BUT ...

The Bush-leaguer's defense of their torture is the principle we, in the USA, have despised almost forever --- the ONLY thing they're saying ("Oh we prevented attacks on this and that and...")

All they're saying is:


"SEE? THE END JUSTIFIES THE MEANS?"

Combine that with "If you were only following orders, then well, ok..."

I saw some asshole from the Hoover Institute on Washington Journal this morning and he was talking that way, running down a list of the attacks the DIDN'T happen because we were waterboarding and besides, our military people all get waterboarded in training, so how bad could it be?

And all I could think of was: "Have YOU ever been waterboarded? No? Then you don't know what the hell you're talking about."

I may be biased -- I often wonder why any news people ask ANYONE from the Hoover Institute for their opinions -- once we know the topic and that the person will be from Hoover, we can tell in advance what the answer will be. (But they're smart enough so GENERALLY they don't parrot the party line word for word, but do a bit of rewrite and editing.)

They sit there in their ivory tower on the Stanford Campus, waiting for Prince Charming to show up, and THEY'RE part of that group that mocks ivory tower academics.

But -- tangent aside -- we're looking at the sum total of the intelligensia of Political Conservatism, and the best they can do to justify the monstrous pain and terror OUR PEOPLE inflict on people they THINK MIGHT BE involved in terroism is tell us in dozens of different ways that:

THE ENDS JUSTIFY THE MEANS

That's where we are now?
Only following orders and the ends justify the means?
Pathetic.