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The following letter was sent to President Obama.
Mr. President,
After 8 wretched years of Bush/Cheney criminality, military adventurism and the economic Russian roulette of tax cuts for the rich; people were hungry for a renewal of America's reputation as a citadel of rationality and responsibility.
Just 9 days before your inauguration you said that prosecutions would proceed if the Justice Department found evidence that laws had been broken (they were!) , but revealingly you added that you believed that "... we need to look forward as opposed to looking backwards" (uh-oh ...).
Since then the Justice Department has made no obvious effort to bring Bush, Cheney or anyone else to justice for the crimes of torture, "extreme rendition" (i.e. kidnaping) and waging aggressive war.
Although you have achieved some major legislative successes, your legacy will be tarnished by your failure to "man-up" and see that the rule of law is applied equally to everyone - including a former President and those acting under his orders.
Because you have affirmed the principle of Presidential immunity it's a virtual certainty that a future President will commit crimes under the guise of "protecting us from terrorists" that will exceed even those of Bush and Cheney.
I am not optimistic concerning the survival of our country in a form worthy of the respect of decent men."
Robert R. Regl
Hattiesburg, MS
