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Today and tomorrow it is all about hope. Still, there has been a lot of chatter about the not so inspiring past. And many, including Speaker Pelosi, are hoping for a little retribution.
Pelosi has stated formally that she believes the incoming President should prosecute former government officials for their aggressive anti-terror tactics. More interestingly, she wants a remedy for the, “politicizing of, for example, the Justice Department. …I want to see the truth come forth.”
Legally, she is completely justified in her call and points out that prosecutions, however unpopular, may be required by law.
Fox News has reported that Obama is likely not in favor of prosecuting the former government. As a figure of progress and inspiration, I am not surprised that the new President doesn’t want to spend time rehashing the almost unanimously hated actions of the old Commander in Chief. His message of reaching across the aisle and creating alliances with conservatives would not be well served by heeding Pelosi’s call for legal action.
The truth is that, while prosecution is almost certainly warranted, Obama doesn’t have the kind of image or message that could handle this kind of push for retribution. Republicans would have a field day with the contradiction between the calls for a move forward and a re-imagining of America with the slow expensive process of prosecuting government officials.
Though I agree with Pelosi that prosecution is the right idea – a necessary enforcement of the rule of law – I do not expect Obama to follow through on her demands. As a politician, and a brilliant one at that, I do expect that he work hard to create laws and bureaucracy that ensure no torture, no war crimes are committed by the new, hope-filled United States.
Anything Obama does is going to be media fodder. So let’s make sure he does the right thing, and prosecute the criminals in the previous government. Blagojevich shouldn’t be the only guy heading to prison this year.
you talk about creating new laws and working hard, but what GOOD does it do to have laws if certain individuals, acting as if they were king or royaly above the law, IGNORE the laws. Laws without enforcement are a WASTE OF TIME, one could argue. Yes,sometimes laws act as a deterrent to potential violators, but not to government officials it seems.
Prosecution is in order. No one is above the law. Bush/Cheney thought they were above it with listening to phone calls, invading another country with out the okay of Congress. Then there’s all those lies about WMDs, Cheney’s secret energy meetings, plus so much more. Even my church was targeted for “political” reasons. They should not get away with it.
Yes, it does set a bad precedent. Unfortunately, in all reality, what would these prosecutions do? I can only see consequences that help to keep our populace divided. No trial will change what happened in the past, nor will it change what is happening now.
It’s an ugly situation, to say the least. These people need to be held accountable, but we also need to move forward in a new direction. It’s a sad truth to face, but if the Obama administration pushed for these prosecutions, then they would probably end up being media fodder, overshadowing the more important issues we have to face.
While the politics may not be conducive to prosecutions, legally and in terms of future conduct, they should be carried out, nonetheless. Palosi can fill us in on the legal end. In addition, the conduct of the Bush administration has, in fact, set a precedent. If the precedent isn’t reversed, we can be certain that the bad conduct will return. Let’s think ahead a little, folks.