Regarding the friendly disagreement between the Bard and myself, Bush and Cheney already enjoy undeserved folk hero status, and within the far right realms, they will always enjoy such status regardless of outcome.
I appreciate the debate.
Regarding the friendly disagreement between the Bard and myself, Bush and Cheney already enjoy undeserved folk hero status, and within the far right realms, they will always enjoy such status regardless of outcome. That is very well illustrated in regards to G. Gordon Liddy, who unlike Ollie North, was convicted of his crimes, and was still enthusiastically welcomed as a folk hero who enjoys status as a voice of the right wing even today.
Rush Limbaugh is another fine example of someone who was caught breaking the law, publicly chastised and found guilty by way of public opinion as the Bard says he would prefer, and yet commands one of the highest positions within the Republican Right Wing to this day and probably well into the future.
As much as the political reality of such experience disgusts me, I feel that I have a clear understanding in that regardless of outcome, ideologues will continue to push their agenda. I would hope, therefore that the Bard would agree with that, which somewhat neutralizes his point regarding Ollie North. In other words- it's going to happen regardless so why fear it as a repercussion? Regarding the practicality of prosecutions based upon what we now know: _We KNOW that American soldiers have been charged and convicted and have served prison time for torturing captives _We KNOW that leading up to those convictions we were told by President Bush and others that those decisions were made by individuals and on several public occasions Bush 'cleared the air' by stating categorically that the US did not approve of torture- that it was clearly against the law _We KNOW that since that time there has been a steady, frog-boiling pace, at which the President and Vice President have slowly reversed their position on the matter- with a constant emphasis on the legality of authorizing such torture becoming the new issue _We also KNOW that skids were greased in having legal officials attempt to exempt administration decisions from the Geneva Conventions
IMHO, it seems obvious that even should a conviction prove elusive, the transformation from 'hiding behind a pregnant enlisted soldier following orders' to 'finally admitting that you authorized torture yourselves' would prove shamefully embarrassing at worst and legally damning at best. The Bard writes: "Do not let Bush and Cheney become martyrs, which will surely happen if they are subjected to criminal prosecution." Although I respect the Bard's opinion- I find this statement speculative with no basis in fact. Bush/Cheney are already martyrs to those who worship them and this will not change, therefore it can only cloud one's judgement to consider such outcomes in regards to the overall matter.
I challenge the Bard and anyone else to consider that my stance is not borne of moral purity, but instead is the only way forward for a nation that temporarily lost it's moral compass in a way which cannot be ignored or allowed to escape due accountability.
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