2007-02-11

Presidential Pardons

In the waning days of Clinton's presidency, his Republican critics abhored his many presidential pardons, as did some lefties. Pardonees included many political contributors who seemed to lack any justifyable reason for a pardon. Let's keep an eye on Bush II, and on those who criticized Clinton for unjustifyable presidential pardons. So far:

President - # Pardons:

Bush II - 58
Clinton - 396
Bush I - 74
Reagan - 393
Carter - 534
Ford - 382
Nixon - 863

I think that many people warrent pardons, including those two Mexican - American border agents who shot the drug dealer (and then covered it up), and that black high school guy who got put in prison for having consensual sex with a white classmate.

5 comments:

Nadir said...

Bush has done his biggest pardon job already by getting the last congress to pass the Military Commissions Act. This granted immunity to all of those who committed war crimes on his watch - including him for ordering those war crimes!

Paul Hue said...

Bush's Military Commissions Act does protect these people against real crimes that they commit, but it also protects them against phoney accusations.

Tom Philpott said...

It would be highly ironic if the act protected Bush and his crew against real crimes, but left them open to phony accusations. Evidently their incompetence does know some bounds.

Here's hoping that the Military Commissions Act dies an ignoble death and Bush and his minions are held responsible for their actions.

Paul Hue said...

"Held responsible" by whom?

And for what?

Tom Philpott said...

Torture, for one.