Who was the most competent criminal: Nixon, Clinton, or Bush?

[NinetySix]

Watergate, boiled down to its essential elements, was about a relatively unsophisticated attempt to undermine the democratic process (when it was likely unnecessary to do so in order to win re-election), a relatively minor instance of corruption (given the kind of legalized bribery we see routinely today), and a Keystone-Kops coverup which was fairly easily exposed by a vigilant press corps to an outraged public.

Vigilance and outrage both appear to be dead today, but the crimes committed by this Administration are orders of magnitude more serious than the paltry, bumbling misconduct that brought down Nixon. If all it took to nearly bring down Clinton was a bit of perjury in a civil case, then why are those who said "It's not about the sex, it's about the lying" circling the wagons when it comes to the lies which clearly caused serious damage to our nation's armed services' ability to continue to defend us, America's reputation abroad, and Americans' confidence in the veracity of any and all statements issued by their Government?

Everything Nixon was guilty of, Bush and his compatriots are guilty of to a much greater degree. Bush holds democracy in patent contempt, as is apparent in his manifold undemocratic power ploys at home and his patronizing lectures on democracy to nations abroad. Corruption is evident in every relationship this Administration has set up with the corporate sphere, from no-bid contracts to media de-regulation. And the coverups have been honed to a fine point by the Administration's tactic of releasing real information of Government misdeeds in fraudulent documents which are then quickly discredited, along with the evidence they contain.

Clearly, the impeachment of Clinton was tit-for-tat retribution for Watergate. Are those who would now defend Bush so worried that the "score" which was "settled" in that evidently ongoing right-left feud would become uneven? So much so that they are willing to mortgage our Republic in order to avoid prosecuting the real crimes of George W. Bush and the criminals he has surrounded himself with?

[jus_the_facts]

1. It's a long family tradition with these people and our country.......

....go back even further to the very beginning of the establishment of DC itself between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams and the same smear tactics and criminal practices were the norm...this is nothing NEW...same sort of shit with Jesus and the Romans...Moses and the Egyptians...same as it ever was..still is... :nopity:


http://www.winterboy.com/dejavuintro.html

[Flubadubya]

2. Clinton, a criminal?

Well, you're entitled to your opinion.

[NinetySix]

4. I was not and am still no great fan of Clinton's

Nevertheless, of the crimes committed by any of the three, his are the least, even if they are crimes, which I doubt. My beef(s) with Clinton concern domestic policy, especially regarding trade policy, and foreign policy, with particular regard to China. My reference to his "crimes" are at least somewhat tongue-in-cheek, and are intended to indicate others' opinion that he was a criminal (Remember Limbaugh's "Day X: America held hostage"?).

Regardless of my differences with the man's policies, I think you gotta hand it to him: the Republicans tried EVERYTHING to destroy him, every dirty trick ever invented and then some, but he beat them EVERY SINGLE TIME! If for nothing else, you have to credit him for driving them to a rabid froth and never giving them a single bit of satisfaction. For that he's something of a hero of mine, and I fear we'll never see another bare-knuckles brawler like him in our party.

[orwell]

3. It is Almost Impossible

to be elected to high office in this cesspool unless you are "ethically challenged". Even the newly canonized St. Carter had plenty of blood on his hands.

It could be argued that the line of war criminals at the top of the US heap forms an unbroken chain. But when you are elected/appointed Caesar, to forego murder in the name of Rome can have some very ugly consequences. Just ask JFK.

That being said, of the 3 murderers you mentioned, Clinton was by far the most smooth.