through a truth commission?
May 18, 2009 12:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Who would participate in a truth commission with threat of indictment hanging over their heads? All you'd get is a parade of people invoking the 5th.
May 18, 2009 12:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Steele slathered in Pelosi Sunday Gravy!
May 18, 2009 12:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
No Special Prosecutor please
No Truth Commission either
Let the Congressional committees do what we pay them to do - investigate.
Truth Commission will paper over just as 9/11 did and a prosecutor will disappear from public view for 3-4 years gathering evidence a great deal of which will never see the light of day
May 18, 2009 1:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
The story and the root public policy problem is much broader than criminal indictment for torture and related crimes, most if not all of which have been immunized in Bush era statutes
It is about abuse of power and a corrupt leadership and ultimately about the sham wars of Cheney/Bush
May 18, 2009 1:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
john, don't you think keeping an investigation in the congress will hurt its efficacy/credibility?
May 18, 2009 2:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Whose? Congress, or the committee doing the investigating?
May 18, 2009 2:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
the committee. i don't know what pelosi knew but if a congressional committee exonerates her, Rs will cry "cover-up" -- worse still, to avoid the appearance of partisanship, they might go easy on The Dick or other miscreants.
I echo other posters here: special counsel.
May 18, 2009 5:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's clear to me that the Repubs don't know what truth is...and wouldn't know even if it bit them in the butt.
May 18, 2009 1:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
An investigation/commission will only work if it is in the framework of something like South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation hearings wherein there will some guarantee of protection from criminal prosecution.
I state this because it is likely that there are leaders on the The Hill from both sides of the aisle who sat on intelligence committees and were somewhat privy to what was being done despite the craftsmanship of the the legal construct that made the actions 'legitimate' as opposed being what we know them to be - torture.
And then let the shame of action or inaction be their albatross for what was done, against humanitarian rationale and the Geneva Convention, all in the name of the American people.
May 18, 2009 1:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Republicans for a truth commission? That's like vampires for garlic.
May 18, 2009 1:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
a subject he might not know that much about?
Is this a joke? How can he not have a reasonable idea how this sort of commission might work? And if he doesn't, why doesn't he just keep his mouth shut?
Thank goodness he's a Republican. He's a total embarrassment and is hell-bent on showing it every time he opens his mouth.
May 18, 2009 3:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
I keep reading how the right believes that Dem's will back down from a Truth Commission or other independent investigation as some believing that non-repubs will be caught up in the net. I say, as so ignorantly said previously "Bring it on". If democrats (or independents for that matter) or any other governmental body knew of, approved or in any way were co-conspirators in this illegal activity, they too should be brought to accountability. I think it's a ridiculous presumption one would ignore the misdeeds of the past years in order to preserve a few people for partisan reasons. It really is time to remind the politicians that wevotedforyou!!!
May 18, 2009 4:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's the way we roll in la-la land.
May 18, 2009 4:21 PM | Reply | Permalink