Crime and Punishment-Should Bush Face Criminal Prosecution?

In several articles, the Times addressed an issue put forth with clarity and precision in Vincent Bugliosi's book from earlier this year, The Prosecution of George Bush for Murder.   Bugliosi argues convincingly that Bush's lies about WMDs and trumped up arguments about Iraq's ties to Al-Qaeda, which precipitated the U.S. occupying Iraq and the subsequent deaths of almost 5,000 U.S. troops to date, constitute an act of murder.  U.S. law says that if someone wilfully commits an act that leads directly to homicide, then that person is liable for murder.  Bush's actions easily meet that criteria.  

Obama, however, has been reticent to commit to an investigation of Bush's actions.  Obama's position is quite understandable given the intense problems facing the country.  However, we all know that those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.  Or in the words of Joe Biden, the "past is prologue".  The American people need to know exactly what crimes were commited by the Bush administration, and it is clear that there could be many, from starting a war under false pretenses to authorizing illegal detention policies that led to the huma rights violations that have occured at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay.  Nobody is above the law, not even the President of the United States.  See below for Bugliosi's thoughts.  

http://www.prosecutionofbush.com/

Another area in which we need to take a look at Obama's proposals is the economic bailout he put forth in the last few days.  Although he is making a step in the right direction, it is time for Mr. Obama to summon the courage to go all the way and create enough public works projects, investment in education and health care and "green collar" jobs to get America back on its feet.  Paul Krugman, the most prescient economist in the business, wrote a great editorial on this subject this morning.  

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/12/opinion/12krugman.html?_r=1