Political Quotes

“Mr. President, media outlets have begun reporting that President Trump is looking into granting pardons to certain military personnel who have been convicted of committing war crimes in both Iraq and Afghanistan. If these reports are true, I find this to be most troubling. I have an article here that appeared CNN that says: The idea of pardons of accused servicemembers who have not yet gone to trial and been convicted that is raising the most concern from some military law experts. The United States' global influence is due, in large part, to its reputation for upholding human rights and adhering to international humanitarian law and the law of armed conflict, otherwise known as the law of war. As Stephen Preston, a former general counsel of the Department of Defense, wrote in the Department of Defense's Law of War Manual: The law of war is part of who we are . . . the laws of war have shaped the U.S. Armed Forces as much as they have shaped any other armed force in the world . . . The law of war is a part of our military heritage, and obeying it is the right thing to do . . . the self-control needed to refrain from violations of law of war under the stresses of combat is the same good order and discipline necessary to operate cohesively and victoriously in battle. Five interdependent principles serve as the foundation of the law of war: military necessity, humanity, proportionality, distinction, and honor.…”