If Bush survives his Pres. until 08, could he be charged with any crimes

[cidliz2004]

when he leaves office? I was just wondering if he had some type of immunity after his Presidency. I cannot imagine that his lies/crimes won't catch up to him during his lifetime. As President, he can be impeached, forced to resign.... but what about afterwards?

[ixion]

1. will he NOT be charged with crimes?

Does the Statute of Limitations on war crimes run out as soon as he leaves the WH?

Like Kissenger, the BushCo will, at best, not be able to leave the states, IMO.

[cidliz2004]

2. I was wondering if he would be "exiled" in order to avoid prosecution

I was also wondering if there were some special protections against criminal prosecution built in for the President of the United States.

[ixion]

11. heh heh... my question in response was rhetorical

as in: how could he NOT be charged? :-)


There are no special protections built in (internationally speaking) for people who commit war crimes, even if it's the pResident of Jeebusland.

[cidliz2004]

14. Could he claim diplomatic immunity in another country?

[ixion]

18. he can claim immunity right here in the states

that wouldn't make a difference, if war crimes charges are brought. Mind you, he'll probably never be tried, he just won't leave the US.

[karynnj]

12. Ford pardoned Nixon for all crimes he may have committed

This was after Nixon resigned. This was a politically costly thing for Ford to do, so I'm sure there must have been a likelihood that he could have been charged with something.

[kentuck]

3. No. Because what cannot be conceived cannot be understood.

Nobody in Washington seems to be able to conceive the damage and the criminal nature of Bush and his Administration. At least, nobody in the Democratic Party seems able to comprehend the nature and extent of his crimes.

[unblock]

4. in theory, there's no immunity

however, it's remarkably difficult, both politically and practically, to actually prosecute a former president.

among the difficulties are finding an unbiased jury and willing witnesses -- bush surrounds himself only with the most loyal.

generally, a former president cannot be prosecuted for "official acts", but if he did something he didn't actually have the official power to do, that would be possible, again, in theory.

best bets for actual prosecutions would be such clearcut things as bribery and obstruction of justice.

i VERY much doubt that shrub will be prosecuted, for many reasons.

sad, but true.

[Boo Boo]

5. Not a lawyer or anything

but I think that all US officials are subject to the torture act without exception. There's little doubt that the law has been broken, and from the various memos it is clear that they new they might be subject to the law some time in the future. If one can show that Bush ordered/sanctioned it, well, then I guess where there is a will there is a way.

Is there the will? Frankly, I don't think so.

[wtbymark]

6. What about illegaly seizing the power to take us to war

through executive order he took us to war, not with an act of congress which is required under the constitution. This alone is an act of treason, Gore outlined these charges in a speech a couple of years ago, but nobody listened. According to our constitution he should be strung up from the cherry tree in the south lawn.

[Charon]

7. Seizing Power

Think you can make just as strong a case against President Truman for making war in Korea without a declaration issued by Congress. Also, think President Johnson made war in Vietnam without a congressional Declaration of War.

[borg5575]

17. The Clinton also broke the law when we went into Kosovo.

Presidents take us to war all the time without an act of Congress. Both Democrats and Republicans have been very good at this in the past.

I'm not saying it's right. Personally, I opposed Bush's intervention in Iraq, but then I opposed Clinton's intervention in the Balkans too for that matter.

[demokatgurrl]

8. Unlikely while Repubs are in power- someone has to

BRING the charges and prosecute them. And most crimes do have statutes of limitations.

[skip fox]

9. Saints are exempt from prosecution, and Bush claims he was

secretly canonized by the Pope during his last visit. He claims the ceremony occurred in a hidden room behind the Pope's living quarters and that the Pope "musta kept it quiet cause he was old and stuff," the President added.

Full story BREAKING in DU's Lounge:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x3029385

[cidliz2004]

10. Uhhhhh.... the Pope was dead, didn't he know that?

Or is he claiming that the Pope canonized him from Heaven?

[karynnj]

13. Does Brain dead count?

[WI_DEM]

15. I doubt it.

[jsw_81]

16. Extremely unlikely

The chance of Bush ever being charged with a crime are virtually nil. I know it's fun to dream about it -- just as the Republicans fantasized about President Clinton being led away from the White House in shackles -- but it's not going to happen.

[Lone Pawn]

19. He can, but he won't.