If we prosecute Bush and Cheney, then the Repubs will do the same...

[kentuck]

the next time they are in power? They will go after the previous Democratic Administration for their crimes also.

Well, if the Democratic Administration commits crimes like torture and keeps it from the American people, then I would support going after the Democratic Administration also. I would say, "Have at it!"

This is a weak argument for anyone to make. Anyway, Repubs don't chase real crimes - they prefer to chase blue dresses.

[Toucano]

1. "Have at it" is exactly right.

I might have said, "Go nuts!" but they already have.

[L. Coyote]

25. "the next time they are in power" LOL. Not going to happen, unless of course,

they are NOT prosecuted for their crimes again (remember Nixon, Iran-Contra?)!

[Toucano]

26. Bingo!

That have to be put away so they can't return and screw everything up again.

Not just Iran-Contra, but the same geniuses from the Savings and Loan crisis returned like the undead to suck the life out of everything again.

Prosecute, prosecute, prosecute. Them and their intellectual (at least) progeny.

[AngryAmish]

2. Democrats do not commit crimes - Only Rethugs do

They crave human flesh.

[annabanana]

7. dumb.. everyone knows that the repigs couldn't have done it alone.

I fully expect that there will be a few Dem heads to roll. And I don't care.

[kentuck]

8. We do need to clean House...

Incompetents would permit all of us to be tortured. Especially if they are sworn to secrecy...

[rcrush]

18. Seriously?

Must be nice to live in your world.

[annabanana]

3. Let them GO GET'EM!!. . . All those Deomcrats that authorized torture

and started illegal wars based on NOTHING.. Let them hang 'em high.. All those Democrats responsible for the deaths of 4275 Americans and God only knows how many Iraqis..

[Skidmore]

4. The biggest mistake in the history of this nation was the refusal to

impeach Nixon and prosecute his top henchmen--all of them. As a result, we have lived with the little monsters born and bred in his administration for years. They have operated with impunity because they knew that no one would stop them or punish them.

Let's punish these people and in a manner that says that such actions will never be allowed again. By that I mean that if we have culpable Dems caught up in this too, they must be punished as well. Without such action, justice will not be served and the door will remain open for future abuses of power and the law.

[Democrats_win]

5. The only honor for Bush Cheney is hara kiri.

Treasonous lies to get us into elective wars and the collpase of the economy means that these men owe us one thing: an honorable suicide.

[KansDem]

6. They already had it their way...

Remember "Clinton Impeachment?"

Somehow, a consensual act of lovemaking doesn't come close to torturing children...

[stopbush]

14. But getting a BJ harms the moral standing of the USA much more than

torturing people hundreds of times.

[Butch350]

15. Amen KansDem!!!

[Democracyinkind]

19. That depends on the priorities I guess. No sarcasm, for some people it is the other way around.

How can we convince them?
Is it a class thing or is it useless like playing chess with an ape?

[Soylent Brice]

9. i don't care who goes after who. crimes are crimes.

torture is torture. no one is above the law. i think everyone can agree on that.

[kentuck]

10. Unfortunately, people have been programmed to believe that...

the President is the "decider". In fact, it is the Justice Dept that decides who and when to prosecute crimes. They work for the American people. Let us hope that Eric Holder has the guts to do his job.

[Soylent Brice]

16. i think everybody is in for a big shocker.

i think there will be some type of prosecutions. the problem is that there needs to be a huge outlet of correct information to counteract all the disinformation.

when hannity (or whichever puppet it was) gets his ass waterboarded, we'll see an even bigger swing in public opinion.

[OHdem10]

11. May I suggest that the argument is a bit more than Repubs going after

Dems the nest time they are in power.

The chaos and turmoil it will create among the electorate to speak
nothing of the bitterness among voters. This is what concerns people.

The American people are very turned off by politicians anyway.
Creating a circus when sadly most people will believe it is just
politics on the part of Democrats can damage the Democratic
Party forever.

When Obama ran he said he would turn the page. He got Independents
and GOP voters. These people knew things were done in GWB Administration.
Turning the page seemed best approach.

For some people, even if they are willing to give the Dems a chance,
going back and rehashing what everyone knows was wrong is just as
wrong. Either correct things when they happen or live with consequences
and move on. The World needs fixing. Do not fritter away our time
and money on trying to correct things you should have prevented
from happening.

While we Democrats may have strong feelings and believe people should
be punished, others do not.

I guarantee you. Go through a show trial--the whole works. Not
one mind will be changed. You may lose some Independents and
GOP out of sheer disgust.

I say these things as a word of caution.

[kentuck]

13. Do you believe we should pursue the truth...

even if no one is prosecuted? Or should we simply sweep it under the rug and "move forward"?

[bdamomma]

24. we will not be able to move forward until our system rears its head again.

will the justice system come back?

[Spazito]

21. It seems you are wrong in your supposition...

Poll: Most want inquiry into anti-terror tactics

WASHINGTON — Even as Americans struggle with two wars and an economy in tatters, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds majorities in favor of investigating some of the thorniest unfinished business from the Bush administration: Whether its tactics in the "war on terror" broke the law.
Close to two-thirds of those surveyed said there should be investigations into allegations that the Bush team used torture to interrogate terrorism suspects and its program of wiretapping U.S. citizens without getting warrants. Almost four in 10 favor criminal investigations and about a quarter want investigations without criminal charges. One-third said they want nothing to be done.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-02-11-investigation-poll_N.htm

[Mark Twain Girl]

12. I would say, "have at it!!!" too. Crimes are crimes. nt

[Echo In Light]

17. Soiled "blue dresses" that are strategically kept and later used in a broader ploy

[Initech]

20. Its not the violence it's the sex, stupid! That's the American way!

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

22. Except that their party is floundering to the point of non-existence and irrelevance.

Plus, they always go after Democratic administration DURING them anyway, so what's the difference?

[Spike89]

23. Reform and prosecute

It isn't enough just to prosecute (though that would "feel" nice). We need to patch all the cracks and holes that Cheney and Bush weaseled, schemed, and bullied into existence. Signing statements, a long tradition for presidents was corrupted not by Bush making some, but by the administration's insistence that the signing statements themselves meant anything. It was a semi-subtle weasel move--"Clinton made signing statements, as did Kennedy" makes a good enough true statement to fool all Faux news viewers and a good proportion of the rest of the electorate. What is never mentioned is that no president before Shrub ever pretended that his little notes and opinions constituted law. That is one single example (others include Cheney's absurd claim to not being part of the executive branch!?!?, the overuse of executive orders to bypass congress, etc.).

Obama can certainly use all these "powers" to undo and fix much of the damage Bush did, but I'd much rather see each and every one of these illegal and unconstitutional strategies brought out into the light and declared as such so that the next despot doesn't simply reinstate them.