At long last, there is SOME talk of prosecuting the US government officials who committed the war crime of authorizing torture.  They broke American law, they broke international law, they are war criminals and should be treated accordingly.  While their reckless criminal behavior is appalling and violates everything that America stands for, the silence of the mainstream media throughout the debacle is almost equally appalling and the talking heads who remained silent should be off the air.

In the interest of compromise, I'd offer Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Powell, Rice, et al this plea deal:  Since you contend that waterboarding, stress positions, prolonged sleep deprivation, etc. aren't torture, sign here and we'll fly you to Guantanamo and subject you to these methods for 6 months.  At the end of 6 months we'll release you and drop all charges.



A critical mass of Americans lost their minds on 9/11/2001.  Eight years later, here's hoping that a critical mass of Americans have regained their sanity.

Here are the common pro-torture arguments: 

It saved American lives.  What if there's a ticking time bomb?  Jack Bauer proves that it works.  We did it to our own people, so it's not torture.  If the President does it, it's not illegal.  Treaties don't matter.

Here's the truth:

It cost American lives.  It has acted as a huge recruiting tool for al Qaida. 

Ticking time bomb scenarios don't happen in real life.  Life isn't a TV show.  No credible attack was thwarted by these methods.  There was no ticking time bomb.

Even if it worked, it would be wrong.  The end does not justify the means.  But it doesn't work.  If you torture someone, he will tell you what he thinks you want to hear to make it stop.  He will make stuff up. 

We've waterboarded our own people SO THAT THEY CAN WITHSTAND TORTURE.  Is waterboarding someone once for 5 seconds torture?  No.  Is waterboarding someone daily hundreds of times torture?  Duh.  This bait and switch argument is like someone who deliberately injected people with HIV saying that it was just like the immunization shots we administer hundreds of thousands of times a day.

Nobody's above the law.  That's why the Constitution has an impeachment clause:

"The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors."

Treaties are the supreme law of the United States:

"This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the contrary notwithstanding."

What makes America great is not our military might, nor our economic power, nor our geographical position on the globe.  It is our principles, our freedom, our equality of opportunity, our commitment to individual rights.  Torture, kidnapping, and indefinite detainment without trial are anathema to all of these principles.  The only way the terrorists win is if they get us to forget who we are and what we stand for. 

Why, even Newt Gingrich is on board.  (God, it makes me sad to remember the Republicans when they used to have most of my support.)