And yet you did.

are not immune from the "that was then this is now" syndrome that affects true believers on the right. There are apologists at all points along the political spectrum ready and willing to suspend logic or consistency to defend their position or people, while castigating the others for the exact same position.

As posters above have noted I too am disappointed. Not in Obama, but rather in myself. I am older. By now I should be jaded and cynical - but nope I believed him when he paid soaring rhetoric homage to lofty goals such as the restoration of various fundamental rights. I should have recognized it for what it was - yet another vacant sales pitch.

Well, I'm off to buy a ShamWow - I hear they are the greatest things since filibustered telecom immunity legislation.

that this subject is a fairly settled matter in most places.

Curious that it would be the subject of furious debate and public division in the US.

What is it about the US environment that would select such beliefs for inter generational transmission?

"truth, justice and the American way".

Once I believed that kind of sloganeering - now I realize those concepts are mutually exclusive.

That realization should have come much sooner because the slogan is the catch phrase of a comic book superhero, a fiction, a facade, fantasy.

Although the phrase could be recycled on Sesame Street - "one of these things is not like the others, one of these things doesn't belong ...."

(stage direction - in your best inner Mae West voice)

Is that a Massive Ordnance Penetrator in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

To your comment that "Both sides ultimately seek to reveal and realize to the extent possible--truth and justice...".

And this happens where?

of a tragic situation but the infomercial breeziness that passed for reportage each time a sensational event occurs was foreshadowed by those prescient observers of the human condition - Monty Python.

The reporting crew depicted in the Election Night Special sketch (which includes the classic line, "Arthur Negus has held Bristols; that's not a result, that's just a bit of gossip") could be dropped into a 21st Century studio, provided with some mind numbing computer generated graphics, and they would fit right in; breathlessly reporting "just a bit of gossip".

On the subject of mass deletions would this include a programme of extraordinary deletions where the offending comment would be detained indefinitely, without recourse, and removed to a black site to be feasted upon by trolls of all description?

I realize this comment does nothing to advance the substantive portion of the thread, but people seem to be a little cranky today. Perhaps it's the quickening realization that in the context of American politics words are meaningless, who knew that Obama's "change" rhetoric meant preserve the status quo and protect those responsible for the status of the status quo.

what and when and what the actual purpose of the facility in question is the only proper response to Iran following the rules as they currently exist is the prophylactic application of some precision guided munitions or perhaps a light vitrification of the immediate locale. Anything less would be unseemly.

Well go figure.

Good story - I have liked that show for quite some time.

Only one thing troubles me - how did they convince Alberto Gonzales' younger brother to play the accused DOJ lawyer?

The last administrations re-branding of torture as enhanced interrogation techniques was so successful it was just logical to apply the same techniques elsewhere.

Gitmo lost it's lustre? CIA black sites no longer the crowd pleasers they once were? Introducing our new indeterminate time share cages in exotic Bagram. Come for the enhanced interrogation, stay for the years of hopeless despair!

Military Tribunals a little too Kafkaesque for the post modern public? Habeus Corpus - that's so pre-post-partisan. Try our new system - now improved with 79% more opacity!

Simple - same shit, different box.

But Lou Reed did sing this

"Give me your hungry, your tired your poor I'll piss on em

That's what the statue of bigotry says

Your poor huddled masses, lets club em to death

And get it over with and just dump em on the boulevard"

As bleak a depiction of the myth of American dream as is a serious proposal to lock people up indefinitely without charge or trial just cuz.

and the ongoing zeal of various FOSO organs to incarcerate anyone who has ever been within 100 feet of a reefer how long before everyone is behind bars - excepting of course some higher level politicians and a few of the more housebroken media types.

To your last point regarding the GOP - I think you are 100% correct. The GOP, when they return to power, as they surely will somewhere along the line, will have no hesitation about investigating, impeaching, prosecuting or imprisoning anyone to their left.

The braying mob that is the media will applaud. The perimeter will be secured, faith based torture programmes will once again be the order of the day.

that America decided torture was good and pure and proper. And universal health care was evil and unclean and most likely the first sign of the Apocalypse.

And the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe.

As it was reported at any rate.

I don't think it advances your argument to bring up archaic powers long since discarded - (granted there is the atavistic oral sex exception)