Political passions run deeply.
No leader can be effective in an environment where every action will be scrutinized after the fact with an eye towards punishing people for differences in political opinion. <a href="http://www.watergate.info/ford/pardon.shtml">In one of the brightest spots of his Presidency, Gerald Ford said</a> "The facts, as I see them, are that a former President of the United States, instead of enjoying equal treatment with any other citizen accused of violating the law, would be cruelly and excessively penalized either in preserving the presumption of his innocence or in obtaining a speedy determination of his guilt in order to repay a legal debt to society. During this long period of delay and potential litigation, ugly passions would again be aroused. And our people would again be polarized in their opinions. And the credibility of our free institutions of government would again be challenged at home and abroad."
Of course Gerald Ford was referring to the Watergate incident and crimes that may have been committed by Richard Nixon.
While Gerald Ford pardoned someone who belonged to his political party, the same basic courtesies have been granted to former Presidents by other parties. There are several things that President Clinton did in his term in office that should be considered treasonous. But no prosecutions occurred.
Now we have <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/sep/03/uselections2008.joebiden">this</a> from the Obama/Biden campaign.
<em>"If there has been a basis upon which you can pursue someone for a criminal violation, they will be pursued," Biden said during a campaign event in Deerfield Beach, Florida, according to ABC.
"[N]ot out of vengeance, not out of retribution," he added, "out of the need to preserve the notion that no one, no attorney general, no president -- no one is above the law."
Obama sounded a similar note in April, vowing that if elected, he would ask his attorney general to initiate a prompt review of Bush-era actions to distinguish between possible "genuine crimes" and "really bad policies".
"f crimes have been committed, they should be investigated," Obama told the Philadelphia Daily News. "You're also right that I would not want my first term consumed by what was perceived on the part of Republicans as a partisan witch hunt, because I think we've got too many problems we've got to solve."</em>
The inference, of course, is the decision to go to war in Iraq. A decision that Joe Biden supported in his position as a United States.
If you look back at history, the cult of personality has been used to raise very dangerous men into positions of power. Is this the kind of change we need in our country?
Personally, I'm going to keep clinging to my religion and my guns.
No leader can be effective in an environment where every action will be scrutinized after the fact with an eye towards punishing people for differences in political opinion. <a href="http://www.watergate.info/ford/pardon.shtml">In one of the brightest spots of his Presidency, Gerald Ford said</a> "The facts, as I see them, are that a former President of the United States, instead of enjoying equal treatment with any other citizen accused of violating the law, would be cruelly and excessively penalized either in preserving the presumption of his innocence or in obtaining a speedy determination of his guilt in order to repay a legal debt to society. During this long period of delay and potential litigation, ugly passions would again be aroused. And our people would again be polarized in their opinions. And the credibility of our free institutions of government would again be challenged at home and abroad."
Of course Gerald Ford was referring to the Watergate incident and crimes that may have been committed by Richard Nixon.
While Gerald Ford pardoned someone who belonged to his political party, the same basic courtesies have been granted to former Presidents by other parties. There are several things that President Clinton did in his term in office that should be considered treasonous. But no prosecutions occurred.
Now we have <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/sep/03/uselections2008.joebiden">this</a> from the Obama/Biden campaign.
<em>"If there has been a basis upon which you can pursue someone for a criminal violation, they will be pursued," Biden said during a campaign event in Deerfield Beach, Florida, according to ABC.
"[N]ot out of vengeance, not out of retribution," he added, "out of the need to preserve the notion that no one, no attorney general, no president -- no one is above the law."
Obama sounded a similar note in April, vowing that if elected, he would ask his attorney general to initiate a prompt review of Bush-era actions to distinguish between possible "genuine crimes" and "really bad policies".
"f crimes have been committed, they should be investigated," Obama told the Philadelphia Daily News. "You're also right that I would not want my first term consumed by what was perceived on the part of Republicans as a partisan witch hunt, because I think we've got too many problems we've got to solve."</em>
The inference, of course, is the decision to go to war in Iraq. A decision that Joe Biden supported in his position as a United States.
If you look back at history, the cult of personality has been used to raise very dangerous men into positions of power. Is this the kind of change we need in our country?
Personally, I'm going to keep clinging to my religion and my guns.
