Ambivalence and La Audiencia

There is a need to look backward to prevent in the future the abuses of the past.

(PASO ROBLES, Calif.) - “No one is above the law,” said Barack Obama at his first News Conference on February 9th, but then followed up by saying that as President he prefers to move ahead, not look back. I find this ambivalence a bit disturbing.

Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont is proposing that the Justice Department look into the conduct of the Bush Administration to determine if laws had been broken and if so by whom. From what is known of the conduct of the Bush Administration, without going into detail in case there is an investigation, but accepting as plausible the judgment of people who should know about such things, in addition to the breaking of laws, there also are instances of admission.

Although it seems sufficient to invite inquiry, the likely argument against it might be that President Bush acted under, and within, his authority as Commander in Chief that allowed him legal latitude beyond the rule of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Geneva Convention.

President Bush is a man whose entire presidency demonstrates his attachment to Evangelist concepts that correspond favorably with the Conservative Philosophy of the Republican Party. Hardly a decision he made has not the earmark of being the result of an Evangelical Holy See decision that, as a good disciple, he put into practice. The Iraq War and the War on Terror were instruments of justification to keep the pot boiling that Bush, under the guise of the Evangelical Holy See, used to claim he [they] alone was competent to defend America, until Katrina proved them wrong.

Should there be an investigation into the conduct of the Bush Administration, President Obama need not be involved, but should let it unfold in accordance with the system of American jurisprudence.

Spain, in its heyday, conducted Audiencias [Hearings] in which persons whose power had come to an end, were subjected to after-the-fact investigations to determine how well they had performed their duty. They were effective in that they indicated to those who followed what to expect.

The idea of preferring to look ahead rather than backward while exclaiming that “no one is above the law” is misleading. The Audiencia satisfied both ends by reducing future bureaucratic corruption by exposing to light the evils of the past. It is a good idea even if, as with Spain, it was not entirely successful, but that was due to the nature of the beast, not the system.

Geo. W. Bush was a puppet, but a faithful one who used his authority to defeat the system. Over time, persons were appointed to positions who were expected to perform as required that contributed to the power of the Republican Holy See. Geo. Tenent’s “slam-dunk” comes to mind, as does the conduct of Attorney Generals whose jobs were not to dispense justice so much as to protect the Administration, and vice versa.

There is a need to look backward to prevent in the future the abuses of the past. When American’s voted for change, this is what they had in mind. I appreciate how confounding has become the overall situation, but “to each his own,” let Justice serve justice and let President Obama get on with the restoring our economy, and the trust of Friends - not just allies - around the world.

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Kenneth G. Ramey was a 79-year old "writer without a Website" who is generating excellent, provocative articles on the subject of religion and world affairs. We are pleased that Ken's "lone wolf" presence as a writer in the world has been replaced by a spot on our team of writers at Salem-News.com. Raised in Minnesota and California during the dark years of the Great American Depression, Ken is well suited to talk about the powerful forces in the world that give all of us hope and tragedy and everything in between. You can write to Ken at: kgramey@sbcglobal.net