Using the Power of Office to Avoid Jail

Paul Krugman's column today ends like this:

"Our current political leaders would suffer greatly if either house of Congress changed hands in 2006, or if the presidency changed hands in 2008. The lids would come off all the simmering scandals, from the selling of the Iraq war to profiteering by politically connected companies. The Republicans will be strongly tempted to make sure that they win those elections by any means necessary. And everything we've seen suggests that they will give in to that temptation. "

Not only do I heartily agree with this, which is why I believe that Cheney will run in '08 to keep the lid on himself and all his cronies, but I believe the same situation keeps both Chirac and Berlusconi working hard to maintain their power in their cases specifically to avoid prosecution for offenses they have committed before the ascension to the highest posts in their country. Berlesconi in Italy not only stays in power to maintain immunity, but he appoints his personal lawyers to positions of power specifically so they can rewrite laws to keep his businesses legal.

I don't think that we're yet in a highly advanced stage of governance in this world. Someday perhaps we will be described as 'premodern.'

This was written in Salon today by Tom Grieve, and I just wanted to concur in print on this, I truly believe this will happen:

From the "For What It's Worth" Department, Bob Woodward offered up his predictions for the 2008 presidential race during a talk in Colorado Tuesday. He didn't pick a winner, apparently, but the Aspen Times says he did name the contestants: Hillary Clinton and . . . Dick Cheney.

The Real Reason for the Bush Administration

It has been my feeling since his first election that the real motivation for George Bush seeking the presidency has been the possibility for him to fix things to keep his father out of trouble. The three main acts within the first year of his presidency were:

1. To prevent the release of presidential papers even though the law required them to be released after 12 years.

2. To lower taxes thereby undoing the perceived damage in his social circles of his father's raising them.

3. To get even with Saddam Hussein and do what those in his circle thought should have been done in 1991.

I am reminded of item #1 because of the following comment in a story tonight in the Washing Post about the Supreme Court nominee and how his people are feverishingly going over historical documents making sure that nothing 'bad' gets out about him. Here is the quote:

"Under an executive order signed by President Bush in 2001, the White House has the right to review, and in some cases block, the release of presidential papers from previous administrations."

That was a biggie... ask any presidential historian.