Griper Blade: Pardon Me?

The presidential pardon has been a controversial matter since day one. Virginian George Mason would've been one of the signatories to the new constitution of the United States of America, but disagreed with basic ideas in the document -- including the pardon -- and refused to sign. On the power of the pardon, Mason worried that a president who had "secretly instigated to commit crimes" with others might use it to prevent "a discovery of his own guilt."

But it was Alexander Hamilton who prevailed in that debate. "The principal argument for reposing the power of pardoning in the chief magistrate is this: In seasons of insurrection or rebellion, there are often critical moments when a well-timed offer of pardon to the insurgents or rebels may restore the tranquillity of the commonwealth," he wrote in the Federalist Papers. Unfortunately, Hamilton only foresaw the presidency as a position held by "a single man of prudence and good sense."

Which recent resident of the White House doesn't that sound like to you? Mason's argument is starting to look better...

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