Wednesday, November 19, 2008

It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!


One of the latest Washington parlor Games seems to be spectating as to whether or not Bush will grant a full pardon to convicted felon Scooter Libby before his administration mercifully comes to an end two months from tomorrow. I say "seems to be" because, trust me, I am not nor have I ever been a member of the Washington Beltway, cocktail party circuit - in good standing or otherwise. All of the info you read on this site I receive second or third hand. Truth be told, I have not even set foot in the District of Columbia since April of 2000.
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Recently, however, the Princes and Princesses of D.C. are starting to ask a somewhat different question:
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Is the First Fool going to issue a blanket pardon for all of the people within this administration - and without - who have committed crimes against the American people in general and humanity in particular?
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Expect a major Constitutional crisis between now and January 20. In the months following the dawn of the 110th Congress in January of 2007, I couldn't understand why the special prosecutors weren't forthcoming. What the hell is the matter with these stupid Democrats? Can't they see that this is the most murderously criminal administration in American history? Are these nitwits blind? Are they part of the conspiracy? What gives?
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Then in early July, I was finally able to figure out the reason behind the Dem's hesitancy. The moment Dick Cheney's chief-of-staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, was convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice, Bush commuted his sentence. What's the sense of prosecuting these homicidal clowns for anything if the asshole in the Oval Office is simply going to render their convictions invalid?
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The plan, I am sure, is to wait until Bush is out of office, then bring forward the prosecutions. As I predicted on this very site almost two years ago, Bush would initiate a blanket pardon in the early hours of Christmas Eve "in the spirit of this glorious holiday season" much like his father did in the case of Casper Weinberger and everyone else convicted of the many crimes that were committed in the Iran Contra affair.
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Here's Bush's problem: No one in his administration has been convicted of or even charged with anything. A president cannot merely pardon someone in anticipation of an indictment, right? Right??? Of course he can't. Explain that, though, to the knuckleheads within the GOP who issue the talking points. You see, the idea is subtly being put forth that, not only can a president pardon anybody for anything - indicted or not - he even has the legal ability to vindicate himself.
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Beg Pardon??? (No pun intended).
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Is he really going to attempt something as hideously arrogant as that? Are you kidding me? This is George W. Bush we're talkin' about here! Of course he's going to attempt it. It would be uncharacteristic for him not to try it. At the very least, he's thinking about it - COUNT ON IT.
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Consider this: Do you think that the Founding Fathers gave the chief executive the power of the pardon in order that he or she would be able to conduct a criminal enterprise for four long years - and even longer - and then have the ability to walk away from their crimes scot-free? If that were the case, why in the hell did they give the Congress the power of impeachment in case of presidential "high crimes and misdemeanors"? What earthly sense would that have made?
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As the late, lamented Molly Ivins once observed, the founders of this country were "just about the smartest sons-of-bitches that ever lived". No article in the Bill of Rights and Constitution was meant to be self-defeating - of that you may be sure. If Bush attempts to do what I think he's going to do, the proverbial shit is going to hit the Constitutional fan.
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If a president had the legal right to pardon himself, why didn't it ever cross the mind of Rhodes Scholar Bill Clinton when he was charged with the "high crime" of lying about a fling with a half-witted intern? Why didn't President Andrew Johnson consider it when he was impeached in 1869? Because to have attempted as much would have been dismissed out of hand as laughable. In 1974, Richard M. Nixon and company considered this very maneuver - for about two minutes. I hate to be placed in the position of defending the Nixon Gang; they may have been a bunch of arrogant thugs, but they were also a fairly intelligent bunch. As soon as the idea floated by, it was immediately overruled as ludicrous. That's the funny thing about Dick Nixon. Say what you want about the hideous old bastard, compared to George W. Bush, he's starting to look like Thomas Jefferson. No, it just doesn't any stranger than that.
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If our commander-in-disguise attempts to let himself off the hook via the dubious means of a self-pardon, how would the Supreme Court rule on something as extraordinary as that? How would they rule on the subject of a mass pardon of people for crimes that are not even named? My prediction would be seven to two, with Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia being the only two holdouts. Seriously, you don't think that those two could possibly render an intelligent judgment, do you?
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America is about to come to the end of the most criminal administration in our history. We cannot allow these people to escape the justice that is their due. What would it say if Bush pardons everyone for the torture that took place under his watch at Guantanamo Bay? It would say that he knew what was going on there was illegal all along! He would be virtually declaring himself a war criminal!
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Think about this for a minute or two: How is it going to look if this disgusting little guttersnipe is able to say, "Yes, I tortured; Yes, I committed war crimes; Yes, I looted our national treasure; Yes, my Justice Department conducted political persecutions under my orders; Yes, I authorized warrantless wiretaps in direct violation of the written law; Yes, I lied this nation into an unnecessary war; Yes, I did all of those things and then some. But guess what? I pardon myself. I'm innocent! TAG, YOU'RE IT! NYAH! NYAH!"
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If we allow him and the people around him to walk away from the carnage they have created, then justice in this doomed country will forever be rendered a farce. Never again will any of us be able to say with a straight face that we are truly a nation of laws and not men. These people have committed serious crimes against humanity - not only in this country but abroad. In 2003, they presented the Congress with falsified evidence that led this country into committing the stupidest military blunder in our history. As a result, as many as one million Iraqi men, women and little children are dead. Almost five thousand American kids now rest in cemeteries all across the land. That, my friends, is a crime of the worst order. The perpetrators of that crime need to be punished - severely. We have no other choice. Justice denied is justice mocked.
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We'd all be better off just handing him over to the Hague. Let them deal with the hideous little bastard. We would be able to avoid the partisan earthquake that would certainly come with the criminal prosecution of George W. Bush, Dick Chaney and the tsunami of human incompetence that comprises this nightmare of an administration. Also, they would surely be able to avoid the death penalty - something I vehemently oppose - which by their own standards they deserve. They would be able to spend the rest of their miserable lives contemplating their sins. Now that sounds like a plan!
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Gosh! I'm sure gonna miss George W. Bush. Aren't you? He certainly has provided us with gales of unintentional laughter low these many years, has he not? More than one person has asked me, "What are you going to rant about when he's gone?" Good question. Fortunately for me, the Republicans won't be going away any time soon. Fortunately for me, those idiotic Democrats are way far from perfect. Yeah, as America heads into the post-Bush era, I'll have plenty to "rant" about, thanks just the same. But I will tell you this: Even if America survives into the next millennium, the situation will never again get as good as it was under George W. Bush - NEVER. For someone who writes about politics, his reign of stupidity has been a virtual gourmet feast of choice material on which to feed. Don't hold your breath. It just won't get this weird again....
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On second thought, that's exactly what I said when when Ronald Reagan left the White House....

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Never mind.
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Tom Degan
Goshen, NY
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SUGGESTED READING:
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The Lies of George W. Bush
by David Corn
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AFTERTHOUGHT:
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I've just discovered a great blog site called The Mills River Progressive. It is authored by a woman who goes by the name of Anna van Z. and it's a great read! Here's a link:
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In just sixty days the Bush administration will be tossed onto history's shit pile. January 20, 2009 just can't come soon enough for me. Hang in there, America!

15 Comments:

At 2:14 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Tom,

As long as our democracy exists, you will always have something to rant about. Goverment of the people, by the people, for the people will always have its idiots and geniuses in equal measure. I bought a fridge magnet the other day that shows a family saluting the American Flag and it says, "We pledge to never vote for an idiot again." I am trying to decide which of my Republican friends to bestow this upon for Christmas.

My biggest concern of the Bushies getting away with torture and murder is the precedent it sets for future presidents. They can always site the Bush Regime and the fact that Congress did not impeach or tar & feather them to justify future executive misuse of powers.

We need to send a powerful message to all future office holders that we are a land of laws and no one is above those laws. If not, we will have two sets of laws: those for the rich and powerful, and those for the rest of us. I am positive that is the reason Dick Cheney has invested heavily in the private prison systems - they gotta lock you up somewhere, Tom. LOL

Have a great Thanksgiving! We have a lot to be grateful for.

Peace to all,

Jo in Arizona

 
At 3:33 PM, Blogger Tom Degan said...

Dear Jo,

You're probably right. There will always be enough clowns in the Washington circus to keep people like me occupied.

Thank you for the posting.

All the best,

Tom Degan

 
At 4:31 PM, Blogger SilentOtto said...

"We'd all be better off just handing him over to the Hague."

Of course, the Americans would have to actually sign on to the ICC for that to happen. Certainly the second coming of the Bill Clinton administration will not allow that. When have Americans ever joined an organization or agreement that they couldn't control?

I'm afraid the bitterest pill of the last eight years will be watching the Bush gang sail off scot-free, to their rewarded board directorships and lobbying firms, reveling in the enjoyment of their war booty.

 
At 5:02 PM, Blogger Tom Degan said...

silentotto,

I fear what you're saying may be true. Obama's administration is starting to look like Clinton retread. What is the point in that? If he turns out to be a dud like Bill Clinton, I'm not going a happy camper - that's for damned sure.

Tom Degan

 
At 5:35 PM, Blogger Citizen Sane said...

Tom, I hope you're right, but based on the Democrats' statements regarding Lieberman, ("we're looking forward, not back", etc.) I wouldn't make book on that. The Dems in congress have refused to do much about any of the outrages, and it sounds like the plan is to "move forward", blah, blah, and "bi-partisanship" - which to Democrats means capitulating to the repugs, just as they have done with Bush these past two years.
I'm afraid Obama is fixing to make the same type of mistake Clinton made when he took office. Which was to sweep the crimes of Bush the 1st and his cronies under the rug without so much as an investigation, in the attempt to make nice with the GOP. That worked out well, didn't it?
The crimes, fraud, profiteering, and racketeering of the past 8 years have left this country in shambles, and America has lost its credibility and reputation in the world. We have a massive quagmire based on lies, countless people dead, Wall Street corruption which has wreaked havoc worldwide - and the American public has been handed the bill for ALL OF IT.
The crap about "oh let's just move forward and not look back" is a big ol' steaming pile of crap. We deserve some answers and some accountability, damn it, and there will be no "going forward" without it. Our great-grandchildren will be STILL be paying for the debacles of the current administration. Half of these people should be in prison, for Christ's sake! Why are people that knowingly started a war by lying through their teeth, one that has killed over a million people and bankrupted our country, going to skip off to a cushy retirement scot-free? It's beyond
outrageous.
Either we have a justice system or we don't. Either our constitution means something or it doesn't. It's up to us. What are we going to tolerate from our government?

p.s. Tom, we'll have plenty write about in the next few years...count on it!

 
At 7:28 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Tom, I have been saying since the enormity of the disaster of the Bush "presidency"(I say that with tongue in cheek and a chlothes pin on my nose)sunk in that Nixon was a statesman compared with Bush.
Lets hope after January 20 there are strong cleansing winds blowing over the land sweeping away the most corrupt greedy passel of people it has been the misfortune of our nation to have to endure.

 
At 9:09 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Tomm The greatest document since Magna Carta and which Chimpy dismisses as "that goddamned piece of paper" forbids Chimp and and Chump from holding the offices they do.
Never mind the Supreme Court in 2000
The President and Vice President shall not be from the same state according to our Constitution.
Cheney lived in Houston, conducted all his business there and only used his multimillion dollar hideaway in Jackson Hole Wyoming for receation such as slaughtering innocent animals from the comfort of an airplane.
Excepting pot shooting lawyers who happened to get in the way.

 
At 3:50 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRqcfqiXCX0

 
At 4:54 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Tom I'm glad you are still in a reasonably good mood

As a Doc I'll toss in a few medical metapohors for anyone's use-

- "a horrible cancer is going away"
- "the pus is FINALLY coming out"
- "Our long national nightmare is finally over" (whoops-used before- SO SECOND RECENT long nightmare)

On a positive medical note - "the sunshine of truth is the best disenfectant"

Dr. Rick Lippin

 
At 7:29 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

Tom, Great rant! I agree that it would be unconscionable if we allow Bush to pardon himself and unnamed defendants for any crime associated with war. I really don’t think it will happen. At least Clinton knew who and what for the 140 plus pardons he handed out at the end of his term. BTW, I understand Obama’s pick for Atty Gen, Holder, had a hand in “Pardongate”. Same old, same old! Bush and friends won’t be prosecuted. He did what he did because he thought it was the right thing to do. I told you how pissed I was about Bush lying to me. I am certainly not a fan. But to play devils advocate, the main thing Bush is guilty of is stupidity. He wasn’t very good about doing anything covertly, as have past administrations. His goal in Iraq was no different than past administrations starting with JFK. Yes, it was JFK who actually helped Saddam and pals get their start with genocide. Bush basically continued US policy in Iraq. Clinton is obviously (much) smarter than Bush and preferred the hit run approach. He initiated quite a few small conflicts/attacks. Most of the Desert Storm targets were air defense installations and republican guard strong holds, and not WMD’s as was reported. Bush is an arrogant cowboy with no finesse, no understanding of history, and a shoot first and “think” later philosophy. As you said, it was undoubtedly the worst military blunder of our time. But before you stomp on the republicans, remember that the democrats have dragged us into more wars. FDR got us into WWII. He sneaked around behind the backs of the American people until such time as he could get us into it. There are some who think the ships in Pearl Harbor was an invitation to the Japanese; unthinkable really, but who knows. Truman got us into Korea. JFK got us into Nam. BTW, one of the considerations in Nam was the discovery of a large oil reserve off the coast; sound familiar? Clinton really set the stage for Bush; and rightly so. Saddam was an evil man who had slaughtered hundreds of thousands of people, and needed to go. The problem is the way Bush went about it. Saddam was no different than Hitler, just not as well equipped.

 
At 8:46 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I commented a while back about wanting to vote for Nader but I let hope cloud my judgement and ended up voting for Obama. BOHICA: Bend over, here it comes again! Hope sucks. New boss same as the old boss. bla,bla,bla......

 
At 9:04 AM, Blogger Tom Degan said...

To anonymous:

I understand your trepidations. Believe me, the last thing I want is "Clinton Retread" and the amount of Clintonistas in this administration gives me pause. But, for the time being anyway, let's give Barack Obama the benefit of the doubt.

Remember, these people are not working for Bill Clinton. They have nearly a decade of hindsight that separates them from that administration. Surely they learned a thing or two while they were in the White House first time 'round. A year from today, we will have a better idea whether or not President Obama is on the right track. In the mean time, let's see what happens.

Keep your fingers crossed and your hands folded.

Cheers!

Tom Degan

 
At 2:28 PM, Blogger Frank Partisan said...

I think Obama should be judged, on the same standards that Bush was judged. The Democratic Party always floats one version or another of the lesser evil. Granted Obama is dynamic. Still judge him as you would Bush etc.

 
At 10:07 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Tom, here's the thing: whether the President can pardon himself for a crime is one thing, but the answer to that question has nothing to do with Congress' power to impeach. Impeachment is not a criminal proceeding, but rather a process to remove the president or other public officials from office. An impeached president could still be charged by prosecutors with a crime. An unimpeached president could still be charged with a crime. And a pardon can't stop Congress from impeaching anyone, though it most certainly can stop someone from indicting or convicting someone or erase a conviction.

 
At 10:33 AM, Blogger charles moore said...

Hi Tom, I most certainly hope that you are right and that we can get all of the Bushies tried, convicted and put away in prison for the rest of their miserable lives. However, not to sound too much like a Cassandra or a Raven of Doom, we are not through with them until they have actually packed their bags and are on that Greyhound bus out of Washington. There is still time for them to do any number of unimaginable things to retain control of power.

As for the Jugeared Jackass trying to pardon himself? Of course, he is just that fucking dumb.

 

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