OK, I can give four reasons why President Bush should pardon these agents.
1. It will please his base.
2. Pardoning two agents named Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos can hardly damage him with the Latino vote. In fact, it could help distinguish honest Latino citizens doing their jobs from illegal immigrants and drug smugglers.
3. One of the duties of a leader is to stand up for his subordinates when they do the right thing. This is especially important if you want the respect and service of such essential people as police, military, and border agents, who risk their lives for their country.
4. It's the right thing to do.
CNN's Lou Dobbs just showed a press conference where Republican congressmen were expressing their outrage at the failure to pardon.
Congressman Walter Jones made the point that over Christmas the President pardoned five drug dealers but refuses to even acknowledge letters asking him to pardon Border Patrol agents who shot a drug dealer/illegal alien.
It will only please those that support criminal activity.
"4. It's the right thing to do."
No. Pardoning criminals is not the right thing to do.