Bush, Etc

It's so hard for me to post lately, because everything makes me sad.

Partly it's this election. I really wanted Edwards. (Wah, wah, I know.) I'd take Obama, he would do, but what it looks like we're going to get is more Democrats playing Rethug lite, and meanwhile, here's Bush, after eight years, he's learned nothing, and here's Bush's herd, they're no wiser either.

And they aren't. It's a fact. Go cruise the blogs on the Right, which I do, as often as I can bear to. Go read Althouse. Go read the links off of Althouse. Go see Malkin and the links off her site. Instapundit and ditto.

Here's a better challenge -- give a freshman class in Arkansas an essay called Whatever It Takes, by Jane Mayer, which discusses the politics of the television show "24," talking about Joel Surnow's use of torture on that show, how it misrepresents torture as being an effective procedure, what effect that misrepresentation is having on our soldiers in Iraq (who are huge fans of the show, apparently) and -- hey, get this! -- on our administration: Bush, and his buds.

These freshmen were about nine when Bush came to office. They were raised under the current administration. How do you suppose they feel about torture?

The essay clearly argues and gives evidence to show that torture is not effective. It cites the head of military ethics at West Point, who argues that torture is not effective. It brings in actual military interrogators, guys who have run thousands of successful interrogations, who say that they *never* use torture, and that they have never seen torture produce useful information.

What do students, raised under Bush, say, having read this article?

We should torture, if we're facing terrorists. Because we should do what we have to. Because that's how the world is.

That's the world Bush had given us.

Yay.