Now that the propaganda hit piece is about to air, let's acknowledge that the netroots and larger Democratic party gave it our best shot on short notice, well almost. I say that because there are two names that I think deserve special sanction and opprobrium.
One is Lee Hamilton, the former congressman from Indiana. During his 34 years in the House of Representatives he chaired the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He is mentioned here because he was also the democratic co-chair, along with Tom Kean (R), of the 9/11 Commission. The co-chair structure of this commission was done in order to preserve bi-partisanship. The bi-partisan nature of that commission was thrown out the window when Tom Kean accepted money and a producing role in the "Path to 9/11". Has Mr. Hamilton come out to denounce or repudiate Mr. Kean's role in the film? No. Has he intervened to curb the use of the name of the 9/11 commission in this blatantly partisan context? No. Has he endorsed the critical statements of Richard Ben-Veniste, his democratic colleague on the commission? No. Has anyone heard boo from Lee Hamilton? No. Has he silently switched party affiliation? Who knows?
Why not ask him - lee.hamilton@wilsoncenter.org
The other is George Mitchell. George Mitchell is now chairman of the Disney Corp, and granted this is now his first loyalty. But he had had a long and distinguished government career as a democrat, and was in fact Senate Majority Leader from 1989 - 1995. During that time he earned a solid reputation as a judicious negotiator and broker of conciliation and compromise. Now the company whose board he chairs is embroiled in a partisan political contoversy. The Disney brand has been yoked to a low-road political hatchet job. Has he stepped in to guide this to a reasonable outcome? No. Has he made any public statement to distance Disney from the producers of this film? No. Has anyone heard boo from George Mitchell? No. Is he quietly dumping his company's stock? Who knows?
Why not ask him - george.mitchell@dlapiper.com
I'm picking on these folks in part because the way they have vanished stands in marked contrast to the way Republicans act when there is a partisan dispute. They are not shy about joining the bandwagon, and the unity of their communication strategy is a source of strength. Republicans expect that their well-placed colleagues will lend their voices to the cause. Now in the case of George Mitchell I'm not expecting him to join the political fray in a partisan way. But at least use your bully pulpit to moderate the situation - be a voice of reason - give some weight to the letters from a former president and members of his cabinet asking for reconsideration on this. But instead we get nothing. Republicans would excommunicate such people from their party. We should at least call them out on this.