failure to investigate shrub & the gang is unprincipled and self-serving

[unblock]

there are many reasons NOT to investigate shrub and the gang for wrongdoings in office.

none of them are good.


one reason is that it sets a precedent for investigating the previous presidency, which obama would not especially care to invite. i'm sure he believes that his administration will have nothing to hide, but no one like to invite an investigation, at best their a huge waste of time and money.

another reason is that it (partially) takes the media spotlight away from obama and his new ideas for the present and the future. so it's an unproductive political distraction. well, surely there's enough media bombardment to cover more than one story at a time. besides, the investigation will be slow-paced and leave plenty of gaps for other stories. moreover, constant terrible news about the republicans is quite likely to work in obama's favor in terms of getting things done. especially because there's no political cost in the sense that you don't need to directly say something negative about the current batch of republican congresscritters whose support you might need. having the media bash the republicans constantly on other matters puts the current republicans in a spot where they really can't oppose obama and the democrats easily.

then of course, there's the possibility that any prosecution will go nowhere because not enough people will talk. they are a loyal, tight-knit bunch, after all. i think that's wrong, they only seem tight-knit because no pressure has yet been applied. some have already talked just for money. others will surely talk at the risk of prison time.


obama might not like it, but the country needs it. we CAN NOT PERMIT the next republican administration to play by the same "rules" shrub and the gang have played by. if nothing else, failure to prosecute means that obama's great works to come will endure only until the next republican administration.

[leftstreet]

1. K&R

[Jackpine Radical]

2. The good news is that Obama won't have to do it.

Holder will.

[treestar]

3. Honest question

What would be the specific investigation? Shrub is undoubtedly politically unpopular - but what are the crimes that could be proven - the stuff surrounding Plame? Lies about WMD?

[mmonk]

6. Many are already proven such as torture.

I think for our sake internationally, pick as many of the international crimes as possible. For our own sake, pick as many of the violations of Constitutional government and also legal statutes as possible.

[treestar]

7. Chimp and Cheney admitted that too

The International bodies could move against them. Is there anything likely to come from that? People talk about chimpy's future dock in the Hague, but is the Hague really interested?

[mmonk]

9. Seems there is the possibility.

Read 1776Forever's post in this thread: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[unblock]

11. there have been scores of allegations of criminal actions

every signing statement painted a clue as to something criminal they intended to do in violation of the law shrub signed.

virtually every thing they did amounted to a payback for a bribe. yes, much of the bribery has been legally codified into law, but surely there was a slip-up or two, a la blagojovich, where they were a bit more overt than the law permited.

then there are the war crimes and so on.

[mtnsnake]

4. K&R!

[Metta]

5. and illegal. As Rich or Krugman said, he doesn't have the right not to.

[Medusa]

8. It's not going to happen.

If you're pining your hopes on this it ain't gonna happen.

[unblock]

10. sadly, i agree, for the most part

i won't rule out a small investigation of a minor scandal or two out of the myriad crimes, perhaps just to SAY they're investigating shrub and the gan, but for the most part, i have to agree. i don't have any real hope of a real investigation.

the ultimate reasons are completely cynical and self-serving.

[mmonk]

12. It can't be left to hope.

Representative democracy requires participation.

[mtnsnake]

13. You are so right. Just look at how they did it in the Ukraine with their Orange Revolution

Those people didn't just hope. They acted.

[EraOfResponsibility]

15. There has never been anything false about hope

Not saying that participation isn't good....but don't rule hope out...you never know, bush and cheney could get theirs in a way that you never anticipated. Stay tuned.

[Independent_Liberal]

14. Won't happen by just relying on hope. In order to make it happen, it requires action on our part.