Lawrence O'Donnell, a former Senate staffer, is NOT criticizing Dems for not calling witnesses

[regnaD kciN]

4. Unfortunately, the question is not...

...whether they succeeded in getting the admission down on the record. The question is whether they could do so in a way that might make enough of an impact to sway Senate votes, or at least mobilize popular opinion enough to make criminal prosecution more palatable. And the obvious answer is "no." It's one thing to have the ranking House Republican, a man known for his extreme partisanship, have to admit in a public hearing on national television that this happened; it's another to have that fact quietly written down on a piece of legalese-filled paper (the public understands "yes, the president did it"; they don't understand what "stipulated" means) that no one will ever remember. By that standard, the deal that was worked out was impeccable legally, but unfortunate strategically.