Logic for Politics posts:
President Obama is saying that it would accomplish nothing to prosecute U. S. officials who might be charged with torture. Instead of going back to the past, we should "move forward." This is a shockingly bad argument, and it is shocking that it has not been widely and vigorously denounced as such. Would Obama say the same of other crimes, murder or rape for example? His argument cannot be generalized without absurdity. Crimes are often, indeed almost alwaiys, prosecuted by recalling the past, uncomfortable as this might be, sometimes uncomfortable for all concerned.
but reconsiders, maybe its a tactic?
From time to time, as various commentators have multiplied daily instructions to Obama about what to do, it has occurred to me that they mght be having some difficulty dealing with him because he is smarter than they are: smarter than David Brooks, for example, and smarter than Keith Olbermann or Rachel Maddow. Relfecting on my post yesterday under the title "Look Back to Prosecute," I wonder if I myself have been caught off guard and failed to allow duly for his subtlety. He is more than smart enough to know that it is a bad argument to say that going back to the past would be accomplish nothing in dealing with crimes like torture; and smart enough to have thought of the obvious rebuttal, which is pointing out that, generally speaking, crimes of all sorts have to be investigated and prosecuted by going back to the past. Has he set things up so that he is on record as being strongly disinclined himself to generating prosecutions of the people responsible for policies of torture; but ready to accept an independent decision to proceed by the Attorney General (or by Congress)? If so, he may succeed in minimizing the rage that will be directed at him regarding this issue by people who supported the former administration; and at the same time minimizing the opposition, strong among some of his key supporters, to letting the torture-generators off with impunity. He will be in a more favorable position to push for his grand reforms in health care, education, and energy.
Hopefully its moot point... it will be if we force it on Obama. Sign on.
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