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The Pursuit of Officials Now Out of Office
Commentary Magazine ^ | April 22, 2009 | John Podhoretz

Posted on 04/22/2009 11:09:44 AM PDT by Jbny

David Frum makes an important point today about the innovative approach on policy differences unveiled this week in Washington by the Obama Administration and the Senate Intelligence Committee: It appears that winning an election and taking control of Congress will no longer be sufficient for the political mob. Rather, those now out of office will have to spend their time as private citizens being pursued by committees and possibly prosecutors for the views they expressed and actions they took when they were serving in the executive branch under different political management.

(Excerpt) Read more at commentarymagazine.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: frum; obama; prosecution; scooterlibby
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1 posted on 04/22/2009 11:09:44 AM PDT by Jbny
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To: Jbny

it’s official - we are now a banana republic.

the only good thing is now that it;s open season on republicans, it will someday be open season on democrats.


2 posted on 04/22/2009 11:13:53 AM PDT by camle (keep an open mind and someone will fill it full of something for you)
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To: Jbny
They have to conduct personal attacks. That is what the left is all about. They have no ideas worth debating so they simply divert ones attention by attacking their opponents.
3 posted on 04/22/2009 11:14:40 AM PDT by mosaicwolf (Strength and Honor)
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To: Jbny

The worm turns. They are running the risk of being investigated in turn.


4 posted on 04/22/2009 11:14:59 AM PDT by La Lydia
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To: Jbny

Barak Obama, son of John Conyers.


5 posted on 04/22/2009 11:18:42 AM PDT by Carley (MOANING IN AMERIKA)
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To: Jbny
Show trials are great for a country. Stalin and Mao swore by them.
6 posted on 04/22/2009 11:18:59 AM PDT by colorado tanker (Mr. Pirate? Candygram (courtesy of the U.S. Navy)!)
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To: camle
The Democrats being far more corrupt than the Republicans ever thought of being, the open season on Democrats is already open.

In the end the Democrats are going to be standing in line to take the gurney ride at the federal prison in Terre Hute.

It's going to be positively brutal.

Irrespective of that, I'd like to predict that the greater number of them will be still be cursing "George Bush" as they are rolled into the room where they stick the needles in the arm.

7 posted on 04/22/2009 11:20:58 AM PDT by muawiyah
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To: La Lydia
The worm turns. They are running the risk of being investigated in turn.

Please. The swishy Republicans couldn't even handle investigations of true criminals like Sandy Burglar and Jamie, the killer, Gorelick. Democrats have no fear of effete Republicans.

8 posted on 04/22/2009 11:21:25 AM PDT by Prokopton
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To: mosaicwolf
Like to note that these constant, chronic attacks on members of earlier administrations is probably one of the reasons Obama and his henchmen are unable to attract quality people to government service.

His best appointments are, for the most part, dregs.

9 posted on 04/22/2009 11:22:07 AM PDT by muawiyah
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To: Jbny
This would open Pandora’s box, will never happen.
10 posted on 04/22/2009 11:22:50 AM PDT by boomop1
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To: Jbny

What decent person would ever run for office and if they did and actually won would they ever be enough of a masochist to make a courageous decision?

This is punishing good behavior by hypocritical opportunistic rabid Monday morning quarterbacks who are safe because of the very behavior they’re criticizing. Bastards.

And apparently this is all in the name of BO keeping his leftist coalition togther so he can ram socialism down our throats.


11 posted on 04/22/2009 11:23:31 AM PDT by Aria ( "The US republic will endure until Congress discovers it can bribe the public with the people's $.")
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To: Jbny

hey Rahm, Nancy, Harry, Feinstein, Frank.... remember, we can hold kangaroo courts too.


12 posted on 04/22/2009 11:23:54 AM PDT by theDentist (Obama's media fires insults to blot out the sunlight, so Conservatives shall fight in the shade.)
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To: Jbny

Frum is a joke.


13 posted on 04/22/2009 11:25:57 AM PDT by kabar
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To: Jbny

This approach played an often uncredited part in the decline and fall of the Roman Republic.

Elected magistrates were legally immune while in office, but this was generally only for a year in Rome, followed by one or more years governing a province.

Towards the end of the Republic, vicious infighting meant magistrates who exited office were usually prosecuted by their political enemies for actions taken while in office. While execution was seldom used, losers were often exiled and generally fined sums sufficient to bankrupt them.

The only way for a pol to remain immune was to be elected to another office. The refusal of the Senate to allow this was the immediate cause of Caesar’s march on Rome, which initiated the civil wars that ended the Republic. It never really functioned after this point.


14 posted on 04/22/2009 11:26:26 AM PDT by Sherman Logan (Everyone has a right to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.)
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To: colorado tanker

Yup the same show trials that convicted Stevens .

Find them guilty before the trial.

Some call them kangaroo courts.


15 posted on 04/22/2009 11:27:21 AM PDT by Venturer
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To: Prokopton
"Republicans couldn't even handle investigations of true criminals like Sandy Burglar and Jamie, the killer, Gorelick"

True. Republicans, at best, would form a bipartisan commission, consisting of at least some of the actual criminal Democrats. The commission would then issue a finding that the Republicans were actually at fault. The Republicans on the commission (who would probably all be RINO's), would appear stunned and humbled. The Democrats would be reelected.

We've seen this movie before. Unfortunately, we will see it again.

16 posted on 04/22/2009 11:33:19 AM PDT by ChicagahAl (Don't blame me. I voted for Sarah.)
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To: Sherman Logan

doomed to repeat history....

Bread and Circus..


17 posted on 04/22/2009 11:35:19 AM PDT by griswold3 (a good story is more compelling than the search for truth)
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To: Jbny

Obama has spent all the money, failed in every foreign diplomatic “apology” tour, paid off most of his major supporters, has government involved in national finance and automobile manufacturing - forever - and has run out of national assets to exploit. Now, he needs to get personal and attack Republicans to “teach them a lesson” because he needs to satisfy that segment of his supporters. This, I believe, will be his overreach.


18 posted on 04/22/2009 11:38:24 AM PDT by Dapper 26
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To: Jbny

So, klinton can still be busted for rape and drugs, right.


19 posted on 04/22/2009 11:38:58 AM PDT by Waco (Libs exhale too much.)
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To: La Lydia

That doesn’t happen in reverse.

Historically, it’s ALWAYS leftists/collectivists that criminalize and exterminate their political opposition and their predecessors.


20 posted on 04/22/2009 11:40:28 AM PDT by MrB (Go Galt now, Bowman later)
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