more republican shame

The admission this week by the de facto Bush Administration that yes US agents HAVE tortured people only surprised me because it was made public.

I've said a lot about torture. Eugene Robinson does a good job here. Some highlights:

"Did you ever imagine that we would have a president who uses legalistic euphemisms and craven rationalizations to justify strapping prisoners down and subjecting them to simulated drowning? A president who claims the right to use waterboarding, and God knows what other "techniques," in the future if he wants?

This is a moral outrage, people. At least, it should be. There simply cannot be any kind of pro-and-con debate over the use of torture -- whatever anodyne phrase you hide it behind -- by agents of the United States government on persons in custody. Torture is not debatable. It is forbidden by U.S. and international law. It is a vile implement used by tinhorn despots, not by the elected leaders of great democracies."

"I'm sure the CIA extracted some truth as a result of these waterboarding sessions. But I'm also sure the questioners came away with falsehoods, exaggerations and fantasies. I believe the many professional interrogators who say there are better ways of getting useful information out of uncooperative subjects."

To summarize. Torture is vile, illegal, and degrades any country that condones it. And it isn't effective.

Vile and ineffective? Sounds like an epithet for an illegal, immoral, and ultimately failed presidency. How long till Bush is gone?