Tortured Logic

Torture logic enough, and it will tell you you can torture.

One hopes that mankind is headed toward an ever more peaceful, ever more considerate world. An early implementation of this hope has been the Geneva Accords. These are a set of international mutual commitments about the use of force between nations. In particular, they distinguish between the rights of soldiers and the rights of civilians.

The United States has arbitrarily invaded a country, destroyed its previous military, and finds itself now engaged in battle with armed civilians. If they are armed, we capture them. Since they are not soldiers, we do not give them Geneva protections. We torture them.

Something slipped through the cracks, here.

A Door Closes

Two under-reported events in recent weeks deserve closer scrutiny.

First, the White House has quietly removed a loophole from an executive order to war contractors that they should audit themselves. The loophole would have exempted contractors with more than $5 million in contracts. But that door is now closed.

All wartime contractors will now need to self-audit, make internal adjustments as needed, and be prepared for a more public examination if requested.

On the same day, presidential hopeful Barack Obama was asked whether he would go after departing Bush Administration leaders, were he to take office. He said that he would immediately look to see what is there, and if there appears to be anything illegal, then he would follow that out. But he would not go on a witch hunt.

Message: clean up your act, or we will.

Now that there will be audits by all of the war contractors, the candidates can start competing to explain how, as President, they will be most competent at recovering fraudulently taken money.

It's a slam-dunk.

End Days For Ozymandias

It's the End Days for some believers in the innate goodness of earthly power.

ABC News has just reported that a pile of pols, including

• Condi Rice, current Secretary of State
• Colin Powell, former Secretary of State
• George Tenet, former CIA Director
• Donald Rumsfeld, former Secretary of Defense
• Richard Cheney, current Vice President, and
• John Ashcroft, former Attorney General
  

signed off on acts of torture. Many acts of torture. Illegal torture.

The President has acknowledged that he knew about this and that he approved of it. The same President at the time told the people, "America doesn't torture." Torture is a crime.

America doesn't torture. But some Americans do.

As the ABC story explains, former Attorney General Ashcroft felt funny about it.

"According to a top official, Ashcroft asked aloud after one meeting: "Why are we talking about this in the White House? History will not judge this kindly." "

Perhaps he knew that they were no longer America. They were just Americans. Americans who torture. Torture is a crime.

Twice before, the CIA had been caught and blamed when "special projects" done for the White House went awry. So this time, the Director of the CIA, George Tenet, took great care to make a special presentation to the Principals group and to get their sign-off on each and every major act of torture.

Each and every major crime. The Attorney General signed off on each crime.

Needless to say, no one was pursued.

The CIA now possesses all the evidence needed to take these people down.

Congress has invited the "Principals" to explain their perfidy. Those still in office will sit in growing shame as the world slowly gathers details of the evidence against them. When Condi Rice, Secretary of State, goes abroad, crowds may now welcome her as "Torture Lady".

The President is throwing a dinner party next week to honor the Pope's 81st birthday. His Holiness, who will be in a hotel just a few blocks from the White House, has declined to attend. Former Attorney General Alfredo Gonzales can't find a new job. Approaching from the rear as they flounder like caught fish on a string are ever-more explicit descriptions of what their decisions meant on the ground.

Here's one of the many unusual deaths recorded:

The right chest wall has fractures of ribs three through seven anteriorly and ribs six through twelve posteriorly. The left chest wall has fractures of ribs two through nine anteriorly and ribs seven through twelve posteriorly. There are fractures of the lateral aspect of ribs nine and ten on the left side. There is a horizontal fracture through the mid-portion of the body of the sternum."

There's more. Sadly. May God give them peace and rest.

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Meanwhile, a new world is beginning.