In David Broder's universe, the one where Spock sports a beard, if you commit a crime you're noble, but if you prosecute a crime you're mean, nasty and vindictive. Broder is against prosecuting members of the previous administration responsible for our policy of officially sanctioning torture. Here's what he had to say on Sunday:
The memos on torture represented a deliberate, and internally well-debated, policy decision, made in the proper places -- the White House, the intelligence agencies and the Justice Department -- by the proper officials.They do when you're talking about the commission of war crimes. Why are we pretending like this is simply a disagreement over the appropriate tax rate or the minimum wage? We tortured people, apparently in violation of international law. That would seem to constitute war crimes. Unless Broder is suggesting that every American president has committed war crimes, thus we should just shrug this off, turn off the shining beacon, and call it a day.
One administration later, a different group of individuals occupying the same offices has -- thankfully -- made the opposite decision. Do they now go back and investigate or indict their predecessors?
