Half a year ago, I cataloged what was then Ken Mehlman’s most recent batch of lies and then wrote this …
This hurricane of lies scarcely covers all the false or misleading statements he made in just that one little video clip. So please take a look at the clip and send in any more examples you find of clearly false or intentionally misleading statements.
What this country will end up needing is something like a Truth and Reconciliation Commission because what the country needs is not so much for particular people to go to jail but for the lies and the lies to cover up earlier lies to stop. The country can’t get past what has happened or move forward until we can get the truth on the table, deal with it and move on.
Just now I got this email from TPM Reader DF in regard to the post below …
Here’s a suggestion, for what it’s worth. Many voters are smart enough to distinguish partisan revenge from genuine reform of broken systems. The Democrats should promise that if they regain control of Congress, they will establish a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, similar to the one formed in South Africa after the end of apartheid. It’s purpose would not be punishment or vindictiveness – in fact, the Democrats should make clear that they don’t seek the prosecution of any current member of the administration. But they should make it clear that we need to know what has happened, why it’s happened, and how to prevent similar mistakes from happening again.
I don’t believe voters want Congress to score partisan points. They want Congress to identify and solve problems. A Truth and Reconciliation Commission, or similar body, could send that message. I think it would be a powerful idea in the upcoming election.
There are a hundred reasons why this won’t happen, and more than a few why it probably shouldn’t happen. Should the Democrats return wholly or partly to power this November it would be stupid to get bogged down in a lot of Kumbaya bipartisanship talk that the other side will be immediately plotting against. But what the country needs is a cold shower of the truth and a clearing of the webs of lies that have cluttered and fettered our public life. Sending crooks to the slammer is by far a secondary concern.
