Obama DOJ Asks Court to Grant Immunity to George W. Bush For Iraq War

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59. Welcome to DU, yeoman6987!

Glad you're here! I can understand your point. But there are exceptionally valid points going the other way.

First of all, some here have already posted about how failing to prosecute, or send 'em to the Hague for a war crimes tribunal (which is what SHOULD happen since these were INTERNATIONAL crimes), would send a message that this behavior was okay and that the next guy or gal in charge could just dance along down that path with impunity - and worse, knowing nobody's gonna do anything about it and blah-blah-blah. It'd be open season for any future President to be as thuggish as he or she wanted to, citing the cover of national security, and nobody'd do a thing. There would be no checks, no balances, no restraints keeping them from stepping as far out of line as they felt like doing.

It also reinforces apathy, non-vigilance, and the notion that we as citizens - the people the President SERVES (let's not forget - the President is a PUBLIC SERVANT) have no voice and no recourse. No accountability. Move along + nothing to see here + no corrective action + no penalties or consequences for bad behavior = dictatorship, a silenced public, nobody gives a damn anymore, and among other things, they stop voting.


Further, I'm old enough to remember when President Ford pardoned nixon. That left an oozing wound behind that we still haven't gotten over, as a nation. Granted, that's true mainly for history buffs and those of us old enough to remember when President Ford pardoned nixon - and for all the things he was pardoned for. Younger folks don't care that much 'cause they didn't live it, and didn't see the outrage and the skulduggery and criminality, and abuse of power at the highest levels. At least SOME of those bastards went to prison! Gerry Ford always said he remained convinced he did the correct thing because it did allow America to move on from Watergate and not obsess. But it dealt a mortal wound to the character of this nation and to our system of justice, compromised our honor, and only reinforced the idea that the really powerful can and in some cases should be allowed to get away with it. And he did finally concede that it was the prime reason why he only got two years in the White House - whatever was left of nixon's second term - and failed to win the Presidency on his own. When he was appointed Vice President after nixon's then-veep, spiro agnew, resigned in disgrace, Ford stated that he was keenly aware that he had not arrived there by the vote of the people. So when the rest of nixon's second term ran out, Ford ran for his own term, and had his ass handed to him.