Legal Commentary

Why We Need A Truth Commission

By Big Tent Democrat

Digby points to the execrable Harold Ford's conversation with Chris Matthews on torture and concludes:

The argument against torture is slipping away from us. In fact, I'm getting the sinking feeling that it's over. What was once taboo is now publicly acknowledged as completely acceptable by many people. Indeed, disapproval of torture is now being characterized as a strictly partisan issue, like welfare reform or taxes.

More . . .

I think this raises the following issues -- who does Digby think of as "us?" The country? The Democratic Party? Progressives? For pols are pols and do what they do. For example, Barack Obama will not say what Harold Ford said. But he won't do much about the issue either. Unless . . . there is a political price to pay.

It is why I focus more on a Truth Commission than prosecutions. As long as the discussion is kept rather distant and abstract, it will be a "political" Hardball-type issue. But if the country is forced to confront what it has done, I think the discussion will be different. The true discussion of torture will not begin until there is a public reckoning on the issue.

Justice Department investigations will not achieve that. An open and transparent Truth Commission can. Dick Cheney seems confident that President Obama will never let it happen. So far, I am not sure Cheney is wrong.

At this point it seems fair to say, given Dick Cheney's open call for a full and frank discussion of the torture issue, that the only thing standing in the way of a Truth Commission is Barack Obama. Left of center pundits, anti-torture activists and progressive bloggers seem loathe to ask the obvious question - why is President Obama opposed to a Truth Commission?

Digby writes that "we" may have lost the torture debate, but she does not ask herself why. The main reason, imo, is the failure of "us" to challenge the Obama Administration on the issue.

Speaking for me only

Full post as published by TalkLeft on May 12, 2009 (boomark / email).