MSNBC guest Dave Zirin: Why is Bush not on trial for war crimes?

Saturday morning on MSNBC, Dave Zirin of The Nation questioned why former President George W. Bush had not been held accountable for alleged war crimes.

His remarks came amid a discussion on the U.S. response to terrorism on the Melissa Harris-Perry Show.

"I'm a sports writer by trade," he explained. "That means one of the things I've done in the last ten years is get to know the family of Pat Tillman, the story of Pat Tillman, the NFL player turned army ranger who died in an instance of friendly firing in Afghanistan. Pat Tillman thought the war in Iraq was illegal and I agree with Pat Tillman about that. His family was lied to by the Bush administration about the circumstances surrounding his death, and George W. Bush gave speeches about Pat Tillman and his heroism that were lies."

"Every time I hear about George W. Bush and staying the course and his principles I keeping wondering why he's not on trial for war crimes for lying to the family of Pat Tillman, for lying to the families of the people who are crippled at Walter Reed [hospital], for the families that have died in the Middle East," Zirin continued. "I wonder very strongly why the Obama administration has chosen continuity instead of a break with the Bush administration."

Bush and the media idolized Pat Tillman as a national hero after he was killed in Afghanistan in 2004, even though Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal had secretly warned the Bush administration that his death might be due to friendly fire. McChrystal specifically cautioned against "unknowing statements by our country's leaders which might cause public embarrassment if the circumstances of Corporal Tillman's death become public."

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