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| Who cares ... |
Previously in this series the issue of why accountability is a plague to rogue government actors was contemplated (When Accountability Is A Plague, 2, 3, 4, 5).
There is a government agency specifically established by law to hold illegal government actors accountable:
"In a democracy, accountability is an implicit tenet in the idea of popular representation. Article II of the Constitution established the accountability of the President, his cabinet and officers ... The accountability chain between the electorate and elected officials is a vital, indispensable element of democratic government." (GAO)
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| Preparation For The Third Term |
"The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent, nonpartisan government agency within the legislative branch that provides auditing, evaluative, and investigative services for the United States Congress. It is the supreme audit institution of the federal government of the United States. It identifies its core "mission values" as: accountability, integrity, and reliability. It is also known as the 'congressional watchdog'". (Wikipedia, Government Accountability Office).
In other words, the concept of accountability is as fundamental as the concept of good and bad government:
"Political accountability is when a politician makes choices on behalf of the people, and the people have the ability to reward or sanction the politician. In representative democracies, citizens delegate power to elected officials through periodic elections, and such officials are empowered to represent or act in the citizens' interest. A challenge is how to see to it that those with such power, who presumably have divergent interests from the citizens, nonetheless act in their best interests. Citizens can rely on rewards or sanctions to reward or threaten politicians who might otherwise act in a manner that is antithetical to the people's interest. Accountability occurs when citizens only vote to re-elect representatives who act in their interests, and if representatives then select policies that will help them be re-elected. 'Governments are 'accountable' if voters can discern whether governments are acting in their interest and sanction them appropriately, so that those incumbents who act in the best interest of the citizens win reelection and those who do not lose them.'"
(Wikipedia, Accountability). It becomes a "plague" to those who want to be above the concept of "the rule of law":
"the [International Criminal Court] which has issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes over his military response in Gaza after the Hamas attack against Israel in October 2023. Tens of thousands of Palestinians, including children, have been killed during the Israeli military’s response. "
(Trump signs order imposing sanctions on International Criminal Court over investigations of Israel). This followed an Israeli action favoring Trump's plan to build a "French Rivera" type community in Gaza after Palestinians are moved to other countries:
"Israel's defense minister is telling the military to prepare to implement President Trump's plan to relocate Palestinians from Gaza.
Defense Minister Israel Katz says the military should prepare exit options by land, sea and air so that anyone who wishes to can leave for 'any country willing to accept them.'"
(Israel's defense minister tells the army to prepare to relocate Palestinians from Gaza). The concept of accountability is corrupted when only opponents can be held accountable (Accountability: Fundamental to Democracy (PDF).
The previous post in this series is here.
A conservative republican Andrew Natsios opines:
