Should Dems begin investigations of Bush Admin.?
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/11/13/art.bush.flag.gi.jpg caption="Congressional Democrats will move forward with investigations of the Bush administration in January."]
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
The New York Times reports that congressional Democrats are going to move forward with investigations of the Bush administration even after the president leaves office in January. That could prove to be quite a task.
Where to begin... Abuse of the power of the Executive Branch... Torture of detainees... The role of former White House aides Harriet Miers and Karl Rove in the firing of federal prosecutors... Eavesdropping without a warrant. It's a very long list.
The rub is that President Bush may be able to block subpoenas long after he leaves the White House.
In 1953, Harry Truman blocked a congressional subpoena almost a year after he left office. Truman told Congress the Constitution still empowered him to do so. Then Congress backed off.
If the last eight years are any example you can bet the Bush administration would do everything it could not to cooperate.
Here’s my question to you: Is it a good idea for the Democrats to begin investigations of the Bush administration?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Ralph from Yakima, Washington writes:
In all sincerity, I believe this is necessary for the future welfare of the country. It should be low key and handled by a special investigator appointed by the Congress. It should not be done by Congressional hearings seeking to play politics.
Kay from West Virginia writes:
If, once he's inaugurated, President Obama wishes to appoint a special investigator to go back and look at illegalities during the Bush presidency, I would support that. If, on the other hand, he wishes to use agencies that should be doing other things, I would oppose that. We need all parts of government to be looking forward, not backward.
Pat from Michigan writes:
No, not now. There is real work to get done and no time to waste. These types of investigations seem to drive a wedge between the parties and this in not the time for that.
Dan writes:
Such an investigation would be great for the Republicans. The Democrats would come off petty and vindictive rather than bi-partisan and statesmanlike. And by torpedoing bi-partisanship during a national crisis, they would have less chance of success with their proposals. The GOP would be in a stronger mid-term election position as a result.
Tim writes:
Why would we ever want to investigate George, Dick and the Gang? I mean, it's not like they stole an election or started a bogus war or two or three or wiped out a nation's vast surplus or sent a country into an economic disaster. And they are definitely not guilty of paying back their political backers in some insanely lucrative way at taxpayer expense. Let's instead recognize them for their huge contributions to the needy like Halliburton, the struggling oil cartels, and impoverished Wall Street.
Tony writes:
That's what they do best, Jack. Investigate, hold hearings, point fingers. Anything to avoid actually doing something that helps the American people who pay their salaries.
@jackcafferty on Twitter
Absolutely and hold them accountable for illegal action, I mean indictment and prison. That is change we need and it will send a signal to future administrations.
Jack,
Although the Bush administration did some very under handed things in the eight years they ruled, we need to move on with this new administration. It is time we quit trying to put the blame somewhere and all take resposiblity for our actions. We all should of stood up and took a stand against the Bush administration.
Scott- Dover, DE
Hi Jack,
If there is evidence of the law being broken by the Bush administration then the Attorney General should investigate. Then legal proceeding should occur as written by law. To answer your question, the last thing this country needs right now is another “witch hunt” like what President Clinton went through. One would hope that Washington DC gets the hint that all Representatives of Government must work together to solve the serious problems our Nation faces.
There is no more room for petty bickering.
Tom K
WA
Only if it doesn't distract from job 1 which is getting this economy back on track. If they can investigate, file charges, try, convict and JAIL the guilty without missing a beat on the economy, then GO FOR IT!
Unfortunately no, that window of opportunity has passed and it would just be bipartisan politics as usual. it would be staggering backward into negativity, when we want to stride forward with hope and optimism and could really hamper any chance of working together.
M. Dixon
Cedar Rapids, IA
The Bush administration should be investigated. None of what has happened this past year makes sense whatsoever. I don't understand the bailouts. People are working, money is going in to banks, etc., so financial institutions are getting money from investors and CD's. So tell me how can the banks be broke? The Bush administration has been the most crooked administration in history and they should all be investigated, prosecuted, and sent to jail.
YES!!!!
Don't they have enough on their plates already? my goodness, the economy, two wars, health care and education... seems like their already over their heads..
Jack,
By the time they find anything, Bush will be out. What's the point? If we seek to blame the inane, it might make the mostly partisan anti-Bush coalition feel some vindication, but we would waste time, energy and money, all of which are in excruciatingly short supply right now. The net effect of such an investigation would be to accentuate the negative and do nothing positive. Instead, we should demand that congress and our president-elect perform triage in order to fix the myriad of problems facing our nation.
Cheers,
Mike – Pueblo, CO
Yep. It would be nice to finially know the truth of the last eight years.
Jack, this country needs to investigate some of the mistakes/wrongdoings of the Bush Administration. I think we need to know about the lead up the Iraq War and how the evidence that was used to lead us to war was obtained and interpreted and how the Administration then used that to lead us to conflict.
I think we need to investigate the practices that led us to the economic mess that we are currently in and how the Administration and Congress acted in concert to possibly create this disaster. I also think we need to review our policies regarding prisoners captured during battle to ensure that torture was not being used to obtain confessions and how the domestic spying program and the “Patriot Act” “really” worked.
With that said, I don’t think any arrests or convictions should be made, but the record be made clear and lessons learned be posted for posterity so that future generations can learn what happens when they allow government to run amok without consent of the governed.
Are you kidding me? As great as that sounds we both know it's never going to happen, and even if it does there won't be any consequences for their actions. We can't even make Paris Hilton and Britney Spears serve their deserved time for their illegal actions, and you think that the Bush Admin. would be repentant and pay for their misdeeds?
where is that going to get us other than more waste of money our government doesn't have...oh yea..china will give it to us for a price..
It'd be nice. But considering the Bush. Admin. got away with all the things they did, lies, deceit, lies... i highly doubt an investigation NOW would do anything. Bush is done with, let's move on and not make the same mistake again... I mean that's why we elected Obama, right?
I'd like to see Bush go to jail for a very long time. However, there are much more important issues for the 111th Congress to address.
Hold politicians accountable for their actions other than cheating on their wife? How novel.
I'll go a step further, once convicted imprison them at Guantanamo.
Bush has lied to the people in the world and created anamosity world wide,to get things his way , he acts like a child who is going to hold his breath till he gets his way now he and his policies have created havic ,He has made his freinds richer and made it harder for working ppl to make it. his war in has killed over 4000 good young men and untold numbers in iraq just to get revenge for his fathers failing.now he and his sec of treasury have lied about the bail out and created more wealth for his friends I think he should be tried for war crimes
Absolutely. This administration has disgraced the country with unwarranted war, torture, cronyism and Constitution shredding . . . just to name a few items on the list. It's a real mystery why this president was never impeached. Maybe if he'd had a lady friend . . .
Jack,
George Bush and Dick Cheney need to be held accountable for the crimes they have done or had done to the United States. Just to name a few crimes, trying to amend or change the constitution to cover there asses in case they are brought up on charges. Lying to get us involed in a war with Iraq just so they could make money or profit in some way. These two criminals need to retire in prison.
Carl
Absolutely !!! Too many decisions have been made in secret, or for reasons that are open to question....From Cheney's energy policy "advisors" to the Iraq war.....Personaly, I'm less afraid of foriegn terrorist than I am of Cheney's verson of "homeland security"... (I would expect that GW is burning the midnight oil signing all those excutive pardons for Carl et.all)
No.
Clearly the outcome of any investigation would be criminal charges or impeachment–and I don't think the congress or the American people have the stomach–or are willing to waste tax dollars on what will appear to be a witch hunt to many.
It would be better to press on with a different agenda–in a more open fashion and build the public trust again.
What would such an investigation accomplish other than keeping alive the anger and hatred toward President Bush? This country needs to get over their feelings toward President Bush as soon as possible so we can heal. If the Democrats suspect glaring criminal activity, they should investigate it and punish accordingly. Otherwise the Democrats should concentrate on being highly successful in running our government.
I agree we must move forward, but to understand whats ahead of us, we need a very clear picture of exactly what happened in the past.
We obviously havent been told everything in full detail by the Bush admin (much less a complete cogent sentence) so its time we find out for ourselves.
Once we know exactly what was done to get us here, the path should be clear.
Nonsense. Even if they are convicted of anything they'll just go to some resort prison for 18 months and live lavishly. All the while the ubber-Republican types will start screaming about how Obama is just like Hitler and these "witch-hunts" are just the start. As a result they'll hijack everything they can in Congress as they continue their war-mode against the Democrats. Nothing will get done and we will decend further into division as a nation.
Unless the crimes they are being charged with include a possiblilty of Capitol Punishment it will be pointless because without capital punishment for their crimes they will not be punished.
The Republicans spent over sixty million taxpayer dollars and six years trying to find something illegal about a 20 year old Arkansas land deal. All they found was a tryst with an intern. I think the Democrats need to investigate on a much smaller scale why a war was waged based on flawed intelligence. People died, they deserve an explanation.
Sure, but the real question should be why they didn't start investigating them two years ago when they took over congress. Chances are by the time Obama takes over in January, Bush will have already pardoned all of his criminal buddies and there is nothing they can do about it after the fact.
Obama should please focus on fixing the economy. Overturning abortion or stem cell research will not bring money into our pockets – it's not relevant now. He should concentrate on Bush's economic policy mistakes.
If he focuses on overturning bush's policy on abortion and not bush's economic policies, in 4 years time this may cost him his election, especially among Catholics.
Pullman, Washington State
It's not even a matter of IF it's a good idea. The question is, could Congress find all the crimes before the statue of limits runs out?
That would accomplish nothing but wasting more money.
Lets try solving some problems instead.
they better do something!.i'm sick of bush and his cronies erasing their crimes and not serving their punishment..something has to give because bush is the worst president that we ever had in ourlives..bush is going to give his homeboys pardons and he will walk away for nothing..bush must face the fact that he screwed the country and must apologize to all of us for his lies..republicans get away with crimes more often than democrats..democrats better be smart about this..
There is a saying around here, "I don't know if you want to kick that skunk." While there are valid concerns I cannot seen anything coming out of this except more partisanship ( when we need unity and cooperation) and a continuing cycle of one administration investigating the previous one. Obama campaigned as a uniter and this would not help reconcile the divisions that threaten our nation. What is there to gain other than "gotcha" ?
Chatham, VA
Absolutely and it should have started the day after the election. Right now, there is really no one in charge. Bush has basically checked out and is counting the minutes until he can leave for Crawford. Barack wants to act but can't because we only have one President at a time. And, Paulson is running amok with $750 billion and we are stupid enough to trust him with it.
Absolutely!!! I know they are hiding tons of stuff. They were so secretive! What's done in the dark (BUSH/CHENEY) comes out in the light (OBAMA/BIDEN). That's one of the reason they fought so hard to keep Democrats out. I personally can't wait until we see what develops.
That ship has already sailed. We can focus on the past and what a terrible job the Bush administration did or we can focus on getting this country turned around and headed in the right direction. The country does not have the resources or the luxary to do both at the same time. I don't believe the voters would have the patience to see it either.
It's long overdue. Malfeasance in office is what it is called. It wouldn't hurt to look at some of the Democrats, too, such as Pelosi.
Yes, there are many urgent problems to face, but there is a statue of limitations on crimes committed in public office. At the least, if proceedings are underway, they can continue as an underlying change in policy so that abuses that have occurred during Bush and Cheney's reign of terror are not repeated.
Yes! The Bush Administration has lied, cheated and stolen from the American people. Thousands of our brave men and women have given their lives for the lies that the Bush Admin. has told. it has made a mockery of the sacrifices they have made. The greed of the Bush Admin. has destroyed the integrity of of the United States of America. In order for us to be able to hold our heads high they need to be held accountable for their actions. If it was you or I that had done what they did we would already be in prison. I'm sure they will get away with it. If not Bush can just pardon them all before he leaves office.
You Betcha!
Why? All it would do is rub salt into the wound. We need to quietly let President Bush retire to Texas and get on with the business of running our country. The best revenge for the democrats would be success.
Yes...immediately.
The Bush Administration should absolutely be held accountable for all of the horrors it has unleashed on the rest of the world. A fabricated war, torture at Guantanamo Bay, Afghanistan, and Iraq, taking the country from a surplus eight years ago to a finical meltdown are all credible reasons to bring this ship down. I think this thing should wait until the transition into power is finished. God only knows how much more harm this administration can do before January 20th, and Obama needs a smooth transition with everything he will have to fix when he gets into office.
We, the Obama faithful, have been waiting for years for this to happen! I was raised to believe that if you break the law, you will have to pay for it! Why is this administration entitled to a "get out of jail free" card? They have made a mockery out of our Constitution!
We have been lied to repeatedly, spied on, scared to death, and now robbed by the Treasury Dept. Why would we not want some vengenance?!!! Keep up the good work, Jack!
Yes. They are criminals. When is it ever appropriate to not investigate criminals?
I think that we as a country need to move on. Congressional efforts would be better spent repairing the damage done to American's rights and restoring freedoms that were restricted during the last few years. Besides, I suspect that if the dems do want to investigate Bush after he leaves office, they may have to get in line.
You betch'a!
I feel that we are awakening from an eight year nightmare with a lot of lingering problems. The new administration and congress have far more important issues to deal with. Let the Hague take up war crimes with the Bush administration and let congress and the President deal with the economy, getting out of Iraq, fixing our education system, and taking care of our vets.
Jack,
Oh Yes, without a doubt! Too much shadiness went on under the Bush administration. Personally I'd like to see him be summoned and arrested immediately after Obama takes office on January 20. He carelessly and negligently misled the American people for eight years and you wonder why his approval ratings are an all time low for any president!
Daniel Ambrose,
Atlanta, GA
I think the Democrats are stupid for not doing this sooner. They should have started in March, 2003, when Bush started the Iraq war without first letting the weapons inspectors find the WMDs.
I mean, doesn't it make sense to punish someone AFTER they have been caught with the goods, and NOT before?
I suppose that, now that they have a decent majority, they can investigate after the fact.
Absolutely, Jack.
No man of any position should be able to get away with the crimes he has committed, the executive orders he has put in place and the
raping of our constitution.
Bush, Cheny, Rumsfield and any politician who had a part in
their breaking the law should serve time for their belief that they
are priviledged to do whatever they want.
Our country originated trying to get away from a king.
Let the historians and private prosecutors be the Bush's administration's judges. We've had enough distraction in politics as this would inevitably become just another dog and pony show circumventing valuable time and money.
Time for all of us to start on a path of new beginnings, new culture, new hope, and a new age of spiritual growth.
Congress should have done something months ago, when the second Iraq Intelligence report came out. Nothing significant has changed between then and now, so if there wasn't enough then, there isn't enough now. Unless, of course, Congress was putting party re-electability ahead of justice, in which case, we should launch an investigation into the actions of Congress.
If we just move on like many here write what about misleading us into the Iraq War. What about the people that died for us over there? What about the crippled veterans, ruined families and children without parents? Don't we owe them to investigate and make sure this will never happen again. Shame on these people here writing to move on. History repeats itself if we do not learn from the past.
Gulf War I Veteran, Semper Fi
Jack, as much as I would like to see Bush-and-company don orange jumpsuits and head off to Gitmo, now is not the time for investigations. What’s left to investigate? We know what they have been up to for years, democrats just didn’t have the stones (or the votes) to go after them.
What America voted for last week was change and there are too many things need to get fixed first. Let’s put out the fire before we arrest the arsonists.
The history books will deal harshly with the Bush Administration and its illegalities and rotten politics. However, now is the time to just start over fresh with nonpartisanship that brings everybody to the table and allows everyone an equal say. We have unprecidented problems (many of which were caused or exascerbated by the Bush administration) and President-elect Obama will be inclusive and listen to all ideas, weigh the pros and cons, and make intelligent and fair decisions. His position on letting Joe Leiberman keep his place shows his willingness to set the past behind and move forward.
They should have started years ago. Bush and his cronies have destroyed this country and stripped us of our rights.
YES. The Dems will take an oath to support the Law and the Constitution of the United States. They should go after this Administration and those who broke the law, if for no other reason than to plug up the holes that allowed them to violate the law and the trust of the nation.
Yes they should. Specifically, they should find out why most every country had intelligence that was wrong regarding WMD in Iraq, which led us to Iraq in the first place. In addition, they should investigate Barney Frank and Chris Dodd regarding Fannie and Freddie. Find out why both were in the top four in campaign donations. Why they did not recognize the problems Fannie and Freddie were accumulating over time. Investigate all of them...democrats and republicans.
The people should investiagte George Bush and exile him, I think the overwhelming majority of us despise the man. After his trial I say we examine Obama's ties to Tony Rezko.
It would be nice to see Bush, Cheney, Rove and the Hammer fried, but they've covered their behinds by now. Mr. Obama has a plate full that the repubs are leaving for him to clean up for them. You better hope and pray that Lipstick does not get in in 2012 or 2016 or we will have an even bigger mess, you know clothes, kids trips, money to live in her own house, etc. Hummmmm!!!
Yeah, that would be a great project after the 2012 elections. At the moment, the enablers who voted in lock-step with Bush and Cheney don't want their voting records tarnished with his abuses. They'd block any investigation with all their might. Holding the Bush administration accountable is very, very important, but it is too politically costly given the number of crisises we are facing.
Yes they should. The Bush Administration has done too much harm to this country. They have compromised and politicized the Justice Department. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. No bid contracts to Halliburton. The last scandal with those who were in charge of the oil contracts. It is too much they should have to answer. It is amazing to me that Cheney, Rove and others who were ordered to appear before Congress could just ignore it. Bush has left too much of a mess for Obama and the rest of us to clean up.
No Jack...the democrats should not and this is coming from an ardent Barack Obama supporter. Have you seen the state of the country and what all President Elect Obama has on his plate? He has to tackle health care, the economic crisis, the housing foreclosure crisis, Iraq, Afghanistan, the educational crisis and much more not to even mention the promises he made to the middle class concerning tax cuts. I believe it would be foolish to get bogged down in a long drawn out investigation all simply to lay blame on Bush and his fellow warhawks. If we are truthful...then we all share in the blame to some extent by either voting him in or by not demanding more accountability. The situation dealing with torture should be handled rather speedily though to help restore the standing of our great nation in the world and to help send a clear message that the American people do not endorse the tactics of the Bush administration concerning basic human rights even during a time of war.
I think Congress should take care of this Country and the mess we are in and forget Bush, there are more pressing problems. They have wasted the past two years, I hope they get something done over the next few years. The people want positive action from Congress and fix this economy asap.
Absolutely......they need to be prosecuted for all the crimes we have seen committed by the Bush administration....jail time and forfeiture of their federal pensions......why impeachment proceedings weren't initiated long ago is beyond me....but once out of office, they cannot use the executive privilege shield they have been hiding behind over the last 8 years...the impeachment fiasco for Bill Clinton is absolute hogwash compared to what Bush and Cheney have done and thus far gotten away with.....wipe those arrogant smirks off their faces and give them what they truly deserve....good riddance to both of them....
Jack,
As much as I would like to say yes to this question, it saddens me to say that it's best that we allow that administration to fade quickly into the night and never, ever elect a Bush into the presidency again. If President Bush wanted to be a real American then he should tell the federal government to keep his and VP Cheney's pension for the next 4 years and apply it to the economic relief fund.
Bush was a phony president because he ignored the Constitution and the law. If we ignore the Constitution and the law we'll be phony citizens. America is not a phony country. Let's show some respect and hold the culpable accountable.
Jack;
Yes; it's a good idea, but perhaps a bit late. The Democrats won a landslide Congressional victory in 2006, due to GOP shortfalls, and the Iraq war. Trouble was: Nancy Pelosi ,"Impeachment is off the table!"
Besides; there is no need to investigate the Bush administration; all the evidence has been published and printed, no need to spend more taxpayer money.
RI
It should have been done 2 years ago but no one had any balls. Of course much of the blame for what they got away with was our fault. We RE-Elected them!
Jack: With the state of the economy and the troubling times facing Americans, Obama needs to concentrate on resolving the country problems. Americans know who puts us in the mess...and it was not only George W. Bush–there is enough blame to go around. The government cannot even figure out the mess of the bailout–do you think they are going to impeach a EX-President? History will record George Bush's legacy-let history take care of George Bush–let Obama strive "NOW" to try heal a nation.
Yes but it should be an independent counsel that investigates –Congress & the Administration need to focus on fixing the mess left behind. If illegal activities are discover (or should I say when) there should be prosecution.
Democratic and Republican members of Congress need to jointly conduct comprehensive public hearings on all aspects of the Bush Administration. The quote of the famous philospher George Santayana applies: "Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it," Minimally, the Congress must investigate the behind-the-scenes facts concerning the 9/11 attacks, the immediate U.S. response, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, how all the war funds were spent, who profited, etc. Finally, the current economic meltdown needs to be fully examined. If we fail to fully explore these matters, we will be condemned to repeat our mistakes.
Most definitely! How else can we move forward without fixing what has been a blatant disgregard of the foundations of our democracy – our Constitution, our laws, and international laws and treaties.
Had it been in the best interests of the American people, Bush/Cheney would have been impeached and removed from office long ago. The Democratic leadership took that option off the table several years ago.
The best course is to do nothing right now, sign the long overdue treaties that the current Administration blew off, and let their victims go after them both in the International Criminal Courts for war crimes in a few years.
The American people have been victimized, but not nearly as much as the Administration has wounded others in the world. Our only action as a nation should be to take steps to see that others give them a fair trial. That's a lot more than the two of them gave to others.
I have faith that the Obama Administration will have the cajones to do what we elected the Democrat's to do in 2006.
There needs to be accountability for the Bush Administration. They have committed war crimes.....crimes against our civil liberties......they should be procecuted.
i think the bush administration should be investigated because there were numerous violations of the constitution all of that crooked bunch bush,cheyney,rove ect should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,the question is ,will congress do it?
What don't we already know? Just look at the results of the past 8 years. What would be done about it anyway? We got screwed but we asked for it. Now we are "reaping what we have sown."
Yes if they can find any trail left behind. The Bush people have been shredding their paper and hard disc trail all year long.
Ordinarily I would say yes, if there is evidence of wrongdoing. But I am not convinced that the Democrats controlling Congress themselves know the difference between making mistakes and deliberately causing harm. What some of your small-minded viewers call "crimes" are simply not and calling them so is their little form of hate speech for policies they didn't like. Some of those "criminal" policies have kept us from terrorist attacks over the past 7 years, by the way.
Jack it would be a waste of time and money in my opinion. History will tell all the tales of the Bush administration in time. Asking the United States Congress to put anyone or anything under the magnifying glass would require them to reveal secrets about their own part in it. That includes voting for the war in the first place. They are all culpable Jack.. All that any of them had to do was say 'NO' before it started.
Perhaps the next time such a question of war comes up they will think twice.
I would be inclined to say yes, but we have to be very careful how we set our priorities. I'm fairly sure it would be a very difficult thing to do. They have had plenty of time to erase or shred any evidence. Our resources are going to be spread thin, and I don't think spending our tax dollars convicting Bush and Company will go very far in getting our jobs back, repair our 401K's, or bring our fallen soldiers back.
It would be to little to late and most likely most information would come up missing never to be found. Time could be better used tying to fix the mess we all know they made to know the reason is kinda pointless.
No, there are too many problems that require their undivided attention. Besides, who doubts that President Bush will pardon everyone before he leaves office? A Commission should be appointed to perform the investigation. History needs to record the crimes that were done in our name.
Ed Reed
Port Aransas, Tx
As much as Bush and Cheney need to be impeached and held accountable, we should not waste a moment of time plus spending millions of dollars in this futile effort. They are the past and should be tossed into the ash heap of history. There are too many pressing concerns that President-elect Obama's new administration faces without his Justice Department being mired down with an investigation that should have been conducted years ago. Let's start anew and put this shameful period in our country's history behind us.
NO NO NO!!!!
No the Dems, but an international war crimes tribunal should.
If it can be done, expect Geoprge Bush to pardon those in his administration that did anything illegal.
Not investigated, but exposed in all of its non-glory. Bush Inc. has left this country in such perilous times that we don't have time or resources to waste justifiably nailing him and his cronies to the cross. So rather than investigate, Bush Inc"s punishment should be the AG and Congress doing and publishing a line-by-line contrast of its crimes and misdemeanors against the U.S. Constitution, the law of the land and our citizenry, That way, the whole crew can go to their graves knowing that there will be no hiding place in the history books. And probably no redemption in the hereafter either.
I have to agree with the majority of the people who have posted who are torn over this issue. I'd love to see the Bush administration held accountable, but in the long run, what good will it do? Our priorities have to be in repairing the damage those responsible parties have wrought, and it will take all our resources, energy, and available funds to do that.
Let history judge them for their criminal acts, and let's concentrate on healing and restoring this country to its former glory.
Jack,
How do you investigate ignorance and stupidity?
Robert
Forest, VA
Criminal activity is scourge of society and if they let anyone from the Bush administration off the hook just because it is deemed there is too much else on the go or it is time for both parties come together and not be split by the investigation then you should just empty out all your jails and let the criminals out on the street as that would also save a lot of money.
Once administrations know they can be tried for crimes they will think twice before embarking on such tactics in the future.
Jack
What in the world would come out of this ? Lets forget this non-sense and get on with the business at hand, straightening out the mess this country is in. And oh by the way the democrats hands arent clean, Pelosi and Reid havent done a real good job preventing George from doing whatever he wanted.
Yes,absolutely. I believe they should wait unitl Obama is President. Let a Special Prosecutor be appointed and definitely follow through with the consequences. No pardons nor leniency.
I do not think it is a good idea for Democrats to investigate the Bush administration and it is just the same political infighting and divisiveness that keeps out country wasting money on issues where they are not needed. Instead the Democrats should focus on the important people issues like making sure that Americans have a safe and affordable place to live, adequate health coverage, and healthy food products.
Yes! Absolutely!
Bush has made Nixon look like an altar boy.
The Bush administration has ignored more than a dozen legal and constitutional subpoenas. In some cases, Bush personally advised civilian former emloyees not to respond to subpoenas.
We would all be in front of a judge within days if any of us did anything like that. Enforcing the law of the land and defending the Constitution are absolutely required of this administration if they expect any of us to ever vote for a Democrat again.
Rich Green
San Clemente, Cal.
Make sure they get a fair trial and then ship them off to Gitmo!
My thoughts on this is that the Obama administration needs to examine the evidence "as is" to determine first whether such an investigation is merited or would do more harm than good at a time when bi-partisan relations and soloutions seem to be an important matter to all concerned. If decided that enough evidence indicates improper, illegal, or unconstitutional use of power was made, then an investigation is more than justified and should be followed through to the end. I suspect that this is the case but let's hope those in possession of such evidence will make the right decisions this time!
Waste of time. The Dem need to move on. A new day has come.
Yes On 1-21-09
Immediately! Indictments and prosecution should follow in rapid order. Keep Gitmo open for the mass of criminals to be incarcerated from the Bush administration.
Let's see waterboarding, no weapons of mass destruction, civil liberty violations (I could go on and on) ... versus Clinton and the Monica Lewinsky issue. Bush and Cheney should be investigated and stripped of all federal employee benifits when found guilty. Continuing their federal employee benefits of health insurance and pensions would be yet another crime against Americans!!
International war crimes tribunal for Bush and Cheney. Obama has way to much to do for us, the American middle class and getting this country back on track after Bush and Cheney rapped all us in the name of capitalism!!!
I hope they will, but the majority of democrats all were in favour of the iraq war, the patriot act, and offered little resistance to Bush's policies and his neocon agenda these past 8 years. They were elected in 2006 to end the Iraq war and failed in doing so. Ill be happily shocked if the Obama administration tries to bring this criminal syndicate known as the Bush Administration to justice.
Toronto Ontario
Some day the Bush Administration should be investigated on many fronts. Right now, the Democrats would seem petty for investigating them when they have so many bigger issues to tackle.
This should have been undertaken in 2006.Too bad our current Congress is not like the one that took Nixon,etc. to task.We now have far too many serious foreign and domestic problems to deal with-thanks to Bush and his cronies-to spend the time and energy on these matters.History will not judge this bunch kindly.
NO! Please let Bush and Cheney go back to Texas and Wyoming to spend their lives in "quiet reflection" of all the impossible situations they have put the U.S. into. President Obama does NOT need the attention of the Nation directed to investigations and prosecutions that will ultimately lead to results that will be overturned by a conservative Supreme Court.
If there is a reasonable question as to whether laws were broken, then an investigation by competent authority is needed, with indictments to follow. Such investigations have happened in the past and I don't see anything to prevent one now.
However, it's not against the law to be stupid, cynical, power-hungry, or greedy. Bush, Cheney, and a lot of their appointees should be eternally grateful for that.
The highlight of my life would be watching George W. Bush and Dick Cheney sentenced to long prison terms for Constitutional violations. Unfortunately the Speaker would take these "off the table".
Perhaps there is a way to sufficiently embarass cerrtain officials for illegal or incompetent behavior, such as an official censure, without actually going through the rigors and cost of an investigation.
Granted, things worth investigating happened, but do we need more devisiveness right now, when the election itself was a mandate against the current administartion? These things also have a way of biting you back four years down the line.
Is there a statute of limitations on this? If so, Obama and the Congress could Pencil it in for a time down the road. Otherwise, there are just too many problems to be dealt with NOW. I'd love nothing better than to see Bush and Cheney behind bars!!
No. That was not a referendum in the just concluded election. President-elect Obama is not that kind of a leader. He does not look back. He is forward looking and progressive. If bad Democrats steer him in that direction, his love affair with America will vanish overnight, not to mention that it will be a waste of the scarce taxpayer resources.
Ihek, NY
They should have done that 8 years ago!!
Yes! They should be investigated for the 9/11 attacks, for blaming Saddam for being resposible for that attack, for lying about weapons of mass destruction, and for outing Valerie Plame.
History will judge Bush and his administration. There are so many pressing problems in this country and we need all our efforts focused on them. Less talk and more action is what we need. Let's work together, because if we don't we are in big trouble.
Wouldn't it be nice!!!! But here in the real world it won't happen. I would be happy with Congress making a proclamation of "No Confidence" in this administration and make it a matter of public record and history!!
If, once he's inaugurated, President Obama wishes to appoint a special investigator to go back and look at illegalities during the Bush presidency, I would support that. If, on the other hand, he wishes to use agencies that should be doing other things I would oppose that. We need all parts of government to be looking forward, not backward unless specifically created to look backwards.
I would prefer to put the past eight years behind us and have the elected
officials concentrate on our future. It will be sufficient if they help get us out of our currently mess and lead the world into the future most of us believe is possible.
Jack,
I would love nothing more than seeing current and former members of the administration like Rumsfeld, Rove, Gonzalez, Cheney and yes even Powell hung out to dry by the Democrats for lying to the world and committing attrocities over the past 8 years. However, I don't think it would be in the county's best interest, or President Elect Obama's best interest to pursue an investigation. History will be the best judge of this administration and my only fear is that because President Bush doesn't study history he will therefore never know how much harm he has caused to this country nor feel any remorse.
You betcha we should, starting with Cheney and going all the way down to Rove. However, we have wasted enough money on this team and should move on – quickly!
Yes, and the Alaska legislature should investigate the possible misuse of state funds for the recent Republican V-P bid.
Yes, but I suspect Bush will grant immunity to everyone, including himself. There is so much wrong with our economy that it should take priority one, closely followed by a workable plan for ending our involvement in Iraq and getting Bin Laden and his minions. If the Obama Administration undertakes investigating past crimes of the Bush Administration, the investigation may eclipse any good the Obama team does.
Jack,
An investigation will only prove that George Bush is a shallow thinker who was easily bullied by Rumsfeld and Cheney – and their ilk. They used poor W to achieve their ambitions at the expense of the nation.
Better to focus on Obama putting a more constructive team together.
Absolutely. It should be a big investigation in to everything they have done illegally in the last 8 years. And no pardon! It would be enough to scare Bush down to his new South American ranch that no one can extradite from, that has all the water he's wanting to sell to the US in the future.
You Betcha! The Bush Administration have Nearly Destroyed America,Ilegal war,Lies, Spying on us. yes sir They need to be held accountable,Throw the Bums in Jail.
The Dems and the World Court both need to look into it. This administrations impropriaties go far beyond our own laws and the Constitiution. For our part, we need another dozen Ken Starrs looking into every aspect of Bush, Cheney and Rove. I think we we all realize now that Bush was the puppet "front guy" for the masterminds of this disaster. If whistle-blowers in the intelligence community come forward after January 20, as recent stories indicate, there should be a lot of fodder for a crimal investigation. We can not let them get away with this abomination. No way!
Only if Obama wants to repeat Clinton's mistake of wasting the early days of his administration on lesser issues, and thereby lose focus for most of his presidency. Eight years is not as long as it sounds - he needs to make good use of every day.
Jack,
Yes and we will call it karma .... without charging them with anything specific, Bush and his entire administration should be held in custody for the next several years!
Yes. I know there are lots of pressing issues we need to solve, but we just can't let these criminals off scott-free. We prosecute everyday criminals for robbery, assault, etc. The Bush Administration has so badly damaged this country with its illegal activites and should have to pay for their crimes.
No. It shouldn't be the Dems, it should be done in the name of all Americans.
I think Bush did what he had to do for our country under the circumstances. I don't hold anything against him whatsoever!
I think that the only way this sort of abuse of power can be prevented in the future is to punish the perpetrators who did it this time.
As much as I'd like to say "good riddance" to the whole crooked gang, I cannot get out of my mind the simple fact that more than 4,000 Americans have given their lives and more than 20,000 have been horribly injured fighting an unjust war thrust upon us through deception and out-and-out lying.
We owe it to these American souls, living and dead, and their relatives to do out best to guarantee that this sort of atrocity will not go unpunished. It will also send a message to the whole world that the U.S. is going to do the right thing.
Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld belong in jail. How can they sleep at night?
If it smells like treason, sounds like treason, and looks like treason, it's treason.
Bush should be fully investigated and held accountable according to the law, just like any other american citizen who is suspected of crimes.
Yes,Yes,Yes!
Go for it. If they could hold the Dems responsible, why should they hide their dirty laundry? Is there something that they are ashamed of?
Or, afraid that the American public will find out what has been
really on for the last eight years?
Obama should wait until he's solved more pressing, national issues. Otherwise, he'll be pegged by conservatives as an out of control and power hungry dog out to rip apart the remaining Republican establishment.
No, what good would it do when Bush is still the president and holds the power of immunity, pardons and justices that he has appointed. Furthermore, it was Nancy Pelosi who was against impeachment of Bush which closed the door for Democrats to do any investigation.
It's too late for impeachment, so what's the point! As much as I would like to see all of the crooks prosecuted, it would only cause more bitterness and division in this country, and we need to all pull together, at this point, to survive!
YES! – If the outrages that the Bush Administration are not brought to full light then we are bound to face the same behavior in the future – the Legislature needs a full scale investigation not into "what went wrong" but into what wrongs were done – what Laws were broken and what oversights must be put into place to restore and maintain our checks and balances system. We need to know ourselves and to show the World that we are a Nation of Laws and no one is above that Law, not even the Executive Branch.
Without a doubt let the investigations begin and let the chips fall where they may. Arrogance and ignorance are a terrible combination which this administration had in abundance. We should all know how Bush and his cronies got us to where we are now. Hopefully future American leaders will not make so many mistakes again.
This country is so divided along partisan lines that any investigation would be harmful to future stability. It's sad that we let people get away with crimes because of things like this, but I guess that's just life. There's always hope that the people over in The Hague will run an investigation.
There's no time like the present, Jack.
Jack ,
Why would we ever want to investigate George ,Dick and the Gang? I mean, it's not like they stole an election or started a bogus war or two or three or wiped out a nation's vast surplus or sent a country into an economic disaster and definately not guilty of paying back their political backers in some insanely lucrative way at taxpayer expense.
Let's instead recognize them for their huge contributions to the needy like Haliburton, the struggling oil cartels, and impoverished Wall Street and give them their just do Surely there must be a few golden parachutes left (with cut cords hopefully) when they fly out of town after inaugeration day on their jets that oopps somehow never got refueled because of layed off maintenance workers..
If we were talking about mistakes, going too far, or political shenanigans, I would agree to move on. Unfortunately, there are crimes that may have been committed. Intentionally and with malice aforethought. The intentional fraudulent propaganda campaign to get us into a war that made tremendous fortunes for a few chosen companies, the intentional use of U.S. attorneys to affect election outcomes through frivolous prosecutions, It's a long list, and I'm sure Dennis Kucinich has it all documented. Thses are crimes that should involve punishment, and to ignore them is to invite their recurrence.
Jack a big part of me wants to say yes to your question. It makes my blood boil when I think about all of the illegal activity that went on in the Bush administration, with little or no investigation into it. But with all the problems the Bush administration have left us, I think we should concentrate on solving our economy and the two wars we're currently engaged in. We need to come together and work together as a nation in order to accomplish this. Investigating and prosecuting the outgoing administration for the crimes they committed is not a good idea at this time.
MOST DEFINITELY, with focus on Cheney. Bush was a puppet. And put some earmarks to pay for the investigation on some Republican bills, especially ones from Alaska.
Oh, yes. Bush should have been impeached. It isn't right to keep shoving it under the rug and "taking it off the table."
No. We have too many troubles in front of us right now to get bogged down in partisan politics.
no, it's a waste of time and money. They need to focus on the issues at hand and stop pointing fingers and moaning over spilt milk.
I'd like to say yes I believe that the Bush administration has behaved very unethically if not illegally. However, I am not in favor of wasting any more of the governments resources trying to blackball an administration that has already successfully blackballed itself. The money and time that would go into any investigation could be better spent trying to tackle the real issues that the government is facing. Even if the Bush administration did have a hand getting us into this mess in the first place.
Yes Jack. Dems should be swarming the oval office like flies to make sure no incriminating documents are destroyed. Joe Biden and Rahm
Emanuel should dress in black like cat burglars and make the
Watergate break- ins look like panty raids.
Absolutely. Those who don't make the extended last minute Presidential Pardon list should be prepared to do serious time. And the extent of the administrative criminal negligence should be trumpeted so loudly during these investigations as to taint the name of any Bush or Cheney who ever again wants to pretend to lead this country down some ridiculous, ill thought, self-righteous direction. We've had all the stupidity the country can absorb. Time for the adults to run things for awhile.
Yes. I think the American people have a right to know what took place in the Bush Administration.
This should be number one on the agenda. We need to find out what really happened during the last 8 years.
They should have started a long time ago, but if anything had been found out, Bush would have just squashed it, but there isn't a lot he can do if it is done after he leaves office. Its never to late to bring justice.
Prosecute them all and let God sort them out–heaven knows the Bush Administration violated the UN Declaration of Human Rights, the US Constitution, and abused their offices for their own gains while the poor, once again, pay the bill.
Jack, we all would be in jail if anyone of us committed the types of crimes and ethics violations the Bush administration did for the last eight years.
A special team (investigators, lawyers, etc) should be appointed and if anything is found, prosecution needs to proceed. If no laws were broken, end it.
Jack, yes, if everything in the world did not demand immediate attention. Luckily, the Bush administration knows this and is confident that the new administration can't waste any time taking them to court. If it did happen, then, they would simply find another scapegoat to exasperate the judicial system.
Let sleeping dogs lie! The American people have spoken! The Bush Administration is dead! Let's move on to a new era of American history and political harmony. We must unite as a people and forge ahead for a new future.
Turn the page, close the book, move on. Take the millions that would have been spent on such "work" and use it to address real problems and issues we face.
When would the Democrats have any time to do anything else? The Bush legacy is so deep& long, it would take YEARS to find and then prosecute them for ALL their atrocities.
No! have him investigate both parties. Or better yet have the Republican investigate the Dems. Democrats are the party in control of congress and soon to be the White House. Then maybe we can keep them honest. There is nothing like fear to keep you honest.
Yes. Not necessarily to bring charges against people, although I am not saying this shouldn't be done, but to ensure that lessons are learned from the mistakes that have been made. It's no good brushing everything under the carpet and pretending it didn't happen – that would just make the democrats look complicit by virtue of intentionally ignoring the issues.
Hi JAck,
they will be blame in doing so of creating more chaos and division...unless some laws have really been broken and created some precedent injustices. But the principle should be to tell the American people every little unpleasant surprise they may discover in order to protect themselves!
I think the dems should investigate themselves. Bush protected our country from terrorists.
Never mind the Bush administration, what about Congress? Bush didn't do it alone, and both Republicans and Democrats have controlled various parts of Congress during the past 8 years. The voters have continued to send the vast majority of incumbents back to Congress term after term. Tell me again how that brings about change.
Personally, I would love to see investigations being done. That being said, the Democrats should not be chasing the Bush administration if they want to make sure this transition and Obama's presidency is not about partisanship. The clearest way to convey that message to conservatives is to work together and leave history to conclude that George W. Bush was a complete failure.
When an official's malfeasance results in the substantial loss of life, property, assets, and reputation, it is the constitutionally mandated responsibility of the people to act in a manner that deters future leaders from acting in a similar manner. A failure to act will undermine rule of law and send a message to the people that justice operates under a dual standard, one from which the rich and powerful are exempt and one where the common man has no chance.
No, Nothing would happen and it would be a diversion from what needs to be done now.
I think the lesson the citizens need to take from the entire Bush administration.... We need to take our share of responsibility for being politically apathetic for decades.....we the people cannot "check out" from paying attention to what Washington is doing or what it is not doing.
Vote out the elected that don't get things done they way we want and elect new people.
Washington has known the citizens have a short attention span....we must show we have changed. We have allowed them to go back to Washington year after year while accomplishing very little and enabled them to continue the status quo.
Yea they should. They should have awhile ago and probably even impeached the whole Bush administration for starting a war in Iraq without any proof of the accusations they made. If you ask me Bush was on vacation for the past 8 years.
Jack; The investigations started a year ago because there are so many and thus will not be exposed until Bush is out of office as to stop the many pardons.
What good would an investigation do? If the investigation does not recover money that we, the taxpayers, have already lost, it will simply be an exercise in futility. The Democrats would be better off using their time at focusing on moving this country foward, not looking in the rearview mirror.
Erik
McDonough, GA
I don't even want to know what went on. It's just nice to know they are out of there soon!
How fast can they get started and do you think they'll look good in orange.
The ideology of the super executive branch unanswerable to law that it does not agree with and able to ignore the basic constitutional guarantees of due process, association, and press simply by standing upon the principle of Executive Privilege as a form of unwritten extra-constitutional power.
The reinstitution of crony politics into the civil services just like dear old great grand dad had before the 20th century.
Why would anyone want to bring that out?
At the very beginning of the Bush/Cheney administration, I could see what was happening. Where was the press? Where was the Democratic Party? Who to stop them? NO ONE!!! We let them have free reign and look what happened. Everyone, we need to make a vow that we never let the likes of them into the White House again.
Bush said "Mission Accomplished" on that ship. Well, he is right. He, Cheney, Rummy, and Condi have not only destroyed America but have darn well done in the whole world.
Not really. Washington is nothing but a charade performed by greedy deceptive fools. They play their games and we always get the short end.
yes. the criminal acts of this administration demands justice ,to restore our integrity in the world. they should never have tortured people and 'outed' CIA agents.
If they didn't bother to investigate before, why waste taxpayers' dollars investigating now? It's time to move forward. They can, however, undo the damage done by the Bush administration, and that doesn't take an investigation.
Congress needs to concentrate on our economic recovery and other concerns dealing with defense, education, and healthcare. We do not need and can not afford to have the Democrats repeat the behavior of the Republicans in 1994.
The time to investigate the actions of the Bush Admin was while such actions were taking place. Now it is too late. The primary participants will have had time to emulate their hero, Reagan, and forget everything. And the pardons are already written, signed, and ready to flaunt.
In all sincerity I believe this is necessary for the future welfare of the country. It should be low key and handled by a special investigator appointed by the Congress. It should not be none by Congressional hearings seeking to play politics. I believe this is the most corrupt administration of the 20th and 21st centuries. Far in excess of Nixon and Warren G. Harding. If Congress does not make note of it, it sets the legal precedence for a future dictatorship. There is no reason to have a Consitution if it is not going to be enforced. Ralph, Yakima, Wa.
Jack,
The Democrats need to start the investigations ASAP. It’s going to take the next eight years just to prosecute half of the foreign and domestic illegal acts and moral corruption that has been perpetrated by this administration. I hope I live to see the day that our laws are upheld no matter who breaks them.
Mike C
Wethersfield, CT
There should be investigations by non-partisans. We must hold our elected officials accountable for their responsibilities to protect the Constitution and to represent the interests of US citizens.
Congress once impeached a president for lying about oral sex. No one died. The next administration lied to invade another country. Tens of thousands died and more will die.
This administration abused executive power and eroded the Constitutional rights of every citizen in this country.
Oh, and yes, there are the matters of protecting big business and the rich at the expense of middle class, environment, energy and more.
If public officials were held accountable for their actions we probably would see a better class of candidates up for election.
No. There are more important things to do.
They should really work together on all issues and listen to they people and do whats in the best interest of the people because they are working for the people of this country. They should also make good relations with all foreign countries even the ones we are having problems with because how do you ever plan on purseuing someone that what they are doing is wrong when they dont even like you to begin with.
No, not now. There is real work to get done and no time to waste. These types of investigations seem to drive a wedge between the parties and this in not the time for that. We survived the eight years, although barely, lets turn our cheeks....lift our heads and move on proudly with this new administration
It was a good idea 7 year ago!!! Better late than never.
Jack,
The time is right for a fair investigation of the Bush Administration's pure incompetency in leading the country by any one and everyone...
C.I., New York
Jack,
Absolutley, name a top Republican to head the investigation. That way it won't be partisan.
Bob
We know the current administration broke laws and failed in its primary duty to "protect and serve". However we can not look back at this critical time. Our new administration only has time to focus on the many issues that need immediate attention (more than any administration should ever have to deal with).
To focus one minute or one dollar on the sins of the past administration would detract from urgency of the issues at hand and give the appearance of "sour grapes".
However, at some point, in some way, we need to make an example of government officals that violate our trust.
The sooner the better before they have destroyed all of the incriminating evidence.
Bob
Louisville, Ky
When the whole country knows the Bush administration has been doing a lot of illegal things it would be a travisty if they didnt. We are a country of laws and all people should have to follow them including our own President. Just because he comes from a family of politicians and wealth doesnt mean we should turn the other cheek. Ive seen where kids stealing a dollar candy bar gets in more trouble than a crooked politician.
As much as I'd like to see Bush and his friends prosecuted for war crimes, I'd rather the Obama administration work in my health insurance first.
Boise, ID
Yes. It seems alot of Americans think they should be charged with war crimes and treason. Outing an undercover cia agent, starting war based on lies. An example needs to be made.
Seeking justice when there are pressing issues at hand would be viewed as hyperpartisan and would undermine any efforts to help the American people. Only a fool would seek truth and justice. You don't make things better by punishing the wicked. You make things better by working on making things better.
Just goes to show, if you're going to mess things up, it's better to mess up big than just a little.
Yes, absolutely, with a fine-tooth comb. Who knows what else they've done to dig us in a deeper hole. It make take years Jack, but we need to dig up all the skeletons from their closets.
How do I say this, YES.
Jack: Yes, & yes & yes! Immediately!!!!
L.
Tustin, CA
We are supposed to get CHANGE Politics as usual is not change.
There is too much to do in congress to investigate what the whole world knows to be true. The only closure needed is for the dead and wounded of Iraq.
Absolutely!
With so much suspicion clouding the Iraq war and the allegations of corruption within this administration I believe a thorough investigation is in order!
-Jaye
Hayward, CA
Jack, if they started an investigation of the Bush administration, that's all we'd be doing for the next 100 years. They need to run the country & fix the mess this administration has left behind.
Tim in Texas
Jack, are you kidding? No one could live long enough to investigate the Bush Administration!!!
You betcha!!!
Yes Jack very definitly !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jack, I think we just need to move on. I just saw a list of at least 40 companies planning to close at least 5 or 6 thousand retails stores all over the country within the next 6 months. The economy has got to be #1... FOCUS people FOCUS...
I would like to see the World Court charge him with war crimes. Even if he is never punished it would be good to clear the air.
Any criminal investigation will be blocked but that does not mean that they cannot be raked over the coals and have all of their misdeeds and constitutional violations exposed to the light of day and placed in the history books so that even our great grandchildren know for certain who very nearly drove this country into the ground.
Honestly Jack, who could we possibly trust to get this done? Congress has on this matter collectively shown their true colors by putting their own self interests above that of America & it's soldiers again & again.
Let Obama take office first – it's going to be an interesting ride from here out!
Washington politicians investigating other Washington politicians? Oh yeah Jack, that'll work real well...
Everyone has dirt on everyone else. It's called keeping the Status Quo. That's how the game is played; with a wink and a nod.
Any investigation of the Bush administration, that is the war, the bailout would include the many Democrats who approved going to war and those who are intimately involved in the Fannie May scandal. Yeh, I can see that happening.
Dave
Washington D.C.
Jack, I hope not. He has been yesterday's news for many months, now.
We are all aware that this administration is corrupt. It would take up precious time in our courts to prove it . We need to spend our energies trying to undo the damage they have done and try to move on to making us solvent again.
Louise IN
Yes. Just to let the truth be known about how much our rights have been violated.
what about congress who keeping an eye on them
perry jones
council bluffs iowa
Jack, I would dearly love to see Bush and his cronies punished for all he did; but the answer to your question is no.
. There is so much that needs doing that the Dems and Obama would be better off tending to business. With all our problems, there is no sense in stirring up the hornets nest that is the Republican party. Better to be a notch above the Republicans and get this country on the right track. Besides there is blame to go around. All of us sat on our bums and let Bush take the country down.
Some one should investigate the Bush administration. I'll bet they find that this is the most corrupt administration ever.
St. Louis, MO
you bet! They only have 4 years to complete it and with all the stuff yet to be uncovered it will take at least that long. And by the way, the conservatives kept yelling for investigations the whole campaign so lets help them . Maybe they will think twice before they lie to us and rip us off.
It would probably be a waste of time since nothing would come of it. Better off spending time fixing the economy.
It would have been a good idea eight years ago. Why bother now.
Pres. Obama wants to get support of both democrats and 'publicans. Pursuing the Bush administration's unconstitutional actions should be pursued only if their 'publican colleagues participate.
Absolutely. We need to know exactly what and how this Bush/Cheney disaster happened. Only then, can we make sure it is never allowed to happen again.
No, it would take too long and detract from the real task at hand – cleaning up the mess left by the Bush Administration.
We need to create jobs in this country and an appropriate level of investigation of the Bush administration should employ very many people.
The justice department needs to be cleansed of the people that were hired on their conservative leanings or any investigation will be a very hollow job.
It is clearly obvious that the Bush administration have done a lot of stupid things.
But investigating the Bush administration would be a waste of time and money.
There are more important things to do right now, like the economy.
Let history, do the investigation. It will all come out in the wash, sooner or later.
Dale, New Mexico
It would be nice...You would have thought that Nancy would have begun this 2 years ago....I believe that the american public and the world deserves answers......
Yes, look what the republicans did to Clinton and just think of what Bush and his buddies have done. Maybe this will be a sign to all politicians that they be honest, open and respect the constitution.
Absolutely!!!
He's infringed on the rights of citizens with his illegal spying. The war in Iraq on the alleged claims they possessed weapons of mass destruction. His bending over backwards to protect big business and the rich at the expense of middle/lower class and the enviroment. Last time i checked. There were laws. And even the presidents/congress should to be subject to them.
I thought that you'd never ask Jack! Bush has destroyed our America and you ask if he should be brought up on charges? The answer is YES! He has lied , stole, committed war crimes , what more could he and Cheney, Rove, Rumsfeld, Powell do to us. The government acts as though him being gone is good enough , Well it's not good enough to me and Im sure not good enough for some of our fallen soldiers families.
Yes, investigate and prosecute. How many innocent civilians have died in the war (for profit) on terror? Over a million. War crimes is a good place to start.
I am a very liberal Demorcrat and I hate what the Bush administration has done to the credibility of the United States. I actually would love to see people held accountable but this is not the time. This is not the place. Obama wants to unify the country and althought it migth be legit, hearings will only look like bipartisan and divide the country further. I know its hard to betray our principles and give up what is right but in the interest of moving this country to where we need it to be, we need everyone to work together. This cannot be the liberal version of the Bush era where we don't ask for input from others and we just do as we please because we have control of the government.
Yes! Without a doubt! But it should not be the 1st order of business in the new Congress. Wait 4 or 5 months, tackle more pressing issues like the economy first. Then go after the crooks in April or May without looking too partisan.
Jack, this is going to be the same congress that has done nothing for the last 4 years. what makes you think that they will do anything now. The only thing they will agree on is increasing their own paycheck.
Why bother? We've all suffered enough and wasted way too much money to continue to waste money on an investigation. We can all assume that what we've lived/seen from the Bush administration is nothing short of an injustice to most. Let's just cut our losses now and let that administration be a thing of the past! Hopefully we can begin healing ourselves and our country.
As much as I would love to see Cheney and Rumsfeld held accountable, it's too little, too late. We don't need any sideshows right now to distract us from the huge tasks in front us. Let history roast them slowly over the coals of public disapprobation.
Bush and Co. can't be touched. It'll be like when Nixon was pardoned. There are entities in the world more powerful than the US government, and Bush and various cronies are a part of those entities. There will be no feathers ruffled period. Just watch, and prepare for further disallusionment. Heck, I'm sure half the country would love to see many of them locked up, but money talks.
No, Just let him fade into obscurity in Texas, we don't need a big mess that makes the Untied States look bad and certainly not something that would imprison a former President.
Ron, Raleigh
This would be stupid. It would be a huge waste of the taxpayers dollars. If we look at the history it is easy to see, the current financial situations root is in the "encouraged" financing of loans to individuals and companies with no assets or even ability to repay. This was done at the insistence of most Democrat members of the House and Senate. Most Republican members voiced opposition but went largely unheard.
Yes, a message needs to be sent that criminal behavior is no more tolerated by our leaders than those of us like you or me. There is ample reason to suspect several instances of highly illegal and even unconstitutional actions were taken by Bush and his Cronies. Looking into this is the patriotic thing to do.
I say let sleeping dogs lie. The Obama administration has enough to do to bail us out of the mess the Bush administration has put us in. I wouldn't waste my breath or money going after Bush. After January 20, 2009, we all can sleep a little sounder at night knowing that Bush can no longer abuse his power.
Yes, absolutely, though I don't think it should be just an effort of the Democrats. As a society we try and constantly reinforce for the youth that there are consequences to actions. Why should it be any different for some of the highest offices in our country? It's time that the Bush administration be held accountable for their constant abuse of public trust and subversion of the US Constitution. I think that boldly confronting this issue instead of looking the other way WILL be a change in politics as usual, because what else have we, as a nation, done these last eight years other than look the other way?
-Christina Berger
Syracuse, NY
You have to investigate the Bush administration. This will not only hold the Bush administration responsible for any wrong doing, but an investigation would also be message to future administrations that White House scandals are not acceptable and president's/ex-president's are not above the law.
I think the public should demand the truth. That is the first thing they should begin.
You Betcha!! But nothing will happen. What I think they should investigate is why Bush is more concerned about a trade agreement with Columbia when we have a country in collapse. He doesn't seem to be concerned about the American people which tells me all this has been planned and they know exactly what's going on-lining their pockets before he is out of office. I wish we could get him out of office today!!
Absolutely!!!! The sooner the better to find out how actually evil and corrupt they really were.
I know there is a huge amount that needs to be done by the new Congress, but the crimes committed by this administration cannot be allowed to go unchallenged. Even if Bush tries to block them, the Dems have got to find their spine, and make sure that these wrongdoers are held responsible for their actions. Otherwise, the Change we all hope for with the Obama administration will seem a bit hollow.
I think the democrats should do some type of investigation of Bush’s Treasury Dept. because that secretary he has is full of lies. And I think the whole of the Administration is being paid by AIG and others. Because let us face this economy did not just mess up by accident Bush and his Administration have had to have known before hand what was going to happen. So why should the democrats not investigate this Administration.
The Bush administration has been one of the worst, if not the worst, in american history. To spend countless time and taxpayer dollars proving Bush to be an incompetenet warmongerer is just affirming what we already know. The middle class is looking for the new administration to fix this economy. Even talking about anything else is pointless.
Augusta, GA
The Constitution requires the President to "ensure that the laws are faithfully enforced". Not prosecuting the Bush administration would be dereliction of duty.
Since September 12, 2001 Bush, Cheney, et al too often did not interpret the constitution but exploit it. It would indeed be a vast, expensive undertaking which would make it a hard sell in such rough economic. But, the message would last forever: No administration is above the laws of the land. You will be held accountable not only by historians but by the judiciary.
Absolutely Jack. Just because the administration is on its way out (finally) doesn't mean they are immune from investigations. I will be extremely upset if the dems do not pursue legal action against those crooked liars who got us into this mess.
We can`t afford it.
The Constitution gives Congress specific powers, one of which is to investigate the President and members of the Executive Branch. If Congress decides not to use this power when there is suffient due cause, then we no longer have a true Constitutional Democracy. Besides, many of the other issues – economy, wars, unemployment, etc. were directly connected to the abuse of power, deceptions, deregulation of the Bush Administration. Like when Nixon was exposed, truth is our sustaining principle.
Only if the Congress wants to investigate their own role. Bush can't do anything without the money congress authorizes. If they fund it, the implicitly agree, and are equally at fault.
Since the election has given President-elect Obama and the Democratic Congress the power to make the changes they believe will give America its best hope for a bright future, why focus on the past?
How will we as Americans benefit from Congress and the new administration focusing their energies on vendettas instead of new solutions to all the problems we face today?
You betcha. Better hurry too. I can hear the shredders from here.
You bet. We owe it to the world and the history books to uncover the truth behind the slippery leadership of the Bush administration and how it has resulted in a troubled economy, two messy wars, and a host of other unfortunate incidents. It seems to me the Bush administration would make for a great manual – "What not to do when you are the leader of the freeworld".
I am very disappointed that this has not happened to date. Because they have not, I assure you this in one reason, if not the main reason, why congress has such low approval ratings. This along with siding with Bush are why they are not viewed as productive. Why do you think so many Americans voted out the Republican majority in 2006? Why did so many Dems take-up more House and Senate seats as well as Obama's overwhelming win? We want change, but we also want government held accoutable. Bush has broke more laws and acted with more harm to our country that I know of from any president. We need to demonstate to future politicians and the world that even our highest office can be held accoutable for actions. Congress represents the people and should heed our cries for justice!
Jack,
The Democratic Congress should have immediately begun impeachment proceedings in 2006 when it took control of Congress. The far-right Bush administration has blatantly violated the Constitution several times in its pursuance of a pre-conceived imperialistic doctrine. When we begin to hold our politicians to the standards of every day citizens perhaps corruption will no longer reign supreme in Washington.
NO! I'm no fan of Bush, but what's the point of an investigation? If he's done wrong and abused his power, what do we gain from this knowledge? I can tell you what is lost, though: more taxpayer dollars. PLEASE, let's stop wasting time and money on actions that do nothing!
As much as I want to say yes, I'm also suffering from chronic Bush-fatigue. I'm ready for it all to be OVER! I figure, there will continue to be investigations, more stuff will "leak out", and things will continue to be uncovered for years to come. Bush is pondering what his legacy will be? I think we've found it.
Congressional service is highly paid and well vacationed.
They have the ability to do this, and accountability is important. If they need to work a little bit harder or longer hours to see this accomplished, they should buckle down and actually start earning their salary. They've had more than ample opportunity to pursue this- perhaps they have not done so because they have been complicit and are therefore also culpable.
Matt
Santa Barbara, CA
Absolutely, investigate, though I think there's already enough evidence to convict Bush and Cheney of many crimes.
Investigate now but prosecute after January 20. It would be a shame to expose all their crimes only to have Bush pardon all guilty parties.
Jack,
Yes, I would like it to be known to the people of this country
just how in the dark we've been these past eight yaers. If we were to
expose these self made monarks for the true criminals that they are
we could stop future presidents from even thinking they could get by
with what they have done. Please BRING IT ON
Jack, investigating Pres. Bush at anytime is just gonna be a waste of tax payers' resources. I'd rather they investigate the people who voted for Pres. Bush, especially in 2004.
Kina, NYC.
What a waste of time and money to appease whiners. We have enough work to do, get over it and move on!
Jack, we need to investigate everyone in Washington. What happened? Why did it happen? The government is supposed to protect our borders, control interstate commerce and let the States control most of the rest. Well Jack, now my money goes to Washington and the Congress spends it unwisely. Democrats, Republicans, who can point the finger at anyone there.
YES! and it's about time. If it would have been you or I or anyone else for that matter, we would be charged criminally, had a trial and would have been in prison by now. He abused the power of his office, lied to the public and people died because of his total manipulation of the facts to see through what his father couldn't finish
The voters already held the party in charge accountable. If we want to start healing, we need to stop opening up new wounds. Change is about doing things differently from the Republicans. Going after Bush, Cheney & the rest of the clan won't change the past.
Without a doubt. But it will never happen. Cheney should be behind bars, but these criminals will not be held accountable for their crimes against our nation. Hopefully they will receive more than ample punishment in the afterlife.
YES! The sooner the better!!
If congress wanted to investigate the Bush Administration they had eight years to do it, and frankly I wish they had. I spent the last eight years wondering when someone was going to stand up to the White House bullies, but alas no champion appeared. I think what the country needs now is to come together. President – Elect Obama has made it clear that his goal is to move forward. We cannot undo the terrible mistakes of the Bush Administration, we can only learn from them and try to repair the damage. The best way to do that is to put aside the bickering and concentrate on what's best for our country.
To be honest I'm ten times more keen to find out why on earth the people of this country blindly followed him wherever he was going
No the Democrats would be wasting their time. Why not spend some time instead to fix the economy and not pick fights with Republicans. The key is working together. What will finding wrongs in the Bush Administration do, he's GONE and so are his cronies!
sure,
and if partisan politics have anything to do with it, and I'm sure it does since Congressional Democrats would be leading this charge, I think they [Democrats] owe the American people at least an investigation to see what shakes loose. After all, Republicans did investigate and impeach President Clinton for perjury and abuse of power to name a couple, although he was not convicted by the Senate, the Democrats should at least investigate President Bush for lying about intelligence and misleading the Americans about Iraq's harboring of weapons of mass destruction. If I'm not mistaken these charges are synonomous with perjury and abuse of power.
There is this criminal that got caught a couple of weeks ago in my neighborhood. Should he get a free pass, too?
Of course they have to be prosecuted. Not only for their own heinous acts against our Constitution and country, but we must make it clear for future office holders they cannot act this way.
they should have years ago
It was a good idea two years ago when the Dems threatened to impeach him, heck it was a good idea eight years ago when the patriot act gave him carte blanch to run the government as he saw fit. But to wait until he's out of office, until he's out of the public eye and the trail of his misdeeds have gone cold is the most idiotic thing they could do. The more time you give to the attorneys and paper shredders the more likely the chance that the Bush administration will continue to get off scott free.
Absolutely, without question. If we're to have any kind of accountability in government, we should hold the executive responsible for the things they did or had knowledge of happening, no matter if their administration has already finished its term. To do otherwise would prove that the branch responsible for carrying out the enforcement of our laws is above it; hypocrisy in its purest form.
Why waste the time? Anyone with any brains realizes that he is not an honest man and everyone knows that he misled the American people about Iraq, and perhaps on some other subjects.
However, the people elected Obama because they want change. Why waste time with a "has been:, but rather let's all put our energy into trying to make some real changes in Washington, not wasting time and money going after someone who is a known liar.
He needs to just go home and then lock the door behind him and never come out again.
Definitely. It will be healthy for America to expose the Bush attacks on freedom and America's well-being: 1) prosecutions would set an example; 2) uncovering the Bush misdeeds will give Obama's administration ideas for new procedures and policies to prevent them in the future; 3) America is only as "sick as its secrets"; 4) if these issues are left hidden, some lower-level staff who participated in them may be allowed to continue; 5) perhaps most important, if the American people learn of the full extent of the abuses, they, their representatives and press will be more vigilant in the future.
Clinton should have been impeached for perjury and Bush should impeached for trampling the bill or rights. But, its time to move on.
Please let us enjoy our new democracy under obama administration.Investigating Bush Now will lead us to the Bridge to Nowhere again.
Jack
As much as I detest the Bush administration, why waste the time, money and energy to investigate all the wrongs committed by this administration?
There are more important issues facing congress than the past ills of Bush and his congressional cronies. Let's get on with attempting to salvage the country. History will handle this man and his administration.
It would be hard for Congress to credibly investigate the Bush administration, since they did little to use their own power to balance our government while he was in power. Perhaps the investigation should come from Geneva.
Eventually, but first fix the economy
Yes. American people need to know every detail about the War on Iraq and bring the justice to whoever are responsible for this mess.
Abolutely. If this administration gets away with trashing our Constitution without any consequences, what will happen next time we have a clueless president being led by lawless men like Cheney and Rumsfeld? Since last Tuesday, I have felt that we as a country dodged a bullet thanks to the talents of president-elect Obama.
Better late than never, Jack.
Yes, just to settle the facts. If there was illegal behaviour it needs to be brought to light and sent to court. If there was not illegal behavior – then it needs to be stated. The secrecy and refusal of this administration to respond to congressional oversight demands an investigation be done.
I do believe that the administration should be investigated. People need to understand just how close a free country came to following their leader into oblivion.
yes yes and yes
They should of done that 5 years ago. He should of been impeached!
Unless it is a bipartisan investigation it is a bad idea. There are more important things to address right now. If the Republicans become defensive it will be nealy impossible to get our country back on track.
As much as I'd like to see the bums go to jail, I believe it would serve no good purpose. History will judge George W. Bush and his buddies far more harshly than any politically motivated investigation could ever do.
Normally these type of charges would be heard at The International Court of Justice at The Hague but, of course, Bush is exempt.
Absolutely. If the Bush Administration is not held accountable for its appalling abuse of power such could continue with future generations of Presidents. Our founding fathers left us with a Constitution precisely to prevent any President from abusing his or her power.
Absolutely! There are war crimes to investigate, constitutional issues to investigate, and abuse of power issues to investigate. Unfortunately, the shredding party has already happened. And no one is going to remember anything.
Kathleen
NM
Absolutely, the Bush administration has done some pretty disgraceful things in the past. I think it is time that someone gets to the bottom of this and, the democrats are the ones who can do that.
no doubt about it – it's about time. the cronyism, corruptness, and all around dishonesty need to be addressed and i couldn't be happier that it's being considered. can they also bring up all these halliburton no-bid contracts? add that to the list (if there is room)
I think the dems should begin the investigation because of the mere fact that republicans have been running the show for the past 8 years. All hail the fall of the capitalist system!
Don't waste the resources.. nobody is going to get prosecuted... it would just be a waste of money. We all know what the republican rule over the last 8 years has brought us.. we already know who's lied about what... the public has already judged this administration in the form of elections.. lets not give them any more attention and focus on the future.
Under no circumstances should such investigations be undertaken. Doing so undercuts Obama's message of a new politics and only shows the Democrats are not worthy of their candidate.
Jack:
I don't really see what could come of it beyond it being yet another distraction from issues that need this administration's immeidate attention - not to mention the cost and time it takes for investigation - to what end? Bush knows he's made a mess of things. It's why we're rid of him and well rid of a large number of GOP members in both houses. The world has had enough. I thikn we all just want to move on and put the last 8 years behind us and get back to the business of having a well-lead country, get back on a good economic track, become safe again, and bring all of our men and women home to their families.
Yes. We are a nation of laws. Failure to enforce the law diminishes respect for it. Of course we need to move on. But only after justice is served. To allow them to slip away from justice sets a terrible precedent which we will suffer for a long time to come.
Yes and No,
Now is the time for Congress to move the investigation out of their lap and place it with law enforcement. Finally something useful for the FBI to do. The danger in letting this become a political witch hunt is significant, but we already learned what a disaster it is to let an executive scoff at the law when Nixon was pardoned and Iran-Contra was never seriously prosecuted. Bush's contempt for the constitution is a direct result. Once he's out of office it should be referred to law enforcement, no pardons.
The potential for partisan distraction is huge here, like when Clinton was impeached. On the other hand, we need accountability and an opening of the records so future administrations will know what to avoid and that they will not be able to get away with similar activity. I would suggest an independent investigator or commission, and later a prosecutor, if enough evidence of crimes is found. Doing nothing is definitely wrong for a country this frustrated.
NO. I have no faith that our current Congress could supervise such investigations impartially. Not even close!
Jack,
We need to prosecute immediately upon leaving office so that this abuse of power is never tolerated again in this country.
You better believe it! They should have started two years ago, but the Dem's didn't have the stomach for it...and of course they will be replaced in the mid-term elections.
Executive priviledge does extend itself to breach the Presidential Oath of Office. Karl Rove, Alberto Gonzales, et al should be further investigated and held to the highest scruitiny in an effort to regain the public trust.
No. Concentrating on the future is more important than dredging up the past. And no one's a better Democrat than I am.
The Democrats should concentrate on fixing this country with all their hopeful ideas and then investigate the Bush administration.
George Bush has had enough power over this country for the last eight years. We should be celebrating the changes to come with our new government, and this is absolutely not the time to allow W. to keep any more attention, or to distract our government from accomplishing what it needs to get done.
It is my sincere belief that G.W Bush should not only be investigated by congress, but tried at Nuremberg as a war criminal. 1 million dead Iraqis and civil rights in fractions.Anyone that can be held responsible for such things, should be tried for these things. Enough said.
Does it matter? He could have been impeached and no one did anything. Besides, what good does it do? The damage is done and cant be reversed and stoning in not allowed in our country. And even if it was... it still wouldnt be enough.
Well No, if your only going to look at everything they did and ask all staff QUESTIOS its not needed. Yes, if we are gonna do what people want for the best and and actually get some insight on what to do, how to do it, and what you need to know before doing it. Obama came here to run the government not question its past. When he gets in the White House instead of visiting things can be done quicker. What time do we have to see the Democrats make Bush look Worse. Obama needs a head start on things through him not a crime report.
if the democrats bother to investigate the bush administration (again) they are going to be met with ignored subpoenas and the infamous phrase "I don't recall"
Absolutely. But the better question is why hasn't an investigation been launched well before now? I'm confident it would have turned up more than enough evidence to impeach.
President Bush may have some power to overturn congress, but with the support of Obama he can't have much. Some democrats may think that they shouldn't because if Obama screws up then Republicans will come right back. However, the point of this is not to boost political press, it is to learn what mistakes we made so we NEVER make them again
As much as I believe justice should be served on the Bush administration, I just think there are much more important things for this congress to focus on. Obama ran on a platform of unity, and by going after the Bush administration they will simply anger republicans and increase the division in the country.
It is not a "good idea," it's the LAW!
Absolutely not! There are way too many critical issues the Congress needs to spend their time on. What is to be accomplished by an
investigation after everyone is gone? Let Congress do something useful, if that is possible.
Jack – Can someone please beheld accountable for once. Eight years of who knows what. Just wiping your hands clean, is as American as apple pie.
Yes, the rule of law says we should hold accountable those whom have committed crimes against the American people.
everything about the bush administration should be seen as LOST. the democrates should start afresh and not even bother with those evil days which can never be regained!!!
Yes – many times. They should have long time ago.
Absolutely! I don't believe any other presidental administration has broken as many laws as the Bush Administration. It would be a miscarriage of justice not to pursue the law breakers.
Why wouldn't a formal investigation with either both parties represented or a non-partisan panel make sense? For just the Democrats to move forward with such an investigation would serve to polarize our country more than ever. If it's a real, formal and legal action it shouldn't be partisan.
As an ardent supporter of Obama, I think this is a very bad idea. It is time to leave the ugliness of the Republicans and the Bush Administration behind and show America how a collaborative government can solve these huge problems we face.
I wonder how i would stand another month or year investigating Bush administration. i mean almost all his cabinet memebers did resign before the end of his terms. GOOd luck with that.
Yes! The Bush administration should be investigated. And his power of exectutive decisions should be frozen so he won't be able to do any more damage to our country before he leaves office.
For the last 2 years, Congress accomplished next to nothing. They spent all their time bashing Bush. They had better get over their Bush hatred and get down to business for this country. It's not like they don't have anyting to do.
Jack, It would be pointless. If the last eight years are any indication, there won't be anything left to investigate. Since the election results were announced, the shredders at the White House have been running 24/7. By the time Obama is sworn in, there won't be as much as a compromising Post-It or an email left. Let's not waste any more time and money on the bad behavior of the Bush administration. Instead let's move forward and promise ourselves to never do it again.
They say "the truth will set you free" Do we need to know? The American family needs to be able to show the world that we care about justice and that what occured under the Bush administration never happens again. We can learn from the mistakes or not.
Absolutely not. At this time there are much more important things for our idiots to spend their time and our money on than looking into the Bush Administration. Our country is in great need. Time and money should be focused there.
Yes he should be investigated... To many people have died because of his decisions and now its time to know just exactly what he did and why he did it. Its not fair to the American people and people of the world to be kept in the dark . Alot of problems we have now stem from this administration and if we can figure out the source we can fix the problems. I think if we can impeach Clinton for what he did then we definatly have the right to "investigate" Bush. I think we are in for a few surprises...
No one is above the law in this country and a clear message needs to be heard around the world that no President of the US or a Congress that fails to do their job of checks and balances will ever be allowed to do this again. Don’t stop with the President–there were plenty in congress that need to account for turning a blind eye.
No, Congress should get to doing the business of our country...Leave George W. Bush for the historians.
Yes we can and yes we should. Let's start wit ha subpoena of Cheney's secret energy plan. That is the road map that has led us down this rabbit hole.
How about a real investigation begins with the Democratic party, especially people like Barney Frank, Chris Dodd and Obama for getting us into this financial crisis we are facing. After all, they are responsible for the Freddie and Frannie mess. There is not one Republican that blame can be cast on that one!! People need to let go of all their Bush hatered because that hatered is about to be put on someone new in a few short weeks. Americans are so spoiled and always need something to complain about.
Bush and Co. should've been impeached years ago. I don't know what good it will do now. President-Elect Obama has a full plate cleaning up the mess that Bush inflicted on America over the last eight years.
The nation cannot take a long and protracted investigation. We deserve a speedy trial of our executive and it should not last more than one news cycle.
Mike
Los Angeles, CA
Now that is funny! He is untouchable. I wonder if he has seen daylight longer than 20 minutes over the past several years. Though a formal punishment may not happen, which is unfortunate, he will live the rest of his life always looking over his shoulder. Scary thought if you think about it.
They will NOT go to hearings. We do need to hear that we were lied to by the administration. The Republicans are worried about the state of their party so they should participate in the hearings. Then in four years bring out a new candidate, a candidate of change. And no, Sarah Palin doesn't count again!
Are you serious?? If so, then you need to include the entire Congress, especially Rangel, Frank, Pelosi, Reid, etc., etc. Hopefully the Democrat's obsession with hating Bush will somewhat subside after he leaves office. It will be interesting to see what the next object of their collective anger will be. Maybe they'll be able to once again turn on the "religious right." One thing is for sure. They'll find someone to dispise or die trying.
I hope the new administration does not take the attitude "well this 8 yr nightmare is over" and it would be best for the country to just move on. If so, our Justice System will again be a disservice to the honest Americans who obey the same laws.Why don't they just change the name to the Selective Prosecution Department instead of the Justice Department....
Having the lowest job approval rating by it self is enough embarrassing punishment.
As tempting as it is to stick it to Bush & Company for all the violations of the Constitution that they engaged in, it would be self-defeating. It would destroy any chance at bipartisan efforts to move forward on the issues that really matter. Bush cannot escape the verdict of history. Let's move on.
Let bush alone. When the next president comes with lies and get rich on us, let him alone too and just keep moving on!!
Omaha NE
too many of our nations young have died fighting in iraq. their loved ones deserve to know why and who should be held responsible. otherwise our troops really did died for nothing.
While I think there definitely needs to be Congressional investigations into a lot of activity of the Bush administration that wasn't even touched by the Republican-controlled Congress, there are much more pressing issues right now. Congress needs to focus all of its attention to finding solutions to outdated economic and financial regulations, ways to stimulate the economy, rebuild our infrastructure, improve relations with the world, the list goes on.
It would be nice to have closure on the outing of a CIA agent as well as other abuses of power, which are almost too many to count. Sadly, the country is in such depressed conditions it would distract from the effort to clean up the mess this administration is leaving behind.
I would like to see a published list of all of the signing statements and executive orders signed by the Decider over the past 8 years. I think disclosure of these would provide insight into the way the Bush administration acted and interpreted the powers of the executive office.
As much as I would like to see the Bush administration held accountable for its actions, I would like more to be able to put this all behind us. Gerald Ford wisely decided to pardon Nixon so this country could heal and move on. This seems like another point in history when we should just move on.
Simply Put, Yes the Democrats should investigate the Bush White House, but ONLY if they have the guts and integrity to go forward with something more than a gripe session. Save me the drama.
Democrats should start investigaions immediately before they form some kind of blockade like they know how to do.
Yes they should investagate the Bush administration. Crooks should be prosecuted even and most especially in high places.
I say the wise thing to do would be for President Obama to sign a blanket pardon the way Ford did for Nixon. End the fighting over the last President and move on to face the issues. Most are the same ones – an unpopular war, oil woes and economic issues. Learn from the past. If not, every new presidency will usher in years of investigations over the last one. Nothing will get done.
No, but it is a good idea for all of congress and senate (democrats, republicans and independents) to investigate the wrongdoing over the past several years and let the chips fall where they may. Of course this will never happen because the fox is investigating who stole the chickens.
The answer is quite obvious, if Bush is not investigated, that would make it o.k for any future US presidents to be above the law. your choice America.
from New York
Two things need to be done to begin to remove the taint of the last eight years under the Bush administration. First is to repudiate the administration at the ballot box. This has happened decisively with the election of President-elect Obama, and the Democratic majority in Congress. Next is to hold the administration accountable for what has been done. That will require investigation to expose the secrets, to uncover any and all broken laws, and to expose any guilty of lawbreaking to the wheels of justice. Unfortunately, there has been too much smoke coming from the government to believe that there wasn't a lot of law-breaking going on. If it is not exposed to the light of day, it will continue to fester and to undermine American Democracy.
I think the Bush administration has wasted enough time (8 years) and national resources (trillions of dollars). Any time spent investigating the administration, while perhaps morally rewarding, would just be more wasteful. Congress should get to the work of running the country and getting us out of the hole we're in. Leave punishing Bush/Cheney to history and God.