Tom Kean would be an Ideal Republican Co-chair of an Independent, Bipartisan National January 6 Investigation Commission
In 2002, former President George W. Bush signed legislation creating an independent national bipartisan commission to investigate the catastrophe of 9-11. The commission was co- chaired by Republican former New Jersey Governor Tom Kean and Democratic former Congressman from Indiana Lee Hamilton.
The 9-11 Commission issued its report in 2004, and its work was acclaimed as a model of national competent bipartisan cooperation. Last Saturday, Kean and Hamilton sent a letter to President Biden advocating the creation of a similar commission to investigate the insurrection of January 6 in the nation’s capital.
The Kean-Hamilton letter asserted most cogently both the need for such a Commission and what its mandate should be: “The shocking and tragic assault of Jan. 6th on the U.S. Capitol requires thorough investigation, to ensure that the American people learn the truth of what happened that day. An investigation should establish a single narrative and set of facts to identify how the Capitol was left vulnerable, as well as corrective actions to make the institution safe again.”
Biden would be well advised to follow this recommendation. And he would be well-advised to appoint Tom Kean as its Republican co-chair. I’ll leave it up to the Democrats to offer a nominee for the Democratic co-chair position. In fact, the name of former Alabama US Senator Doug Jones has already been mentioned in this regard.
Tom Kean was the greatest governor of New Jersey during the 20th century. He is that rare quintessential example of how one political leader exemplified both goodness and greatness. And he is a memory of a great era when New Jersey Republicans could be proud of a how great Republican governor, Tom Kean was the favorite governor of a great Republican president, Ronald Reagan, an era before the vile cancer of Trumpism destroyed the heart and soul of the GOP.
There will be some ageist hesitation regarding the appointment of Kean since he will be 86 years young in April. So what? If Tom Brady, age 43 could lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl championship, Tom Kean can ably co-chair a January 6 commission.
And unlike the narcissistic Tom Brady, Tom Kean will not do anything stupid, like throwing the Lombardi Trophy from boat to boat over the Hillsborough River during the Super Bowl victory boat parade.
One gratuitous recommendation on my part: All members of the new commission, including journalists who cover its work, must read the book, Hate in the Homeland: The New Global Far Right, authored by Cynthia Miller-Idriss, director of the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL) at American University. A landmark work!
And President Biden, please bring back Tom Kean!
Alan Steinberg served as Regional Administrator of Region 2 EPA during the administration of former President George W. Bush and as Executive Director of the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission.
………………….OLDER AND WISER
Judy Woodruff interviewed Tom Kean on the NewsHour this week.
He explained clearly and confidently the reasons for a bipartisan
commission to investigate the January 6th attack on the Capitol.
We must know why it happened and how it happened,
Trump may be a part of it, but the primary reason, the most important
reason is to know why and how the insurrection started so it can
never, never happen again.
Tom Kean also stressed that the co- chairs, Republican and Democrat,
must be highly respected and trusted by our citizens.
Members selected must also be highly regarded and known for
their true service to our country.
As to Tom Kean’s age, I don’t care.
I think of him as older, wiser, probably more mature, and a fine human being.
PS ….Alan Steinberg, just like Tom Kean, I don’t care how old you are either.
Just continue to write interesting, informative columns for InsiderNJ readers.
The original 9/11 Commission was a complete failure, as it allowed the intelligence community and the F.B.I. to run rings around them, which have not been addressed even up until today. Former U.S. Senator Bob Graham (D.-Fl.) and others campaigned AFTER the release of the 9/11 report, for re-opening the investigation, because they found out they had been bamboozled by the intelligence community and the most crucial aspects of Saudi involvement in support for the hijacker teams had been redacted and hidden. The Families and Victims of 9/11 organization has waged an uphill battle to get key Saudi officials into U.S. Courts to question them under oath. For example, money controlled by the Saudi Ambassador at the time, Prince Bandar Bin Sultan and his wife had been supplying money to at least two of the hijackers, and if field reports about other hijack teams had been investigated, 9/11 would not have happened. Lets get a top notch team of investigators involved in the January 6th event, especially since it is now known that there was extensive pre-planning and the F.B.I. was in control of at least two of the most radical groups and their planning, The Oath Takers, and The Proud Boys, and field reports from the FBI and CIA were ignored as were requests to increase security.
Former U.S. Senator Bob Graham (D.-Fl.) on the complete failure of the 9/11 Investigation, at the National Press Club on C-Span. https://www.c-span.org/video/?414563-1/senator-bob-graham-addresses-release-911-reports-28-pages