People that i respect greatly, like David Swanson of "After Downing Street" have been working to organize people to Stop what they see as the near-certain pardon of Bush (a self-pardon) and Cheney and other high-ranking administration officials for their crimes.
Yes, most of us would fully agree that these people should be at risk of prosecution. Yes, they have clearly guilty of heinous crimes against humanity, including the highest crime, crimes against peace. Political leaders that lead nations into wars of aggression should be held accountable. Yes, leaders that sanction torture, and explicitly admit to such in televised interviews, should be held accountable.
They will not be held accountable by the Obama administration or the incoming congress under the leadership of Nancy Pelosi. The bush administration knows this, and they know that pardons are not necessary.
There is no evidence that the current Democratic leadership thinks that anything the Bush administration has done is worth prosecuting. Nancy Pelosi, who loyally funded the Iraq war for years, said there was no evidence of crimes in July of this year.
If there were even the slightest concern from the Bush administration (i really doubt there ever was), i'm sure such reassuring statements from Pelosi surely have alleviated them.
This is US politics. The united states for decades has operated on the premise that it can invade other countries at will, that torture is okay (especially when done by client states). The US can spy on its own citizens. The President is above the law.
We must do everything we can to change this. We must work day and night to build a movement that opposes US empire and supports international law and human rights.
It is not helpful to suggest that simply electing democrats mean that anything has changed in that regard. That is premature.
The Bush administration is not so stupid as to believe that it needs presidential pardons. That's why Cheney was so brazen with his televised confession of torture. Not because he has been assured of a pardon from Bush, but he knows he has one from the Obama administration and the new incoming Congress.
Therefore they can commit these crimes with impunity. as will the United States government in the near-future.
An inconvenient truth.