For a while now the media has been covering how the International Criminal Court had issued a Arrest Warrant and had Indicted Omar al-Bashir, the Sudanese president for War Crimes. Today Mark Levine, a professor of Middle East history at the University of California, drew the parallel to Bush.
"Bashir was directly responsible [for the activities of the militias]. He is the president. He is the commander-in-chief. Those are not just formal words. He used the whole state apparatus. He used the army; he enrolled the militia/Janjaweed. They all report to him. They all obey him. His control is absolute."
In such context, Bush is also directly responsible for the horrific disaster in Iraq.
Bush's imperial presidency, with its "Unitary Executive" and arrogation of the right to declare war from the constitutionally-appointed Congress, has similarly "used the whole state apparatus" to wage the Iraq war. He "enrolled" our soldiers and his military commanders who "all report to him".
What Prof. Levine has written is what many people have been thinking for some time now. This piece also seems to carry forward the dangerous meme that Bush will probably never see justice. Levine doesn't come right out and say that but the tone of the last 2 paragraphs carrys the feeling of hopelessness so many feel.
In an America that still lived up to its founding ideals Bush and his henchmen and women would not be worrying about an ICC indictment because they would be too busy already defending themselves against a US federal indictment for war crimes and other violations of US law.
At least in this imperfect world, Bush and the architects and executioners of the Iraq war can join al-Bashir in suffering the ignominy of being at-large international criminals.
First al-Bashir, next ... Bush?
"At least"? At least is not good enough. I understand, as everyone else does, that nothing will happen while Bush is still in office. While I was watching the hearing yesterday with Feith and Prof. Sands, Prof. Sands warned the Congressmen that unless the USA investigated and made public all our dirty laundry in regards to Bushs Torture Program, that there are European Countrys that will open their own investigations. The implied message was " and you DON'T want that to happen". Maybe we do ?
We are still seeing many people saying as Jane Mayers, author of the new hot book, "The Darkside", says, it's a question of political will whether or not Bush is prosecuted. Much like the Nixon fiasco, instead of a Impeachment and Prosecution, he was Pardoned and allowed to maintain some dignity. If Bush is allowed to retire to Texas he will do it with a smirk and sooner or later he will begin to gloat as only Jr. can. I wonder what the reactions will be then ?