Political Cortex: Brain Food for the Body Politic

"America may not recognize a monarch, or even a formal aristocracy, but whatever his foibles, the president remains iconic."

How interesting that Konrad Moore considers Mr. George W. Bush an icon.  I would respectfully disagree, and I think the majority of Americans don't think of George W. Bush as an icon, as reflected by his very low rating at 23 percent.

Instead, Mr. Moore, the vast majority of the U.S. citizenry think because he brought the nation to its economic knees, asking China and Saudi Arabia to buy U.S. bonds to bail out of the economic pit Bush's Iraq War spending spree, along with bank and business deregulation he condoned.

Breaking international treaties was something beyond Obama's power to ignore for when he accepted the role of president, he became responsible for upholding laws national and international the Bush Republican led administration broke with impunity.

Konrad Moore continued:

"Whether it might ever be appropriate to criminally prosecute a president remains a question for a different day.  We need not presently concern ourselves with the practical challenges where, as here, the political will is absent.

"Instead, the answer is that President Obama should pardon former President Bush.  At once a pardon would reflect benevolence and grace/ Bury the hatchet, we will not tear at old wounds.

"It would also unequivocally convey that which the world already recognizes, the past eight years of our nation's history were characterized by terrible abuses of individual liberties that define our nation.  We recognize our mistakes, just as we promise a better future."

The problem with Konrad Moore's statement "we recognize our mistakes" leaves a big question unanswered.  Does George W. Bush acknowledge the Iraq War was a mistake?

Does George W. Bush acknowledge killing hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, displacing millions of Iraqis was a tragedy, demolishing Iraq's infrastructure was unnecessary in an unneeded war.

If he doesn't publicly acknowledge these monumental missteps, how on earth can he be pardoned by Obama?  You've got a colossal problem with your benevolent solution.

When I asked an Egyptian the other day about this very issue, he quietly said, "Only the God of the universe can pardon George Bush for the Iraq War!"

My viewpoint is that Bush, Cheney and Rice should be brought before the World Court at The Hague to determine if they have violated the agreement for conducting a war the U.S. was signatory to years ago.

In the New York Times February 6 article John Schwartz told of claims of torture abroad, facing a court test:

"A case to be heard in San Francisco on Monday could provide an early look at whether President Obama will fully break with the previous administration on questions of government secrecy, concerning the transfer of terrorism suspects to countries where they may face torture.

"The hearing grows out of a lawsuit filed on behalf of Ethiopian native Binyam Mohammed and four other detainees against a subsidiary of Boeing Company.  The suit maintains that the subsidiary Jeppesen Data Plan helped arrange rendition flights that took the detainees to nations where they say they were tortured."

Under George W. Bush, not only was Iraq a victim of an unneeded attack, but has torture become as symbolic of Bush style Americana as mom and apple pie?

That issue must be decided by Obama.