22 July 2008

Divine Right of Kings

If someone hasn't yet been charged with a crime, how does the president know what to pardon them for?

As in Nixon's case, President Bush could issue a pardon that applies generally to any crimes that may have been committed within a certain range of dates.

More likely, a pardon could apply only to actions surrounding a single policy or place—say, the detention or interrogation of suspected al-Qaida members.
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