Unpacking the pardon

What did Hunter Biden do and what is a presidential pardon?

One thing is certain: If he hadn't been Joe Biden's son, Hunter's case would have been settled one way or another years ago.

On the morality of pardoning your own son? I like a quote from E.M. Forster: 

“If I had to choose between betraying my country and betraying my friend, I hope I should have the guts to betray my country.”

What if it's about a son you love, not a friend? True, Biden promised not to pardon Hunter, but he still made a morally defensible choice, since---unlike the implications of the Forster dilemma---the pardon didn't do any harm to his country.

See also Kevin Drum on the pardon.

Bernie Sanders: Pissing against the wind

The Huffington Post:

By Kelby Vera

Dec 1, 2024

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) might not be a big fan of billionaires, but he can agree with Elon Musk on one big thing.

The left-wing legislator gave a small bit of credit to tech mogul and Donald Trump ally, Elon Musk, while criticizing the government’s outsized defense budget in a social media post on Sunday.

“Elon Musk is right,” Sanders declared in a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “The Pentagon, with a budget of $886 billion, just failed its 7th audit in a row. It’s lost track of billions.”

Pointing out congress’ reluctance to tackle the government’s glut of military spending, the avowed Democratic Socialist noted how “last year, only 13 senators voted against the Military Industrial Complex and a defense budget full of waste and fraud.”

“That must change,” he went on.

Defense spending has long been one of the bulkiest parts of the federal budget.

Congress approved $841 billion in funds for the Pentagon in 2024, an amount that added up to about 12.5% of the federal government’s total yearly expenses.

While the Democratic socialist and free market fanatic may seem like unlikely allies, Musk has already made a pledge to hedge government waste while copiloting Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with former Republican presidential candidate, Vivek Ramaswamy.

Last month, Ramaswamy shot down seasoned State Department official, John Bolton, when the former National Security Advisor urged DOGE to redirect any of its potential savings to the military.

“We need to strengthen our military by focusing on the *effectiveness* of our defense spending, rather than just reflexively increasing the magnitude,” Ramaswamy said in response to one of Bolton’s appearances on CNN.

Rob's comment:

How likely is it that Trump and the Repugs will reduce military spending? Not very: How much does the US now spend on the military? The answer, give or take a few billion: $842 billion.