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Should We Charge President Bush with Murder?

Posted: September 24th, 2008
By: Christie LaBarca
Category: Lawyer Profiles, Opinion Corner

Should We Charge President Bush with Murder?
It is no secret that a majority of the country is unsatisfied with President Bush's performance in the White House during his two terms of presidency.  He has been called with an infinite amount of negative names, has been labeled by some as one of the worst presidents ever and several people have even advocated his impeachment.  However a candidate for Vermont Attorney General is now pledging to prosecute President Bush for the murder of thousands of Iraqis and American soldiers.   As the Wall Street Journal Law Blog reports, Charlotte Dennett, the progressive candidate for the position, vowed if she is elected she will have Bush prosecuted by attorney and New York Times bestselling author, Vincent Bugliosi.  Bugliosi is author of the recently released book, "The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder."

Bugliosi says, since President Bush played a role in recruiting soldiers from each state, technically any attorney general has the potential (and the jurisdiction) to file such a suit.   Additionally, Bush in a sense duped the public (people of each individual state) into believing Sadam Hussein was an immediate threat and that a war in Iraq would be a response to the terrorist attacks that occurred in the United States.

On one hand, it seems as if the candidate should concentrate on issues in Vermont that need attention.  Hatred for President Bush, however, seems to be widespread in Vermont.  The state actually had the most proponents for the impeachment of the president.  It is also the only state he has not visited as President.  The idea does seem to be a little far-fetched, but could it really happen?  As much as many of us have aversions towards Bush, we have to question, what type of precedent would this create?   Attorneys would evermore have the ability to manipulate the situation to prosecute any leader for bad choices.   Future presidents will develop more fears about entering a war, even if it entrance may be necessary.  

An additional issue that has plagued me is whether in twenty or so years Bush will still be viewed as a terrible president.  Sometimes looking back in hindsight, we see why leaders made the decisions that they made, and the way some circumstances required them to carry out certain acts.  We truly do not know and we won't know for awhile.   If the prosecution does occur (if Dennett is elected) it would not be until Bush leaves office in January.

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