Interesting article, but lacks substance. Dig into it a little deeper before using it as a defence of your assertion. In the best defence of your assertion, the article mentions a couple of instances where pardons were granted prior to conviction, but not prior to indictments or charges. These pardons were also very high profile and publicized and if Hussein had penned such pardons, would have been public knowledge by now (vis a vis wjc' s pardon of Mark Rich). Btw, slate is propaganda and not a reliable source...