A voice of reason who’s killed, like, 20 dudes

Who is John Kerry?

Bush: “we're not backing down” from No Child Left Behind. It’s always a test of manhood with him, isn’t it?

Cheney defending stonewalling the inevitable release of more prison torture pics: “It's not just a matter of sort of whetting people's appetites to see sensational stuff here.” Congresscritters who saw them today said they’re icky, but no one mentioned pictures of guards doing “inappropriate things” with, to, near, on, under, over or next to a dead body.

We now know that the inquisitors were allowed to use sensory deprivation, “stress positions,” “dietary manipulation” (is that like eating with your fingers?), threatening with dogs, etc. Rummy says these techniques are ok because they’ve been checked by Pentagon lawyers. Yes, if you want to find out if something is wrong, you ask the most moral people you know. Lawyers. Who work in the Pentagon. Other legal opinions allow outright torture if the prisoner can be said to be in the custody of another country (does that include Guantanamo?).

One thing about all this focus on torture, is that we’ve completely forgotten all those soldiers getting killed.

Science at its finest.

General Wiranto, under indictment for crimes against humanity in East Timor, is, as you know, a candidate for president in Indonesia. Today he chose as his running mate the deputy chief of the Indonesian human rights commission. Very Oscar and Felix.

I wish some blogger would transcribe the Daily Show every day, but here’s a bit from Tuesday:

Jon Stewart: Stephen, what do you think about this idea that we are hearing from Rumsfeld, and now Sen. Inhofe, that the press was somehow irresponsible for releasing these photos of abuse?

Stephen Colbert: Jon, I agree entirely with Secy Rumsfeld that the release of these photos was deplorable, but these actions of a few rogue journalists do not represent the vast majority of the American media.

Stewart: The journalists did something wrong?

Colbert: I'm just saying those journalists don't represent the journalists I know. The journalists I know love America, but now all anybody wants to talk about is the bad journalists--the journalists that hurt America.

But what they don't talk about is all the amazingly damaging things we haven't reported on. Who didn't uncover the flaws in our pre-war intelligence? Who gave a free pass on the Saddam-al Queda connection? Who dropped Afghanistan from the headlines at the first whiff of this Iraqi snipehunt? The United States press corps, that's who. Heck, we didn't even put this story on the front page. We tried to bury it on "60 Minutes II." Who's on that--Charlie Rose and Angela Lansbury?

Stewart: Stephen, what do you think is at play here?

Colbert: Politics, Jon, that's what. Pure and simple. I think it's pretty suspicious that these tortures took place during a Presidential campaign. This is a clear cut case of partisan sadism. You know, come to think of it, I'm pretty sure those Iraqi prisoners want Bush out of office too. You know I wouldn't be a bit surprised if a pile of hooded, naked Iraqis has a job waiting for them in the Kerry Administration.