Crisis

I remember hearing that the Chinese symbol for crisis combines those for danger and opportunity. And that's where we are now. The totalitarian tendencies of the Bushies will either lead us to the Fourth Reich, or they will lead us to impeachment and/or replacement of the criminals in charge. Danger. Opportunity.

I haven't been scaring you enough sufficiently, although there's plenty to be scared about. I don't mean the terrorists the White House gang is always talking about; I mean the terrorists who ARE the White House gang. Apparently Rummy and the five-sided boys got a legal opinion last year before the Iraq war started which basically said the torture is okay as long as the pResident says so. The document was apparently quoted at length in yesterday's Wall Street Journal; what I know of it comes from Billmon. He explains it in more detail than I have time for, but here are the choice excerpts:

The president, despite domestic and international laws constraining the use of torture, has the authority as commander in chief to approve almost any physical or psychological actions during interrogation, up to and including torture, the report argued...
...
The working-group report elaborated the Bush administration's view that the president has virtually unlimited power to wage war as he sees fit, and neither Congress, the courts nor international law can interfere...

Citing confidential Justice Department opinions drafted after Sept. 11, 2001, the report advised that the executive branch of the government had "sweeping" powers to act as it sees fit because "national security decisions require the unity of purpose and energy in action that characterize the presidency rather than Congress"...
...To protect subordinates should they be charged with torture, the memo advised that Mr. Bush issue a "presidential directive or other writing" that could serve as evidence, since authority to set aside the laws is "inherent in the president." (emphasis added)

The Washington Post and NY Times both have headlines on this today, although both present it (at least in the headlines) as a technical legal issue, not a simple "Bush Administration Okayed Torture."