rssPerplexed: So Does This Mean Obama Does Want a Truth Commission?
Wednesday, March 04, 2009 at 9:53 am
- 7 Comments
Daphne? Can you help me understand something?
I thought from President Obama’s answer to Sam Stein’s question at his press conference last month that he was lukewarm on Sen. Pat Leahy’s (D-Vt.) efforts to establish a truth commission for Bush-era abuses. But then why release all these Office of Legal Counsel memos that indicate deeper abuses took place than most of us expected? Today the Senate Judiciary Committee is exploring the contours of such a commission, and the release of the OLC memoranda can only fuel the political dynamics for establishing one.
So is Obama playing some kind of inside-outside game by releasing the memos? That is, he publicly indicates his antipathy to a commission, professes a desire to move on, but feeds the Senate Dems what they need to empanel a commission — and lets them take the heat when Republicans inevitably bray about a witch hunt? Or am I misunderstanding this?
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7 Comments
Comment posted March 4, 2009 @ 2:05 pm
It is a Win Win kinda deal. The Republicans are seen for who they are by pulling the covers while they quickly try to pull them back. Besides Limbaugh is the GOP leader, not Steele. I really enjoy flushing my toilet these days.
Comment posted March 5, 2009 @ 11:00 am
Yes, you've pretty much got it. Being the 44th president of the United States, he needs to show continuity with the 43rd. He needs to show some solidarity, so he can't be the one to initiate this. Besides, the Senate has 100 people. Is that supposed to mean that they're 100 times less effective?
Comment posted March 5, 2009 @ 1:24 pm
Actually, seems to me like he's feeding them what they need to push for a prosecution more than a truth commission. Then again, there's still lots more memos we haven't seen, specifically re interrogation policies. If the administration keeps releasing them, we may see Arlen Specter pushing for a prosecution before the Democrats do, though.
Comment posted March 5, 2009 @ 6:04 pm
It looks like it might be nothing more than a left-center ploy to expose some dirt, circumvent the public desire for prosecutions, and then turn the page. Leahy's call for immunity might get some things revealed that wouldn't otherwise come out, but ultimately, if no one is prosecuted, things can go on similar to what's been going on and then people will quickly forget. And there will then be cover to convince people that wrongs have been righted, and the presidency and the government as a whole will have been somewhat rehabilitated in the eyes of the populace.
Comment posted March 5, 2009 @ 7:00 pm
Yes, you've pretty much got it. Being the 44th president of the United States, he needs to show continuity with the 43rd. He needs to show some solidarity, so he can't be the one to initiate this. Besides, the Senate has 100 people. Is that supposed to mean that they're 100 times less effective?
Comment posted March 5, 2009 @ 9:24 pm
Actually, seems to me like he's feeding them what they need to push for a prosecution more than a truth commission. Then again, there's still lots more memos we haven't seen, specifically re interrogation policies. If the administration keeps releasing them, we may see Arlen Specter pushing for a prosecution before the Democrats do, though.
Comment posted March 6, 2009 @ 2:04 am
It looks like it might be nothing more than a left-center ploy to expose some dirt, circumvent the public desire for prosecutions, and then turn the page. Leahy's call for immunity might get some things revealed that wouldn't otherwise come out, but ultimately, if no one is prosecuted, things can go on similar to what's been going on and then people will quickly forget. And there will then be cover to convince people that wrongs have been righted, and the presidency and the government as a whole will have been somewhat rehabilitated in the eyes of the populace.
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