Wednesday, July 9, 2008

So, was Immunity Really Granted?

As pissed as I am about the FISA update right now, at least one lawyer (or legal aid, or something) is maintaining that the bill does not preclude accountability. If I'm following this correctly,
  • Civil cases will be dismissed, but it says nothing possible criminal prosecutions.
  • Obama has indicated that he would still hold lawbreakers accountable. (Differing from informal tradition of just pardoning everyone so the country can "move on")
  • Bush is unlikely to issue a pardon, because it would be an admission of guilt.
If so, things might not be so bad. On the other hand, I think that last point is a bit weak, and I've grown suspicious of simply trusting Obama. (And yes, I feel that he did break his promise from the primaries to filibuster any bill containing retroactive immunity. He may be making a political calculation, but if so, I believe it is a poor one.) So, in the end, probably nothing will happen, nothing will be fixed, and all these assholes will get away scott-free.

Sigh.

No comments: