General Ricardo Sanchez Calls for War Crimes Truth Commission - VIDEO UPDATE

UPDATE - Tonight on MSNBC's "Countdown" Keith Olbermann cited this post and interviewed General Ricardo Sanchez on the truth commission issue. VIDEO BELOW

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In front of a packed audience on Sunday night at the Times Center in New York City, General Ricardo Sanchez, the former commander of all coalition forces in Iraq, called for a truth commission to investigate the abuses and torture which occurred there.

The General described the failures at all levels of civilian and military command that led to the abuses in Iraq, "and that is why I support the formation of a truth commission."

The General went on to say that, "during my time in Iraq there was not one instance of actionable intelligence that came out of these interrogation techniques."

I interviewed General Sanchez after the event and asked him to elaborate on why he felt the US needed such a commission. "For the American people to really know what happened, " he replied, "...this was an institutional failure, a personal failure on the part of many...."

"If we do not find out what happened," continued the General, "then we are doomed to repeat it."

The event tonight was moderated by Rachel Maddow and featured General Sanchez, Vince Warren, exec director of the Center for Constitutional Rights and Ron Suskind, the author and reporter. The event also featured Liev Schreiber, John Leguizamo and other actors who portrayed various characters from the topics at hand.

During the panel, Ron Suskind made an impassioned plea for the restoration of "American's moral energy... It is this alone which can protect us in the future," he said. Suskind called Bush "the ultimate confidence man" who yearned for certainty over the nuanced feeling about of real life.

Maddow injected that this was a "toxic certainty" which distorted the decisions of the Bush-Cheney administration.

I interviewed Rachel Maddow after the event asking her if a truth commission is indeed a political possibility. "We have to rescue our institutions and restore faith in them," she responded. "With every passing day we are hemorrhaging moral energy [as Ron Suskind had been discussing]."

I asked her what she thought of General Sanchez coming out with an open call for a truth commission. "He is not shirking the discussion, he wants to be part of it."

I also interviewed Vince Warren, the executive director of the Center for Constitutional Rights. On the panel, he took issue with General Sanchez's call for a truth commission if that meant amnesty for those involved in violations of the Geneva Convention and other laws.

In our post-event interview Warren stated that "any commission that promises blanket amnesty to those who violated the law we could not support." He said that the case of the truth commission in South Africa was different as that country was going through a change in form of government.

I also interviewed Liev Schreiber. Liev shared that he has been "conflicted" about whether the president should disclose the new set of abuse photos. He said that he has "enormous confidence in the judgment of Barack Obama," and that "the president should be given the opportunity to have a clean slate."

Senator Patrick Leahy has called for a truth commission on the abuses in Iraq and set up a website to collect online signatures in support of the framework -- www.BushTruthCommission.com. More than 113,000 people have signed so far since the site's launch in February of this year.

The event this evening was produced by the Culture Project and is intended to be first in a series that combine leading policy figures with top creative talent.

Tonight is the first time a senior military officer from the Iraqi theater has called for a truth commission.

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Comments

[Cookie100]

Read this. It's only a matter of time before the rest of the world pressures the US into doing what's right and just.

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2009/04/13/090413ta_talk_mayer

[Scott Draves]

Thank you General Sanchez for your integrity, and thank you Jack for getting the story out. Bush and his cronies should be investigated for their numerous crimes. The more Obama covers up for them, the more he becomes tainted. Our best weapon against terrorists is the moral high ground. Our security, our laws, and basic human decency demand investigation and prosecution!

[Robson]

The truth commissions need run by a special prosecutor who represents historical interests not served by the status quo and it should be 100% transparent with all issues and proposed issues posted on a web site and continually updated with resolution status. Bloggers and Americans have a way of identifying and separating the wheat from the chaff but the spotlight needs to be on it constantly.

This would be unlike the 9-11 Commission that was able to circumvent common sense questions in the interest of cover-up by keeping things quiet and the victims and public away from the issues..

[CFSM]

the big picture - in what context did all this occur, what were the motives - seems important to keep in mind - otherwise the present soul searching may be ephemeral, an opportunity lost to better prepare for an increasingly uncertain global future

[johnwinner]

Sanchez is effectively admitting that there were important functions of military intelligence in Iraq over which he had neither oversight nor control. Obama has to purge the military of its embedded Bush people, especially the Dominionists, or the situations in Iraq and Afghanistan will deteriorate.

[twofish]

Truth (originally Truth and Reconciliation) Commissions are only good when both sides are so strong that civil war is the likely alternative. Thus in South Africa and Argentina you got killers confessing to their crimes but getting away scot free. Unless Bush et al have an army hidden away they're not tellling anyone about (Blackwater?), that's not the case here.

We need a special prosecutor and indictments and trials. Unless we get that, it will prove that it's just business as usual in Washington.

[Jack Hidary - Huffpost Blogger]

hi -

did everyone see Sanchez on MSNBC tonight? I posted the video above.

What do you think happens from this point?

Jack

[JohnHKennedy]

At the very least we need a Truth Commission.

The worry is that the commission will give immunity in exchange for testimony and in the process make it impossible to prosecute the worst of the torture conspirators.

We also need a Special prosecutor appointed by AG Holder with the power to control the immunity given by the commission and to oversee the investigation so that prosecution of the guilty will be possible.

We all need to push Obama and our Democratic congressmen to see that prosecution happens.

SIGN THE PETITION To Prosecute Them For Torture
AT ANGRYVOTERS dot ORG

http://ANGRYVOTERS.ORG

Over 250,000 have signed
Join them and call yourself a Patriot
.

[kamachanda]

A war crimes truth commission,

And so to examine ourselves, under the bright light of truth and perchance cleanse our collective soul.

Also, a war crimes truth grand jury.

[RoseMerry]

No. Start at the top and try the former POTUS and the current POTUS for their crimes. Then go top down.

[S1m0n]

Sanchez is hardly disinterested. I'm pretty sure just about anyone you ask would rather have a truth commission than a criminal trial. Unless they were innocent & could prove it, of course.

[jmpurser]

That is just amazing. I have to say as a former service member who has his own issues with the military I had lost all hope that there was anyone in the upper echelons left with the kind of courage and integrity that General Sanchez just demonstrated. I hope we do not fail him.

[expired]

Nothing will come of this fiasco. They will ALL remain free. Good ole U S of A.

[Gatorray11]

Particularly if you take that attitude. The only way we will have a Truth Commission -- mcuh less a special prosecutor with a grand jury probe -- is if the American people demand it. Keep pushing. Write, phone and e-mail your Senators and Congressman/woman. Write letters to the editor. Support organizations who are demanding accountability. Attend your local Democratic Committee meetings. Support progressives willing to push and fight for a probe.

I am convinced Barack Obama wants the Bushista abuses documented. But he is facing a lot of problems he inherited and he wants to enact real changes, such as healthcare reform and legislation combating global warming.

What Obama is counting on is the base of his party -- us and our allies -- to push for disclosure. Add a main stream media which is finally doing some investigations and rustrated officials in the Bushista Regime helping to connect the dots. Lawsuits will bring out more information and force the release of photos and other information.

Obama knows if he leads the charge Republicans will dismiss the whole thing as a partisan witch hunt and will let them crucify him as being weak on terrorism. However, if pressure is applied and disclosures lead to more disclosures and the atmosphere changes Obama will be "forced" to release the information and Attorney General Eric Holder will be put in a position to appoint a special prosecutor.

Folks, if you want disclosure, accountability and prosecution, you have to work for it.

[Platotle]

How could anyone believe there is so little oversight and discipline in the army as to allow prison guards to fearlessly and independently employ enhanced interrogation techniques in prisons all about Iraq? Anyone who has been in the service knows there is never a time, day or night, on a military base, you don't watch your actions for fear a commanding officer will enter. I believe Lynndie England who said the CIA was there directing them every step along the way. It's the only explanation that makes sense. If we support the troops, shouldn't we become concerned when our service people are incarcerated for obeying orders while those, above, continue to condemn them, as did Dick Cheney only a couple of weeks ago on one of the Sunday news shows?

[nowThenzen]

ugh - true

[WorldofTomorrow420]

I fear the delaying and denial (just move along folks, nothing to see here) of the First Wuss (Obama) may have already irrevoccably tarnished our image in the world. The Bush Administration could have been viewed by the world as an aberration, but what is the excuse now? The Obama Administration is trudging deeper into aiding and abetting every day.

[nowThenzen]

yes, all the errors; the entire fiasco, of 8 yrs of Bush/Cheney are all Obama's fault. you are so right.