Truth Commission

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Would you like Freedom Fries with that pound of flesh?

Now that it's official, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence finally releasing the last two reports of "Phase II" of its inquiry about the Administration lying about the pre-war threat from Iraq and the Fixing of Intelligence by Doug Feith's office at the Pentagon (PDF's here and here), and in light of the confessions of Scott McClellen confirming everything and more said by Paul O'Neill, Richard Clarke, Thomas E. Ricks, and so many other men and women of conscious who raised the alarm that the Bush administration was committing grave crimes against the world and shredding the Constitution, what do we do about it.

From the moment Nancy Pelosi stated that impeachment was "off the table," we knew that the Democrats, even if they gain all the levers of power, are not interested in getting even, in justice, so much as they are interested in getting power for themselves, wresting it from the criminals now in charge (a good thing in and of itself) and fixing what is broken -- but have no stomach for making anyone pay for what they did.

Except for Dennis Kucinich and hints from John Edwards, I don't recall much along the lines of a desire to prosecute anyone from the presidential candidates either. And no doubt George W. Bush will issue blanket pardons for anyone remotely involved in his breathtaking racket before he leaves office, leaving only him as a possible defendant in American Courts. I seriously doubt President Obama will consider initiating such a politically charged prosecution in keeping with his mission to heal the nation and move forward, undoing the madness of the last eight years. It probably wouldn't seem something that would help his reelection prospects of help maintain and expand the Democratic majorities in Congress either.

I disagree, but then again they don't pay me millions of dollars as a political consultant giving bad advice to candidates. But that's another story.

Rachel Maddow speaks for many, myself included, insisting that there is a difference between relying on flawed intelligence and "deliberately telling the American People something you know is not accurate" (ie. lying us into war) is "worthy of a prosecution or two." However her boss at Air America, Mark Green has another idea. Four actually:

  1. "Vote Big" giving the Democrats a large mandate and sending the GOP a clear message. Of course herding cats is and easier task, and probably more fun.

  2. "Shame 'em" challenging the the media to do it's job. Good luck with that.

  3. "Sue" "Hit them in the pocketbook." You can kinda tell Mr. Green isn't a lawyer. While going after Halliburton may be worthwhile, government officials have qualified immunity from prosecution when excercizing and acting within their legally defined areas of discresion. The Iraq war, for all the fraud involved in gaining permission to use force from Congress, that permission was granted by folks like John Kerry, John Edwards and Hillary Clinton voting with the GOP majority for the AUMF back in 2002.

  4. "Create a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC)" In essence, this would be a national confessional, a catharsis for those of us who at least desire truth above consequences. Not quite the Nuremberg trials, but public acknowledgment that atrocities were committed even if no one is punished.
Richard Clarke expressed similar desires to see a Truth Commission modeled on post-Aparteid South Africa on Countdown last night. And some true optimists out there in blogtopia (y!sctp) believe that much like the example of post WWII Germany, the people of the United States would not be completely consumed by such a circus as parading all the perpetrators that have been involved in the litany of high crimes before cameras to confess their sins.

Somehow I doubt it. Our uniquly tabloid culture , where a minor celebrity's double-murder trial can take over the national consciousness and expose the tenuous seams that divide us more than unite us, would gorge itself on the spectacle. I know I wouldn't miss a minute of this show.

However, it would be cathartic. The alternative is to wait for history's verdict, which might then not even be the resolution we need. My Armenia friend Ara could enlighten you much further on why sometimes just waiting on history to decide who was wrong and who was right can fester instead of heal.

The government of Turkey continues to call for Truth and Reconciliation of the horrific events they still refuse to official call the Armenian Genocide of 1915-23, yet critics argue that an Historian's Commission telling "both sides" (no better that the first drafters of history we have today on ever talking head program) would amount to a whitewash, or worse -- elevating the lies and coverups to be valid viewpoints.

I don't think we can await history's verdict. I know I don't want to. But what I want is to see every son of a neocon creep locked up while they wait upon history.

5 Comments

EricM Author Profile Page said:

Mark,

I actually tend to agree with you on the commission idea. And, once Bush is out of office I suspect enough Republicans might also be in a mood for this. I know plenty of Republicans who are as upset with Bush today as Democrats were after the 2000 election.

To revisit a topic we discussed in the past, dark horse Dem. VP stakes, I've got a new name for you, Kathleen Sebelius. Thoughts? Maybe not the darkest of horses, but a really smart pick, imo.

Ara Rubyan Author Profile Page said:

Hey Mark: That was an interesting link to google's search results of this blog. 107 hits on genocide! Maybe I should make that a category or something.

As for a truth and reconciliation commission, I like the idea as it does fit the confessional paradigm the traditional media likes to promote. But do we need a formal commission to get there? Instead, how about if everyone who wrote a book (and many who didn't) are simply required to go on tour, visiting Oprah, Ellen, Dr. Phil, Jon Stewart, et. al. and spill their guts? Oh wait, we already have that (see "McClellan, Scotty"). One rule: Make sure that Scooter Libby (and company) is barred from appearing on Meet the Press. Some pundits just don't get it.

As for Kathleen Sibelius, I've posted a poll on Monday June 9 -- let's discuss VP picks there. Thanks.

Ara Rubyan Author Profile Page said:

P.S. In coming decades, it will be understood that the biggest scandal of the Bush-Cheney years was that they were not impeached and convicted -- not by the Republicans and/or not by the Democrats. Future generations (living under a regime far worse than this one) will look back at us and wonder what the hell we were thinking.

As for Bush issuing pardons, that can only happen while he's in office. I'd suggest that the NEXT DoJ proceed with criminal investigations of Alberto Gonzalez, Karl Rove, etc. Let Bush fade away before he can issue any pardons.

shep Author Profile Page said:

What if a Democratic Congress and White House encouraged an international war crimes tribunal (if the citizens of this country were going to punish them we would have already done so but the entire leadership elite is so complicit they won't allow it)? The crimes committed by Bush/Cheney, et al, are far from just crimes against the American people.

Ara Rubyan Author Profile Page said:

I strongly believe that the Bush/Cheney years have to be seen as a cautionary tale. If not, future regimes will be emboldened to do something even worse.

Nothing, of course, can stop a determined criminal. But you can do certain things to make them think twice. And I think that's what's called for here.

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