Stupid Americans, Believing In Constitutional Principles
by dday
The standard line from the Village is that we cannot have investigations of Bush Administration officials for crimes like torture or illegal wiretapping because that would take the country through a painful cycle and tear the very fabric of the nation apart and this would be just too mortal a blow to a nation that needs to bind up its wounds. If you actually ask those people these brave Villagers are trying to protect, however, they'd say "Yeah, we're cool with it."
Even as Americans struggle with two wars and an economy in tatters, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds majorities in favor of investigating some of the thorniest unfinished business from the Bush administration: Whether its tactics in the "war on terror" broke the law.
Close to two-thirds of those surveyed said there should be investigations into allegations that the Bush team used torture to interrogate terrorism suspects and its program of wiretapping U.S. citizens without getting warrants. Almost four in 10 favor criminal investigations and about a quarter want investigations without criminal charges. One-third said they want nothing to be done.
Even more people want action on alleged attempts by the Bush team to use the Justice Department for political purposes. Four in 10 favored a criminal probe, three in 10 an independent panel, and 25% neither.
Apparently the delicate sensibilities of "the people," as distilled by those in Washington, are not quite so delicate. The porcelain ones are actually the Villagers themselves, who don't want to see the facade of their own complicity smashed in a series of hearings and investigations. Anyway, these war criminals are their friends. The men and women they see at the supermarket. They're good people and they don't deserve the simply horrible abuse.
The real problem, of course, is the education system. We teach children the preamble to the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, tell them to remember that all men are created equal and that no man is above the law, and then they actually start to BELIEVE THAT? Somebody change out the textbooks.
If you're part of this nation composed of 2/3 dirty hippies, you might want to take action at Patrick Leahy's new site Bush Truth Commission. A truth and reconciliation commission is really the very least we can do to get the full extent of the crimes out into the light of day. If the President believes the Villager pressure that this will rip the nation asunder and be just a terrible distraction, there's no reason the Congress has to follow. You can watch Sen. Leahy's remarks at Georgetown University in favor of a Truth Commission here.
UPDATE: Jack Reed is on board.
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