Obama Must Pursue Bush Officials

I’m not looking for revenge or justice in the prosecution of the Bush officials who condoned, and encouraged the torture of captured militants. I am not vindictive against the Bush administration; I honestly think most of their mistakes were the result of arrogance and overconfidence in their own intelligence rather than spite. I think all legal steps should be taken to prosecute perpetrators because I am afraid that without a negative incentive in the executive branch for power grabbing and subverting the law, our democracy, or Democratic Republic if you want to be specific, will be endangered.

Democracy requires that the rule of law be obeyed. While I understand Obama’s desire to move forward and focus on our current problems, and sympathize with him for inheriting the mess he has in our economy, environment, and infrastructure, I believe that he is doing us a disservice should he choose not to pursue lawbreakers in the former administration. Every time, in our short history as a nation, that we have decided to move on for the sake of expediency we have paid a heavy price for it.

When the founding fathers decided not to face the issue of slavery, and the contradiction it represented in a free nation, their descendents were forced into a Civil War that cost 600,000 lives. When Lincoln decided not to punish the Southern leadership who drove us to war, at no provocation from the North, he was assassinated and Blacks were forced into the Jim Crow system for 100 years. When the Democrats decided not to pursue an investigation against Reagan over Iran-Contra, we ended up getting an administration that believed it could act with impunity.

Due process must be followed. We have reason to believe laws sacred to our Democratic Republic were broken. We have reason to believe that executive power overreached and acted against the best interest of the Republic. If Obama is to remain true to his oath to protect the constitution of the United States, he must ensure equal application of the law to all members of the society. Those who are in positions of power have the ability to cause great harm. Negative incentives must exist if the corruptible are to be prevented from harming our institutions. The rule of law must be adhered to.