If Kerry wins, does anybody in the Bush Admin need to fear criminal prosecution?

Great Debates
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Several of them have been brought up on charges – but only the actual soldiers at the prison. Some critics have suggested responsibility should be placed higher in the chain of command, and that Rumsfeld might even be personally to blame, because of policies he set and memos he issued. I’d like to see Kerry’s DOJ and DOD followed up on that.

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People who should fear criminal prosecution if Kerry gets elected and decides to let loose the dogs of war, in order of likelihood:

  1. Scooter Libby. He’s pretty much everyone’s top suspect in the Plame Affair. I think he’d probably fall on his sword if there’s enough evidence to get him convicted. If he DOESN’T fall on his sword, the number two person to fear prosecution would be

  2. Karl Rove, who undoubtedly gave Libby his marching orders. Libby might just roll, too: treason is a serious charge. Have to look hard at who gets a Presidential pardon if Bush loses.

  3. Katherine Harris: Jimmy Carter said some of the things she did in Florida are actionable. A Justice Dept. that wasn’t so highly motivated to look the other way by a Pubbie admin might just act.

These are all people who are basically garden-variety criminals whose crimes have gone uninvestigated in our present Republican environment. But there are other Bush Admin. officials who may have committed crimes though there is no solid evidence against them yet – plenty enough to suggest an investigation.

  1. Donald Rumsfeld, fr getting the ball rolling on the use of torture that evnetually resulted in the outrages in Abu Ghraib and other prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan. They just sentenced an enlisted man to 8 years, why should the people that created the environment that made him commit the crimes go unpunished? If they go after the military intel officers and the Justice Dept. employees who worked so hard to find a rationale for the use of torture, maybe the dots will eventually lead to Rummy.

  2. Cheney – His relationship to Halliburton and their role in the war are very suspicious. If anybody blows a whistle, he might find himself in court.
    Finally, there’s been a steady drumbeat on the Web and in the international press to try members of the Bush Admin. for war crimes. Not likely to happen, but then, if the Repub noise machine gets too noisy, this might prove a nice distraction. Though it’s not likely, it’s a pleasant dream.