We were shooting this topic around at work today.  I think there are two separate issues here.  Since America is the land of the Lowest Common Denominator, we don’t think about it this way.  Most of us abandoned thinking a long time ago.  It gets in the way of watching Americans Idle and  Fox (alleged) News.

ISSUE ONE: I’m pretty sure we can all agree that torture is bad.

ISSUE TWO: Torture is a violation of international and American law.

It would seem that we (in the person of our government, aka Dick Cheney) used torture.  So we have lied about it in addition to being in violation of the aforementioned laws.

Is the problem here that torture happened or that it’s illegal or that we were lied to about it?  We should certainly be used to being lied to.

I have read claims that torture doesn’t work.  I suspect they’re correct.  I also would not believe the current regime if they told me it was dark outside right now.  It’s not a pretty mix.

I suppose we could check this out for ourselves.  Let’s have the Abu Gharaib operators waterboard Cheney, et al, and see what they come up with.  If they put it on pay-per-view, they might be able to raise a significant amount toward the national debt.

Bush, Cheney, Rice and buddies have to be careful when traveling abroad.  There are warrants out for their arrest for crimes against humanity.  I am not making this up.  There are people who aren’t me who take violations of international law seriously.

Prediction: Obama will decline to prosecute the current regime for their crimes.

Prediction: Obama will augment some of the crimes perpetrated or abetted by Bush, et al.