Conviction of John Poindexter
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Fein says if the Iran-Contra gambits had been successful, Poindexter would never have been investigated. Probably not. Rightly or wrongly, people seldom question “success.”
Similarly, however, if the 1979 hostage rescue effort had succeeded, Jimmy Carter would probably have been reelected rather than excoriated.
But that is not the issue. The issue is separation of powers. If the Founding Fathers feared anything, it was a too powerful executive. So they established a system of checks and balances.
The duty of the executive is to enforce the laws of the land. Do we really want a President who would be above the law, not responsive to Congress and to the people?
MADELINE C. SORENSEN
Whittier
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