Conyers on Ed Schultz Show just said he will push for 9/11 type Bush Crime Commission

[1776Forever]

He said he will push this to the new AG!

More on this here:

Sleeper Bill of the Month: Our Own Truth & Reconciliation Commission
By Elana Schor - January 9, 2009, 3:00PM

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/01/sleeper_bill_of_the_month.php

It happens more often than you might think on Capitol Hill: a new bill is announced by a congressional office, with little fanfare and fewer co-sponsors than it deserves but a purpose so abundantly sensible that the plan cries out for more attention.

Such is the case with H.R. 104, a bill introduced on Tuesday by House judiciary committee chairman John Conyers (D-MI) and nine other lawmakers. The measure would set up a National Commission on Presidential War Powers and Civil Liberties, with subpoena power and a reported budget of around $3 million, to investigate issues ranging from detainee treatment to waterboarding to extraordinary rendition. The panel's members would hail from outside the government and be appointed by the president and congressional leaders of both parties.

Sounds like a great idea. In fact, it sounds a lot like Senate armed services committee chairman Carl Levin's (D-MI) proposed interrogation-policy commission that has been kicking around since 2005. So why does such a good bill only have 10 co-sponsors?

The answer is complicated -- and neither House Speaker Nancy Pelosi nor Majority Leader Steny Hoyer have returned my calls to talk about it. But I'd wager that it has a lot to do with the Democratic majority's desire to turn the page on the Bush years and begin pressing on with an Obama agenda designed to showcase its ability to govern. Nothing wrong with that.

.........

Yes!:applause:

[Dennis Donovan]

1. Will the House Dem Leadership allow it?

:grr:

[1776Forever]

3. Conyers said he is committed to this and will push it no matter who says "no" to him.

:fistbump: Awesome!

[rateyes]

11. Conyers actions, or the lack thereof, speak louder than his words.

I have come to the point where I don't believe a word he says. He needs to put up or shut up.

[wildbilln864]

19. exactly! nt

[roguevalley]

20. commissions, where crimes go to die.

[bdamomma]

24. exactly isn't that what John Dean said.

[Aloha Spirit]

2. Awesome, but they will probably need more than $3 million.

God am I ready for some Justice.

[PearliePoo2]

4. Unfortunetly...John Conyers, over the last few years....

has been all talk and no walk.
He's built us up so many times and then pulled the rug out...I'll believe it when I see it.

[LibDemAlways]

5. A 9/11 type commission won't do. That one had no teeth and

was a complete Bush whitewash. I'm all for going after the Bush Crime family in a big way and hope that the crimes uncovered include all the crimes related to 9/11. The American people, and particularly the 9/11 families, deserve no less.

[glitch]

6. Agreed. It sure as hell better NOT be a 9/11 type commission. It better be REAL. nt

[G_j]

17. agreed, last thing we need is a another white wash n/t

[Joe Chi Minh]

29. It was a farce, and a most unfortunate model for Conyers to cite.

"The lamp broke...." was their considered final finding. And anyway, it was systemic, so no-one was to blame.

[mmonk]

7. No. It will be "bi-partisan" and relegated to daytime C-Span viewers.

[rateyes]

8. You ask:

"So why does such a good bill only have 10 co-sponsors?"

Then say: "The answer is complicated -- and neither House Speaker Nancy Pelosi nor Majority Leader Steny Hoyer have returned my calls to talk about it. But I'd wager that it has a lot to do with the Democratic majority's desire to turn the page on the Bush years and begin pressing on with an Obama agenda designed to showcase its ability to govern."

-------------

I'll take that wager. I'll bet that Pelosi never lets this legislation see the light of day, not because she wants to "turn the page on the Bush years" but because she is complicit in Bush's crimes. She struck a deal with the devil on the question of impeachment: Pelosi will take impeachment off the table, and Bush will remain silent on Pelosi's acquiesence to torture. They briefed her on the program, and she didn't say one word in opposition.

[VP505]

18. I think your absolutely correct

Pelosi, Hoyer all of them are complicit, no way are they going to allow something to happen that would put anyone of them in the cross hairs.

[agent46]

9. A 9/11 type commission???

Does he mean the kind that spends two years and millions of taxpayer dollars to conclude there was no wrong-doing per se and what occured couldn't have been anticipated? That kind of 9/11 type commission? Golly! Can't wait!
:party:

[1776Forever]

13. Actually Schultz brought up the 9/11 comparison - Conyers said he wanted more authority!

Conyers is putting action to his beliefs that there were crimes committed and should be prosecuted.

[Festivito]

10. Only 3 million? MORE! Let's put a bunch of detectives to work.

Employ detectives, that could help the economy. Get some to come out from retirement and teach the new ones.

3 million, what's that, a one time 0.0001% of a yearly federal budget.

[Vincardog]

12. Do you think is would be as successful as the 9/11 commission at whitewashing the truth?

[Solly Mack]

14. I'm sure Lee Hamilton is available

snicker

[John Q. Citizen]

23. True. And Baker and Henry The K. So it's bi-partisan and all. And Henry could be considered

an expert in how criminals escape war-crimes trials.

[Solly Mack]

25. and it can be printed up in a neatly done red, white, and blue book

that gives it that official look that says this report is the definitive work on what really happened.

[leftstreet]

15. We won't know until the book comes out

Or book(s).

[1776Forever]

16. I think Conyers was agreeing with Schultz more - He said he wanted action from this commission.

Conyers said he didn't want a precedent set by Bush for future President's actions.

[nolabels]

21. 9/11 the multi-trillion dollar red herring

Conyers wants to push three million into fund to look into it.

Do we really need to do the math here :shrug:

[jtrockville]

22. I hope they don't do this. COMMISSION = WHITEWASH

[1776Forever]

26. Here is what the article tells us about what Conyers wants to do.........

The measure would set up a National Commission on Presidential War Powers and Civil Liberties, with subpoena power and a reported budget of around $3 million, to investigate issues ranging from detainee treatment to waterboarding to extraordinary rendition.

[jtrockville]

27. We need an investigation by someone who can PROSECUTE.

I don't believe congress has subpoena power anymore - they forfeited that the moment they refused to hold people who ignored their subpoenas in inherent contempt.

Why would anyone submit to a congressional subpoena, knowing there are ZERO consequences for not showing up?

[ima_sinnic]

28. oh blah blah blah. Conyers is all talk & no action, & commissions are pure BS

yeah, let's have a nice manufactured "Warren Commissiion"-type BS report, or a 9/11 commission-type BS report. All that either did was pimp some crap that was a bunch of nothing.

Please, letting Conyers handle something like this means that exactly NOTHING is going to happen. Fuck Conyers. For years he kept asking people to sign petitions to impeach and promised to start impeachment. His promises are worth SHIT. Anybody but wimp-ass, duplicitous, useless Conyers, please.