America disgraced

There is no bar so low that Duhbya cannot go lower. Some - only some - in the Senate care whether the nominee for attorney general, based on facts that the Bushists have acknowledged, can say whether waterboarding is torture.

In Bushworld, the Senate's only role is to consent. There is no minimum standard the Senate can set below which a nominee can be deemed unqualified and rejected. A nominee who can't bring himself to express a non-Bushist (and therefore potentially non-criminal) opinion of thoroughly settled law has no business enforcing any law. In fact, he's not qualified to be a member of the bar, and the ABA should immediately commence disbarment proceedings.

Even the Senate Republican who has himself been tortured has proven his complete moral bankruptcy. John McCain promises to "strongly urge" something or other "once [Mukasey] is confirmed." Yeah, and I strongly urge the North Vietnamese to refrain from torture. Too bad I'm so late on that.

Look, this isn't even a close call. Waterboarding is torture. It's also a war crime. The Bush regime openly practiced it and worse, and they believe they can escape blame and punishment by redefining the word. George Orwell saw this coming from the left. All he missed was the direction. Duhbya and his gang deserve to be punished for their crimes under color of authority.

The Democrats in Washington deserve lesser punishments, but punishment nonetheless, for their weak-willed complicity in and tolerance of rampant official crime.

I am not one of those America-love-it-or-leave-it idiots now stickering their cars with "I'm proud to be an American." I'm ashamed that the country I love has come to this, has abandoned every principle that made it great, leaving only USA number one. Without rule of law, justice, and Constitutional government, we are a shell of what we used to be and of what we still could be.

Update: After a deep breath or two, I should add that not all people with proud stickers are idiots. Some are just overcompensating for the shame.