# How Can a Civilian Get George W. Bush Charged with War Crimes?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-civilian-get-george-w-bush-charged-with-war-crimes/456231>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 12, 2008, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-civilian-get-george-w-bush-charged-with-war-crimes/456231 "2008-07-12T13:04:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 3

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2008, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-civilian-get-george-w-bush-charged-with-war-crimes/456231/41 "2008-07-18T07:58:35Z")

</div>

[QUOTE=Bricker]  
The problem is that the language leaves the determination with him – it’s what Bush determines as necessary and appropriate. The language explicitly says it’s his determination – not “what a reasonable man” would determine, not anything except Bush’s own determination.  
[/QUOTE]

So honestly, Bush could decide to bomb an Iraqi orphanage, which he knows to be an orphanage and nothing more, and his simple declaration that it was a threat is enough?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2008, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-civilian-get-george-w-bush-charged-with-war-crimes/456231/42 "2008-07-18T14:29:26Z")

</div>

re: **Blalron** ’s quote of the legal definition of murder: Even if it could be proven that Bush used fraud to start the war, and that this fact negates the authorization by Congress, doesn’t it still require an intent to kill? In theory (though admittedly never in practice), one starts a war in the hopes that his enemies surrender without bloodshed (at least without extra-legal bloodshed; Saddam’s subsequent execution by the new Iraqi authorities wasn’t a war killing) and without the loss of any of your own troops? At worst, wouldn’t the crime be manslaughter?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2008, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-civilian-get-george-w-bush-charged-with-war-crimes/456231/43 "2008-07-18T14:58:04Z")

</div>

[QUOTE=Blalron]  
So honestly, Bush could decide to bomb an Iraqi orphanage, which he knows to be an orphanage and nothing more, and his simple declaration that it was a threat is enough?  
[/QUOTE]

Yes.

How’s your giant squid? Healthy?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2008, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-civilian-get-george-w-bush-charged-with-war-crimes/456231/44 "2008-07-18T16:03:29Z")

</div>

Commander- **in** -Chief! Commander- **in** -Chief! Commander- **in** -Chief!

Goddamn…if I see one more person murder that phrase…

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-civilian-get-george-w-bush-charged-with-war-crimes/456231.md?page=2)