I Find It Impossible To Believe That Bush Can Pardon Himself

[ThomWV]

I simply can not believe that our founding fathers did not intend for the President's power of pardon to be as expansive as he would have it and not subject to challenge at all. I don't see how there can be a blanket pardon, a preemptive pardon (pardon for a crime that no one has been charged with), or certainly any pardon which would include himself. He can't even sign a bill that will give himself a pay raise, surely he can not sign a paper to keep himself out of jail.

[damntexdem]

1. I don't -- Dubya has gotten away with trashing much of the rest of the Constitution.

But he may not get away with it forever -- we need some good appointments to the SCOTUS first.

[LiberalFighter]

2. He can't pardon himself.

[Gothmog]

3. John Dean has commented no this

See http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/34837

While no president has ever pardoned himself, the law supports the president's authority to do so. Scholarly inquiry into the subject was provoked first by fear that Richard Nixon would pardon himself to escape Watergate; later by thought that George H. W. Bush would do so because of the Iran-Contra grand jury; and most recently by concern about Bill Clinton's problem of a possible post-Presidency indictment and trial. And while a few scholars have concluded that the president cannot pardon himself, many more believe that he can.

[Bjorn Against]

4. In other words the law is unclear, and it would certainly go to court if he tried to do it.

I don't pretend to know how the courts would rule in such a case, but I do know that such a trial would make people hate Bush even worse than they already do. And remember Bush has not been officially charged with a crime yet, the only way he could pardon himself is if he listed the charges he thought he should be pardoned from. He would have to admit to all his crimes, and then he would have to hope the courts ruled in his favor or else not only would he not be pardoned be he would have made an admission of guilt. It would be extremely risky for Bush to go this route so I don't think he will.

[Crankie Avalon]

5. Color me cynical, but he won't really need to, will he? nt

[Edweird]

6. No pardons for the impeached or state charges. HINT! HINT!

Our so called 'leaders' could stop him from pardoning himself....