Truth matters. . .

[pat_k]

The GOP has long been the party of treason.

Over and over again, leaders in the Democratic Party have rationalized letting them off and "moving on."

Tragically, when you try to move forward on lies, you pay the consequences.

We are paying the consequences.

It is time for the nation to confront the horrible truth -- that Bush and Cheney not only terrorized us into war with baseless threats of mushroom clouds, they have nuked the Constitution with their treasonous claims of unitary authoritarian power. They have replaced American principle with fascist principle.

America is not a geographical entity. It is an idea; a vision; a set of principles.

We hear leaders say they want America to succeed in Iraq -- whether GWB is in power or not.

But, as long as GWB is in power, an America of We the People does not exist.

"America" cannot succeed if is does not exist.

You want America to succeed?

The first step is to re-establish the nation by recommitting to our common contract -- the Constitution of the United States of America.

Call on members of Congress to fulfill their oath to support and defend the Constitution and impeach Bush and Cheney.

As long as we leave governing power in the hands of men who are a law onto themselves, options that would be available to a True America and a legitimate American President will remain closed to us.

No more "moving on" in a ship of state that is built on denial and lies.

The price of doing so in the past has been far too high.

From Hey, Democrats, the Truth Matters! by Robert Parry

My book, Secrecy & Privilege, opens with a scene in spring 1994 when a guest at a White House social event asks Bill Clinton why his administration didn’t pursue unresolved scandals from the Reagan-Bush era, such as the Iraqgate secret support for Saddam Hussein’s government and clandestine arms shipments to Iran.

Clinton responds to the questions from the guest, documentary filmmaker Stuart Sender, by saying, in effect, that those historical questions had to take a back seat to Clinton’s domestic agenda and his desire for greater bipartisanship with the Republicans.

Clinton "didn’t feel that it was a good idea to pursue these investigations because he was going to have to work with these people,” Sender told me in an interview. “He was going to try to work with these guys, compromise, build working relationships."

Clinton's relatively low regard for the value of truth and accountability is relevant again today because other centrist Democrats are urging their party to give George W. Bush's administration a similar pass if the Democrats win one or both houses of Congress.

. . .

Clinton’s generosity to George H.W. Bush and the Republicans, of course, didn’t turn out as he had hoped. . .

If the full story of George H.W. Bush’s role in secret deals with Iraq and Iran had ever been made public, the Bush Family’s reputation would have been damaged to such a degree that George W. Bush’s candidacy would not have been conceivable.

Not only did Clinton inadvertently clear the way for the Bush restoration, but the Right’s political ascendancy wiped away much of the Clinton legacy, including a balanced federal budget and progress on income inequality. A poorly informed American public also was easily misled on what to do about U.S. relations with Iraq and Iran.

In retrospect, Clinton's tolerance of Reagan-Bush cover-ups was a lose-lose-lose – the public was denied information it needed to understand dangerous complexities in the Middle East, George W. Bush built his presidential ambitions on the nation’s fuzzy memories of his dad, and Republicans got to enact a conservative agenda.

Clinton's approach also reflected a lack of appreciation for the importance of truth in a democratic Republic. If the American people are expected to do their part in making sure democracy works, they need to be given at least a chance of being an informed electorate.

Yet, Clinton – and now some pro-Iraq War Democrats – view truth as an expendable trade-off when measured against political tactics or government policies. In reality, accurate information about important events is the lifeblood of democracy.

Though sometimes the truth can hurt, Clinton and the Democrats should understand that covering up the truth can hurt even more. As Clinton’s folly with the Reagan-Bush scandals should have taught, the Democrats may hurt themselves worst of all when helping the Republicans cover up the truth.

[Senator]

1. Kick & Rec (nt)