Quote:
Originally Posted by craigimass
They lied and many died.
Should we?
And, if we do, what is the punishment which is doled out to those who are convicted of such a crime?
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Why don't we let history be our guide. Did we criminally prosecute Franklin Roosevelt for putting many thousands of loyal, innocent Japanese-American citizens in prison camps? Did we criminally prosecute Harry Truman for unleashing upon the world the most horrible weapon of mass destruction ever devised until that time? Did we criminally prosecute John Kennedy or Bobby Kennedy for ordering the assassination of Fidel Castro, or for their illegal eavesdropping on Dr. Martin Luther King? Did we criminally prosecute Lyndon Johnson or Robert MacNamara for justifying the Vietnam war with a lie about the Gulf of Tonkin incident, for prosecuting the war incompetently, and for lying to Americans throughout the war? Did we criminally prosecute Richard Nixon, the man who brought the Vietnam war to a reasonably honorable end, while under unrelenting attack by the same Democrats who supported Lyndon Johnson and Robert MacNamara? No, but "we" did hound him out of office for offenses that were certainly no worse than those committed by his Democrat predecessors. When you are thinking about whether or not to criminally prosecute a public official, what standard is your guide? Is it the criminal nature of his actions, or is it his political party affiliation?
If you want to ensure that future public officials will never take a risk, and will always place their own welfare above that of the nation, then prosecute one of them criminally when things don't go well.