C-SPAN3: Live Coverage Of The Leahy Truth & Reconciliation Commission Hearings

[KharmaTrain]

Webfeed here:

http://www.cspan.org/Watch/C-SPAN3_wm.aspx

Discuss...

On Edit:

A great rundown of who will be on the panel is at DKOS:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/3/4/43757/68969/337/704438

[mod mom]

1. hasn't started yet-link for mac users:

http://www.cspan.org/Watch/C-SPAN3_rm.aspx

[KharmaTrain]

2. Let's See How Many GOOPs Dare To Paricipate

I don't see any sitting right now...even Specter.

I guess it's not their game to defend the indefensible.

[bdamomma]

3. thanks Kharmatrain

here's a rec for you!! oh boy this is going to be good, I will making a few thank you calls this afternoon to Senator Whitehouse and Senator Leahy's office. Any code pinkers there? Don't you wish you were there?

[KharmaTrain]

5. Thank You...

I'm curious to hear what is discussed. This is years in the coming and let's hope this advances the ball toward a full accounting of all the crimes of the past 8 years.

[slipslidingaway]

4. Thanks knr n/t

[blogslut]

6. Thanks!

Watching now.

[KharmaTrain]

7. Specter Up...

Says..."since 9/11 until the end of the boooosh regime, the greatest abuse of executive power I've ever seen"

Whoa! But then, that's Magic Bullet Arlen...the talk always sounds good when it doesn't matter.

[malaise]

8. Thanks

watching for a bit and then after lunch.

[bdamomma]

9. Specter up let's see what he says, he is up for a challenge for his

seat in 2010.

[Jackpine Radical]

28. Did Spectre ever vote against any of Bush's abuses of power?

What's his voting record? This hypocrisy should be hung around his neck like a flaming tire, come 2010.

[seemslikeadream]

10. watch here if you;re having trouble with cspan

http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearings/hearing.cfm?id=3686

[zazen]

12. can't get that to work either--any ideas?

thanks. I'm on Safari for Mac--can't use cspan wmv or your site.

[seemslikeadream]

40. try just listening to the audio

[malaise]

14. That's super coverage

Thanks.

[bdamomma]

11. we need a Special Prosecutor to be appointed.

we need to do this. C Span 3 too bad this wasn't on C Span or C Span 2 this is just too damn important.

[KharmaTrain]

22. I Agree...

It's gonna be a slow and painful process, but too many crimes have occured. IMHO, the worst crimes are beyond our system, it's international in scope, but this is a first step.

While I'd love to see boooosh and cheney in the dock in the Hague, I also want to see all the corruption and the underlings exposed. Put faces to the corruption and blow away the sand from the umpire's eyes.

I suspect there's a wave of fresh air going across the Justice Department right now...and let's see how they proceede with their existing backlog of cases against the booosh regime.

[mod mom]

13. Specter: Torture is a violation of the law-go after them, doesn't mind looking back

or so he says now. Just wait.

[malaise]

15. Feingold up now n/t

[cali]

17. of course. it's duplicitous Arlen. Don't like his position on something?

Just wait a day or two. it will change.

[bdamomma]

16. Senator Feingold up

[KharmaTrain]

18. Feingold: Just Gather The Facts

He doesn't want a conclusion or report, but to send these findings on for further action...be it to the House or DOJ.

[mod mom]

20. doesn't want politicians or partisans to decide what should be done with what is exposed.

Let the people decide!

[KharmaTrain]

24. Specifically A Jury Of Peers

And I wholeheartedly agree.

These are crimes and deserve to be investigated by those who are best suited to deal with law breaking...the Justice system.

Remember, we've had a dysfunctional Justice Department and compromised system for the past 8 years...it's a brand new day.

[BuyingThyme]

19. Thanks KT!

:hi:

[KharmaTrain]

25. Greetings And Welcome...

While I wish this were the opening of war crimes trials...I'm grateful we've gotten this far.

:hi:

[bdamomma]

21. C Span 3 keeps on buffering for me.

we need results and not just all talk. We need a criminal investigation.

[malaise]

26. I have perfect coverage using the link posted by

seemslikeadream
http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearings/hearing.cfm?id=3686

[ThomWV]

23. Whoa! Pickering says "Presidential" comission

what the fuck is he talking about?

[KharmaTrain]

27. He Wants Another 9/11 Commission

Hell...let's have a bunch of 'em. The corruption is so deep the more people digging and the more chances to put some sunlight on the criminality the better.

[ThomWV]

29. and immunity must be limited

[KharmaTrain]

32. Squeeze Up

I'd settle for plea bargains. I honestly can't think of anyone whose immunity is that valuable.

[ThomWV]

30. Gunn up now - he's very much anti torture

[KharmaTrain]

31. My Dream Panel...

Jonathan Turley, Bruce Fein, John Dean and Glenn Greenwald. But then I'm still waiting for the tooth fairy.

[peacetalksforall]

83. Elizabeth Holtzman, Elizabeth de la Vega, Elizabeth Edwards,

[bdamomma]

33. I think I remember John Dean saying that Commissions are where

crimes go to die, we need something stronger than this don't we?

[KharmaTrain]

34. Crawl, Walk, Run, Fly

Senator Feingold said he thinks any findings in this commission should be passed along to others for further action...be it the House Judiciary Committee or the Justice Department. Couple that with Congressman Pelosi's call for strong investigation and prosecution and I see this as just a first step in both how much tolerance the public has for holding this regime accountable and where this process goes.

[MiniMe]

35. Just tuned in, have they started questioning yet? Or is it still opening statements?

[KharmaTrain]

37. Grab A Beverage...The Show's Just Getting Rolling...

[seemslikeadream]

36. OMG RIFKIN!

:puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke:

[KharmaTrain]

39. I Was Thinking The Same Thing

This guy is Yoo's BFF. A Neo-Con's neo-con.

He should be up there being tried...not testifying.

[seemslikeadream]

42. He uses the word democrat refering to Democratic Party that should tell ya something

[KharmaTrain]

44. He's Already Acting Like A Lawyer

And he sure sounds "concerned". He's trying to punt this to international courts. I'm all for that!

[bdamomma]

38. I totally do not agree with this guy at all.

"David B. Rivkin, Jr. is a partner with Baker & Hostetler, L.L.P. He was chief counsel of the President’s Council on Competitiveness at the White House under George H.W. Bush, where he was in charge of a review of government regulations. He later coordinated the development and implementation of the first Bush’s deregulation efforts. He has argued that the United States has not violated the Geneva Conventions with its captured prisoner policy and that it was a few "bad apples" and not policy that was responsible for what happened at Abu Ghraib and elsewhere, and opposed appointment of a special prosecutor in the Lewis "Scooter" Libby affair".


after reading this he believes the Geneva Conventions were not violated, that speaks volumes within itself.

[KharmaTrain]

41. Rifkin's An Ultra Neo-Con

He's there to bury the bodies. He isn't being very convincing or passionate.

[bdamomma]

43. and John Cornyn is on this committee, watch him kiss up to this guy.

[MiniMe]

46. Yup, the camera cut to Cornyn listening intently to him

[Usrename]

45. John Farmer is one of the guilty ones in this debacle!!!

He should be investigated for violating the UN Convention Against Torture. Instead, they want to put him on this "Truth Commission."



He was the chief counsel for the 9/11 Commission. Their published report included evidence obtained by torture.

THIS IS A CRIME!

CONVENTION AGAINST TORTURE


Article 15

Each State Party shall ensure that any statement which is established to have been made as a result of torture shall not be invoked as evidence in any proceedings, except against a person accused of torture as evidence that the statement was made.


http://www.hrweb.org/legal/cat.html

He is currently in violation of Article 15, and as far as I know he has not yet denounced the 9/11 Commission Report, even though he has to KNOW by now that they included statements made as a result of torture in their official report.



They even admit in their own document that they were responsible for submitting the questions to the waterboarders, with the intent of using this information as evidence in their official report.

The 9/11 Commission Report contains a text box that speaks to the issue. The disclaimer (page 146), entitled “Detainee Interrogation Reports,” reads:

... We submitted questions for use in the interrogations, but had no control over whether, when, or how questions of particular interest would be asked. Nor were we allowed to talk to the interrogators so that we could better judge the credibility of the detainees and clarify ambiguities in the reporting...

THIS SUCKS!!!

[tomp]

47. you mean it's official, we have a truth and reconciliation committee?

watch out, here it comes!

[NMMOM]

48. Rabkin

Boy is this guy arrogant or what?:banghead:

[tomp]

50. funny, he's the only one who looked any good on paper. nt

[blogslut]

49. Okay, so the panel is mostly snakes?

Is that right?

[chill_wind]

51. K & R. An overview of names and some live commentary here too:

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/03/04/senate-judiciary-hearing-on-truth-commission-liveblog/

[blogslut]

52. Thanks

I love Marcy Wheeler. :)

[MiniMe]

53. Why is Cornyn up first for the Rep questioning?

[KharmaTrain]

54. He's Grandstanding

What else did you expect. I was hoping he'd have a little boy or sheep to tend to.

[MiniMe]

57. Souldn't it have been Specter?

And of course he is grandstanding. That is all he knows how to do.

[KharmaTrain]

60. Specter's Playing His Usual Senator From Scotland Game

He actually said he thinks there's been abuses of powers during the boooosh years. Now we know Arlen says one thing and votes another, thus I'm not surprised he's playing the "concerned" and reasonable repugnican at this point. Attempt to poison or discredit the committee if and when he needs to.

Coryn's game is to impeach it before it gets rolling. He's trying to paint past commissions as being failures thus this one will be as well. Of course the Church commission was far from a failure. He fears another similar investigation...it will destroy his corrupt party.

[blogslut]

55. Preemptive apology for John Cornyn

From the great state of Texas.

Sigh. We know. He's an idiot.

The tooth fairy! Gad.

[bdamomma]

56. here we go, obstructing repig Cornyn.

these guys are just disgusting, I wonder if he is going to say witch hunt?

[seemslikeadream]

58. Whitehouse is the MAN

YOU ROCK WHITEHOUSE

[NMMOM]

59. You Go Senator Whitehouse !!

I love this guy!

[KharmaTrain]

61. Welcome To DU

Yep...Sheldon's been taking a real active role in this process. I see him pushing this process forward.

Welcome and enjoy the show...

:hi:

[NMMOM]

65. thank-you!

Hi back at ya! :hi:

[marmar]

62. Sheldon Whitehouse is a sharp guy......

John Cornyn....not so much. :dunce:

[bdamomma]

70. I am glad I voted this man in Whitehouse what a good guy

sharp as a tack.

[NMMOM]

63. Senator Whitehouse

My hero! :woohoo:

[femrap]

64. I read that Leahy's commission

gives immunity....is that correct? Because that makes no sense.

[Doremus]

66. K&R

[Solly Mack]

67. Wow. Impressive to find a hair dye that matches your favorite brown coat

LMAO

and your glasses...

[Gregorian]

68. No commission! We must have an independent prosecutor.

Damnit, I've watched enough of these phoney jobs.

Whitehouse is brilliant. I object to the whole concept of a commission.

[Solly Mack]

69. I wouldn't be bragging about those things

[Solly Mack]

71. no one has a Constitutional right to torture people shit-head

[tishaLA]

72. OMG Whitehouse just kicked the SHIT out of that guy

for saying that other generations had done worse.

[NMMOM]

75. and rightly so

[NMMOM]

73. You tell em!!

whoo hoo!!:bounce:

[Solly Mack]

74. I'm not criticizing BUT...

[Solly Mack]

76. I don't give a rat's ass WHY they tortured people...that's just asking for a bunch of BS excuses

it's the fact that they DID torture people

[Solly Mack]

77. you can't "turn the page" without prosecutions

to pretend saying "never again. let's do better next time" solves anything is bullshit

[seemslikeadream]

78. NO REPUBS THERE!

[chill_wind]

81. Unreal! n/t

[dixiegrrrrl]

79. What the ...just happened??????

Committee in recess?

I just tuned in, heard some pissed off Repugs being rude to Leahy, then suddenly...in recess..

Can anyone clarify for me?????????

[seemslikeadream]

82. It was supposed to go for 4 hours

[MiniMe]

80. How long are they recessed for?

I love Leahy saying "I get the last word, one of the privileges of being chairman." Go Pat.

[upi402]

84. ty k/r n/t