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 A Truth Commission BeckonsPosted on May 19, 2009
By Marie Cocco The partisan firefight over House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s incendiary allegation that the CIA lied to Congress about its use of “enhanced interrogation techniques”—torture—is a blessing. It turns the compelling case for a public inquiry into the Bush administration’s policies toward terrorism detainees into an urgent necessity. Americans must finally own up to what was done, at whose order, with whose acquiescence, and why. The U.S. government must at last hold accountable the architects of this calamity—not only the underlings like Lynndie England and Charles Graner and Janet Karpinski, those frontline military personnel who paid the price for bit roles in the scandal after the first stomach-turning photos of abuse at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison came to light. This trio again comes to mind because even as the Pelosi furor escalated beyond all reason—not to mention the known facts—President Obama rescinded not one but two promises. He reneged on a commitment to release more photographs of the horror at Abu Ghraib and at detention sites in Afghanistan. The first pictorial chronicle of depravity at Abu Ghraib led to the congressional inquiries that eventually led us to understand that the U.S. had implemented torture as official policy. And that policy was not some half-baked idea cooked up by kids in the desert but developed by lawyers and top administration officials in Washington. The presidential candidate who harnessed the power of the Internet to gain the White House seems oddly oblivious to the fact that, however much he may want to keep the photos private to spare U.S. troops the possibility of deadly backlash, more images already circulate. The unauthorized distribution of the graphic photos is just as likely to provoke the same reaction. Yet a controlled release by the Obama government, abiding by a court decision and what this president has pledged would be the “rule of law” on his watch, holds the possibility that the president—and the country—would gain respect abroad for breaking cleanly with the culture of cover-up. Obama meanwhile has decided to reinstitute the discredited military commissions for trying suspects at the Guantanamo Bay prison—a system he once decried as anathema to civilized society. Even in doing so, he noted that as a senator, he’d voted in favor of military commissions in 2006. Advertisement We do not know who is lying about CIA briefings on torture, and who is telling what best approximates the truth. These briefings were at best cryptic, members of Congress weren’t allowed to take notes, and the whole enterprise was classified. If Pelosi had emerged from such a session and blown the whistle on torture, the very same Republicans who now attack her for keeping silent would have howled mercilessly and quite possibly pronounced her guilty of treason. Yet Democratic acquiescence in abhorrent Bush policies is a worthy subject for a chapter in any final report of a truth commission. Too often in the aftermath of 9/11, Democrats decided where to stand depending on where George W. Bush sat. When he sat atop the public opinion polls, they cowered at the possibility he would call them soft on terror and threaten their re-elections. This syndrome was at the root of the 2002 vote to authorize the war in Iraq. A majority of Senate Democrats, led by Tom Daschle—known last year as anti-war candidate Obama’s inside-Washington promoter—voted to let Bush charge recklessly into Iraq. Pelosi and most House Democrats voted no. Still there were many later opportunities for forceful action, if not against torture and abuse, then in determined opposition to warrantless wiretapping, the Guantanamo penal colony, the detainee deaths while in U.S. custody—the list goes on and on. That the list is so lengthy, and that we still lack basic facts about so much of what transpired, is reason enough to establish a nonpartisan panel, along the lines of the 9/11 commission, to at last expose the truth. Those who designed and implemented the policies that have brought such discredit to the nation must be called to account. Those who looked the other way must now face their own responsibility. For the worst of human history inevitably unfolds when good people avert their eyes. Marie Cocco’s e-mail address is mariecocco(at)washpost.com. Previous item: Obama Scores at Notre Dame Next item: War-Addicted U.S. Afflicted With Imperialist Hangover Elsewhere: . CommentsAre you a Truthdig member yet? Login now, or register with Truthdig. Add Your Comment |
America’s Confused Approach to Afghanistan
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By GarryWert, December 24, 2009 at 7:50 am #
Make that a truth commission with the authority to refer those who broke the law to the justice department for possible prosecution, regardless of where they were perched in the hierarchy of our government. watch taking woodstock online | watch inglourious basterds
Report thisBy Anarcissie, May 21, 2009 at 1:10 pm #
Again, the Democrats being complicit, why would they want to have a special prosecutor appointed? Don’t we all understand that torture and other war crimes are essential tools of imperialism? Bush simply made more explicit what had been going on for a long, long time.
Yes, he and his crew should be tried for war crimes, but the Democrats aren’t going to do it. That’s what the Pelosi-CIA flap is about—it’s a taste of the lash for those Democrats who are too enthusiastic about war-crimes prosecutions.
Report thisBy taikan, May 20, 2009 at 8:11 pm #
Even assuming that a “Truth Commission” would be competent to get at the truth, it probably would result in a “free pass” for those found to have broken the law. There are at least two reasons for this. First, first many of the key players also are the same people who would be witnesses testifying before the TC. In order to get them to do so, they will have to be given, at the very least, use immunity in order to get them to testify. The means that the government would have to conduct a sufficient investigation in advance of their testimony, and place the resulting evidence in sealed envelopes, to be able to convict them without using their testimony (or the fruits thereof) before the TC. Second, if the hearings are public then it is likely that a court will conclude that no juror can put the testimony before the TC out of his/her mind, and therefore the defendant cannot possibly get a fair trial. This is what happened with Oliver North after the Iran-Contra scandal, resulting in the reversal of his conviction and the inability of the Department of Justice to retry him.
Therefore, rather than a Truth Commission we need a special prosecutor. Either that, or we need to ratify the Rome Treaty and let the International Criminal Court take care of this matter.
Report thisBy tahitifp, May 20, 2009 at 6:14 pm #
Sorry, everybody. I’m clicking twice, resulting in double-like posts, thinking the first didn’t go thru.
I may have the hang of this now.
Report thisBy tahitifp, May 20, 2009 at 6:12 pm #
David, was that comment to me? This format is a bit confusing at times.
Report thisBy tahitifp, May 20, 2009 at 6:10 pm #
David, was that comment to me? I don’t support a commission; I support a Special Prosecutor.
Report thisBy David, May 20, 2009 at 5:44 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
So you are advocating a commission made up of people who activly shunned any responsibility for reporting, documenting or correcting Bush’s crimes? Brilliant! I can see the headlines now:
“Bush Admin Cleared of All Torture Charges!”
Another day, another whitewash.
Report thisBy tahitifp, May 20, 2009 at 2:57 pm #
All Obama needs to do is nod to Holder and Holder would appoint a SP. This “looking forward” thing, IMO, is a cover. Too many complicit dems? Why are we not doing what Jonathan Turley says is a Constitutional imperative?
A Truth Commission? That’s laughable.
Report thisBy tahitisp, May 20, 2009 at 2:51 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
Holder needs to appoint a SP or we’ll end up with a *Warren Report* or 9/11 Commission - pull out a few facts and in the case of 9/11, assign no responsibility.
All Obama would have to do is give Holder the nod. But he won’t. Why? Too many complicit dems?
Report thisBy Shift, May 20, 2009 at 1:00 pm #
Washingtonians couldn’t find the TRUTH if it were imprinted on their heads. FRAUD is what they will seek and FALSE CONCLUSIONS is what they will produce. Corruption is blind to truth.
Report thisBy Anarcissie, May 20, 2009 at 11:52 am #
If the Democrats are as complicit as they seem to be (and have seemed to be all along) why would they permit any sort of real Truth Commission to do anything?
Report thisBy Purple Girl, May 20, 2009 at 6:27 am #
Please- Who the Hell has any confidence in any member of congress or any other body of Gov’t, or agency affiliated with this country to carry out a ‘Truth’ commission?
Report thisTorture,Rendition, black Sites and hit squads are matters for the international courts.
Now if you wnat to look into the numerous criminal acts which lead up to those War crimes and Crimes against Humanity which constitute Abuse of Power and Treason, then so be it.
The Bushies do not deserve the partiality or leniency of our system to investigate (or obscure) these International High Crimes.
Funny no one in media is stating this obvious fact- could it be that propagandaists were also tried at Nuremburg? Too many of your cronies would also stand trial for selling an illegal war, covering up crimes and continuing to confuse the public about these crimes? Hasn’t the media made the concept of Waterboarding sound more like a surfing term than one of torture. Failed to investigate allegations and follow evidence for 8 yrs?
There are a number in Media who should also be seated at the Defense table when interantional War crime Trials get under way.They lied and misdirected the American People and the Global community. Murdock, Kristol, O’Reilly, Limbaugh, Hannity,Beck…Hell they’ll need their own section in the Defense Well.
By DIOGENES REDEUX, May 19, 2009 at 10:45 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
REF: Photo at top of page
Please note that the figures in the picture, above, are in the same plane and that the orange-suited terrorist is about half the size of the two men rolling in around.
Is he a Abdul a midget, or what?
Report thisBy yours truly, May 19, 2009 at 8:39 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
Make that a truth commission with the authority to refer those who broke the law to the justice department for possible prosecution, regardless of where they were perched in the hierarchy of our government.
Report thisBy PatrickHenry, May 19, 2009 at 7:12 pm #
This is what truth commissions are all about.
Remember all the Clinton Whitewater B.S. and the blue dress? Those investigations compared to the one needed now, 9-11 to present, were so minor, so insignificant as to defy history.
Report this