Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Just asking

A propos the (I would say) criminal systematic financial looting of past years:

1. Is there any limit in scope or number to the pardon/s of a retiring US President?

2. Can an incoming President challenge or reverse any such pardon?

P.S. If Thomas J. DiLorenzo is right, perhaps the pardons should be made retrospective right back to 1781, just to be on the safe side.

6 comments:

yoyomo said...

Unfortunately, pardons are not subject to review or challenge by any one. The only limitation is that a president can't pardon himself.

The best that can be hoped for is that the new administration tries to prove criminal intent on the president's part and prosecute him for criminal conspiracy but that would still not invalidate the pardon. If the former president can be convicted for conspiracy, then the prosecuter can dig around for hidden crimes not covered by the pardon to prosecute.

Nick Drew said...

an excellent thought, Sackers

funnily enough I was musing recently on Pardoner Clinton's disgraceful conduct in the closing days of his office

but my speculations about what Bush might get up to in his turn centered on the idea of pre-emptive pardons for various of his functionaries who might find themselves in the dock for conduct in other spheres

we shall see

Anonymous said...

I've thought Bush a lamentable leftie practically from the start - if he emulates Slick Willie on leaving office, it just proves that he's been a Democrat-in-all-but-name throughout.

James Higham said...

Not earlier than 1781?

Paddington said...

Bush a leftie? He's basically a monarchist.

Anonymous said...

He's an American leftie - the Dems are the party of Big Government, extravagant spending on the welfare state, and aggressive wars abroad. That's W. Of course he's a monarch - all American Presidents are elected monarchs. If that makes him a monarchist, then he's a leftie monarchist monarch. With added incompetence.