A very interesting statistic has been uncovered: President Obama has yet to pardon any human being, although he has pardoned four turkeys over two Thanksgiving holidays!
This is a bit odd, and it makes one wonder why there have been no pardons, one of the great powers a President possesses!
The question is why President Obama has not used the pardon power, with some wondering if it is because giving pardons so often is a political issue, causing new controversies for a President, making one think that giving pardons at the end of a President’s time in office may often be the best strategy, since it cannot affect the President’s agenda as he finishes his term!
But yet, other Presidents have used the pardon power extensively all through the time they are in office!
The records show the following since World War II:
Harry Truman 1913
Dwight D. Eisenhower 1110
John F. Kennedy 472
Lyndon B. Johnson 960
Richard M. Nixon 863
Gerald Ford 382
Jimmy Carter 534
Ronald Reagan 393
George H W Bush 74
Bill Clinton 396
George W Bush 189
It is interesting how the number of pardons has declined rapidly since the high point under Truman and Eisenhower, and the two Bushes together granted very few pardons, particularly the senior Bush!
According to records, a total of 1,140 pardon petitions have been received under the Obama Administration, with 247 closed without action!
Other information makes it clear that 71 requests for pardons were denied just in the last month!
It will be of great interest to see how long Obama goes without granting pardons, and how many eventually will be given over his time in the White House!
The issuing of pardons is subject to intense scrutinization in our highly politicized world. The granting of a pardon would be scanned thoroughly to see if a case for political favoritism could be made; and at this point President Obama can ill afford another headache. Plus, the convicted would have to be the moral equivalent of Mother Theresa to justify when there are so many other issues at hand.
Conversely, one could say that the president is only raising the bar for himself! By the time he does pardon someone it will be a news story in itself. So maybe, it just might be best if he gets it out of the way!
Whatever his reasons might be, it just goes to show the kind of surveillance a president is under. A pardon can have a lasting effect on a president’s legacy. It would be wise for President Obama to continue to be cautious.