# Is Bush going to go out with a flurry of Presidential pardons like Clinton did? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 10, 2008, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bush-going-to-go-out-with-a-flurry-of-presidential-pardons-like-clinton-did/471973 "2008-11-10T01:53:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![grego\_the\_desert\_rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ce73a5/32.png) [@grego\_the\_desert\_rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grego_the_desert_rat)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2008, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bush-going-to-go-out-with-a-flurry-of-presidential-pardons-like-clinton-did/471973/61 "2008-11-10T19:04:13Z")
I don’t think Bush will pardon anybody, except himself for his failure to act in his second term. After all he is our commander in chief and u.s. is in a state of war. truly I still do not understand why we went into Iraq. Saddam was a true evil mass murdering bastard. He did need to be ousted and tried for war crimes. He was a real villian. But we could have done it eventually with sanctions and international pressure. We were attacked first though and if he pardoned himself or any in his cabinet it would set a new precedent, it would imply wrong doing. It would cripple every pres. there after to declare war on our enemy’s. What then, would we sit around getting attacked american citizens dying but our leader to afraid to go to war because it might not be socially acceptable to the international community? ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2008, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bush-going-to-go-out-with-a-flurry-of-presidential-pardons-like-clinton-did/471973/62 "2008-11-10T19:16:01Z")
> [@grego\_the\_desert\_rat](#): > > truly I still do not understand why we went into Iraq. Saddam was a true evil mass murdering bastard. He did need to be ousted and tried for war crimes. He was a real villian. But we could have done it eventually with sanctions and international pressure. We were attacked first though and if he pardoned himself or any in his cabinet it would set a new precedent, it would imply wrong doing. I’m a little confused here. Are you implying by “we were attacked first”, that 9/11 was done by Iraq or by citizens of Iraq? Or are you saying that a president should be allowed to attack any random 3rd country if the USA is attacked by citizens of Saudi Arabia? ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2008, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bush-going-to-go-out-with-a-flurry-of-presidential-pardons-like-clinton-did/471973/63 "2008-11-10T19:22:26Z")
> [@Mr.Moto](#): > > The Clinton pardons are different because in the case of the Rodham lobbied pardons and in the case of the Rich pardon there was pretty solid evidence that people had paid money for the privilege of having their cases considered. Frankly, I can’t even find Democrats who will defend that practice - though they will defend the pardon power in general, as will I. It’s always different, especially when it’s your party’s president doing the pardoning. I’m not defending what was done by Bill Clinton, I’m saying it’s contemptible no matter who does it. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2008, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bush-going-to-go-out-with-a-flurry-of-presidential-pardons-like-clinton-did/471973/64 "2008-11-10T22:01:26Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > The only penalties for conviction in an impeachment case are removal from office and disqualification from future office – it’s not a criminal prosecution in the usual sense. Is that it? I thought that an impeachment conviction also prevented the convict from collecting any government pension that had been earned while serving in that office. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bush-going-to-go-out-with-a-flurry-of-presidential-pardons-like-clinton-did/471973.md?page=3)