|
|
Article: Clintons & Colonialism.(clemency for Puerto Ricans controversial)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- The Nation
- Article date:
- October 4, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 The Nation Company L.P. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
The political firestorm enveloping President Clinton's clemency offer to sixteen Puerto Rican political prisoners showed Washington's total lack of understanding of the issue. A movement to free the prisoners on humanitarian grounds was turned into a political football by the media and the Republicans (with plenty of support from Democrats, including Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan)-a referendum on Bill Clinton's newfound "softness" on terrorism. In the process, supporters of the prisoners' release, like Bishop Desmond Tutu, Jimmy Carter, at least two former governors of Puerto Rico and even John Cardinal O'Connor (who only urged the President to review their cases) were ...