Obama joins the mainstream media as well as his compatriots across the aisle in a call to forgive and forget. As a constitutional lawyer, it's not that he doesn't see that crimes against the Constitution were committed, it's that he sees more important tasks at hand. It's an interesting logic that he is likely only willing to apply to the greatest criminals this nation has seen since, well, ever. It is unlikely that he will find a similar softness in his heart for more everyday criminals who commit their crimes out of a desperation borne of the catastrophic situation into which the crimes of the Bush administration have pitched America. The Republicans are only too happy to ignore the crimes of the recent past, as are the Democrats, who look forward to similar treatment when news of their egregious transgressions come to light, as they most assuredly will. If the past be any guide, they will not get it, but that's another issue. Suffice it to say that the American public does not agree with the majority opinion embraced by our law- and opinion-makers. They want justice, as they very well should. The following is an excellent summary: <bq author="" source="Harper's Magazine" caption="Our Voyage to Brobdingnag" href="http://harpers.org/archive/2009/02/hbc-90004433">[T]wo major public opinion surveys show that Americans by a sweeping margin reject this approach. They are demanding accounting for eight years of misadministration, and particularly accounting for violations of law that certainly occurred. In this regard, the American public is far wiser and more serious about our country and its institutions than the vacuous Washington punditry, which steadily beats the “move on” drum and is more concerned about what happens to their lunch buddies from the prior administration than what happens to the constitution.</bq> We are a nation of laws and of precedents. Failure to prosecute the crimes of the Bush administration to the fullest extent of the law bodes ill for America.