Bush for Murder’ Vincent Bugliosi • Vanguard Press
By BYJACKNEWORTH BOOKREVIEW
As his time in office winds down President George W. Bush has spoken wistfully of life after the presidency. He looks forward to playing golf, cutting brush and “replenishing the coffers” with lucrative speaking fees. I don’t imagine he’s given much thought to standing trial for murder.
Former Los Angeles District Attorney Vincent Bugliosi has given it a lot of thought in his controversial, new book, “The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder.” Citing example after example of deceit and manipulation in the build-up to an unnecessary war, Bugliosi holds Bush criminally liable for the deaths of over 4,000 American servicemen and 100,000 innocent Iraqis. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D- San Francisco) may have taken impeachment off the table, but Bugliosi has a different table in mind, one that’s in a courtroom.
Before you quickly dismiss his theory, keep in mind Bugliosi prosecuted 106 felonies in L.A. County and won 105. He tried 21 capital cases and won all 21. His professional life was devoted to bringing criminals to justice. In our legal system no one is supposed to be above the law, and for Bugliosi that includes the president Bugliosi has authored three No. 1 best-selling books and won three Edgar Allan Poe awards. His greatest fame, however, came from his prosecution of the Manson family, the book of which, “Helter Skelter,” sold 7 million copies. This latest book has sold 130,000 copies (in hard cover, no small feat) despite the fact that none of the mainstream media has interviewed him. (Or even taken his advertising dollars.) Opponents have called Bugliosi many things but frivolous or unprepared probably weren’t among them. Neither would partisan. He supported Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) in 2000 and freely bashes liberals throughout the pages. (“How do they sit up straight without the benefit of a spine?”) In a step by step process, Bugliosi carefully outlines his case as though he were going to trial on the proposition that Bush, knowingly and deliberately, lied us into the war. On Oct. 7, 2002, for example, the president went on national television and told the American people that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction that he could unleash upon us or give to terrorist organizations to do it for him. He indicated an attack could take place “any day.”
Six days earlier, however, in the NIE (National Intelligence Estimate) 16 different intelligence agencies clearly stated that Hussein was NOT an imminent threat. It suggested only if we attacked Iraq might he be inclined to use those weapons. (Which of course weren’t there in the first place.) While we’ve heard many of these arguments before, when Bugliosi takes it into the courtroom it changes the dynamic radically.
He spent hundreds of hours researching jurisdiction. (At 73, he’s not about to tarnish a reputation earned over a lifetime.) Murder charges could come from the federal Attorney General, or from any of the 50 state attorney generals or from any of hundreds of D.A.’s within whose district a soldier lived and then died in Iraq.
As for “intent” to commit murder Bugliosi gives the example of a drunk driver who has no intent to kill someone. But his behavior reveals his intent. Citing a litany of examples, Bush, in a conspiracy with Dick Cheney, Carl Rove, Condoleezza Rice and Donald Rumsfeld etc., lied us into war in spite of the evidence and all could be subject to criminal prosecution.
Among the most compelling sections of the book occurs when Bugliosi hypothetically puts Bush on the stand in cross-examination. With a skillful series of penetrating questions, he backs Bush into a corner where either answer points to his guilt.
While the mainstream media has completely ignored Bugliosi, if you go to YouTube and type: “Bugliosi Bush” there are numerous interviews listed. Bugliosi hopes that with the increased publicity at least one, if not more, D.A. around the country will indict Bush. To that end he offers pro-bono help of his time and advice.
Bugliosi realizes getting Bush into a criminal courtroom is a longshot. But he reminds us that in Chile it took 30 years to bring Pinochet to justice. And, he adds, there is no statute of limitations for murder.
The inside covers of Bugliosi’s book are filled with small photos of GI’s who died in Iraq because, in Bugliosi’s legal opinion, of Bush’s criminal behavior. “Somebody has to pay,” he says. Given Bugliosi’s outrage, I imagine he would think it fitting if Bush’s post-presidency brush cutting was as part of a chain gang.
JACK writes the “Laughing Matters” column which appears every Friday. He
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 19, 2008. Read the original PDF.