Simple Man Politics

Well my friends the subject of Presidential pardons has recently come up. The reason for this sudden interest in the Presidential pardon is due to the fact the President George W, Bush has used this absolute power to pardon fourteen people and to commute prison sentences for two others so far.

The fear by the Democrats is that President Bush will use this power to pardon someone like Scooter Libby, or someone else they might consider controversial. I do believe that he should pardon the two Border Patrol agents Compean and Ramos. Those were the two who were convicted for shooting a drug smuggler in his butt as he was attempting to escape back into Mexico from the US.

Their other big fear is that he may even issue pardons to people who have not been charged with anything yet, such as cabinet members or even VP Dick Cheney. Believe me they have wanted to get Dick Cheney for years. If President Bush were to do these types of pardons they could not be overturned and the Democrats would lose their shot at some Republican red meat.

The constitution was written to make sure that Presidential pardons were absolute and could not be overturned. Let us not forget that previous Presidents have used the Presidential pardon controversially since we became a country. Let’s take a look at some of these great leaders who have used the pardon to their advantage.

Some of the Clinton pardons were notorious. Perhaps the one most everyone remembers is the pardon of Marc Rich the billionaire fugitive. It was rumored that he received his pardon due to some aggressive lobbying by his surrogates, and the fact that his estranged wife was a major Clinton contributor. Bill Clinton actually granted three hundred and ninety five pardons. However a total of one hundred and forty were issued on the last day of his Presidency including the Rich pardon. Similar charges regarding other final day pardons prompted calls for congressional hearings and action by federal prosecutors.

A couple of other Presidents who have had controversial pardons are Jimmy Carter and George H W Bush. Jimmy Carter pardoned all those who had evaded service during the Vietnam War. George H W Bush pardoned six Reagan administration officials including Defense Secretary Casper Weinberger who were involved in the Iran-Contra affair. Below is a brief description of the pardon power.

The Pardon Power:
Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution gives the president "Power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment." A reprieve reduces the severity of a punishment without removing the guilt of the person reprieved. A pardon removes both punishment and guilt.

As judicially interpreted, the president's power to grant reprieves and pardons is absolute. Individual reprieves and pardons cannot be blocked by Congress or the courts. The Framers of the Constitution envisioned the pardon power has having a narrow purpose in times of war and rebellion. The president might offer pardons to rebellious factions as an inducement for a laying down of arms and national reconciliation. Alexander Hamilton argued in the Federalist Papers (No. 74) that "in seasons of insurrection or rebellion, there are often critical moments, when a well-timed offer of pardon to the insurgents or rebels may restore the tranquility of the common wealth; and which, if suffered to pass unimproved, it may never be possible afterward to recall."

So you can see that it doesn’t matter what anyone thinks about who a President pardons, because once he does a pardon that’s that. I personally hope that President Bush does do blanket pardons for himself and his cabinet including Dick Cheney. They should not have to look over their shoulders for the rest of their lives for defending our country and fighting two wars. We are luck that President Bush didn’t institute the War Powers Act, or suspend Posse Commitatus. Then there might not have even been an election in 2004 or 2008.

That is all I have for today, but I will have a special one for Thanksgiving Day. I t won’t be very political but it will be true. Have a wonderful Wednesday CIAO4NOW!!!!!