MICHAEL C. DORF Why President Obama Should Consider Pardoning those Who Designed, Authorized, and Carried Out the Bush Policy of Abusing Detainees

MICHAEL C. DORF
Why President Obama Should Consider Pardoning those Who Designed, Authorized, and Carried Out the Bush Policy of Abusing Detainees
FindLaw columnist and Cornell law professor Michael Dorf discusses a number of questions that are especially timely in light of the recent release of four memos by Bush Administration attorneys that authorized methods of interrogation which many eminent legal experts believe constituted torture under the applicable law. These questions include: Was there any plausible legal basis for the memos' conclusions? Should the Obama Administration prosecute those who designed, authorized, and/or carried out the policies to which the memos gave their blessing? And, might pardoning those who were inculpated in these practices and policies actually be a better solution than simple non-prosecution, in that pardons would at least admit that what was done was criminal? Dorf argues that President Obama should seriously consider the pardon option.
http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dorf/20090422.html