Can a president quash his pardon?

George W. Bush is many things. He believes that what he can give what he can take away. In this case, he recently rescinded a presidential pardon he granted to a New York developer who was found guilty of mortgage fraud. (President Bush should have done his homework--or at least paid someone else to do it--before he signed any pardons.)

Now, to the main idea of my post: Can the president constitutionally quash an executive pardon?

In regards to pardons, Article II, Section 2 of the United States Constitution simply states, "[H]e shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment." It fails to mention the president can be an "Indian-giver," as my students would so eloquently note. It simply says the word "grant" in terms of the president's authority on this issue.

This seems like a question only the United States Supreme Court can fully answer. Legally, I do not think the president has the power to change his mind once the deed is done. An executive pardon is an irrevocable constitutional power.