If Obama found a cure for cancer that came from seawater, gave off gold as a byproduct, and generated so much revenue that the tax rate for everyone could be lowered to zero, the Republicans would still find some excuse to rant about it.

There's nothing he could ever do that wouldn't cause them to pitch a fit. That's just how the Republicans roll.

What I want him to do is to reassure me that people who tortured prisoners to death as well as those who authorized it will not continue to roam American streets as free citizens.

Those bastards belong behind bars.

If it isn't appropriate to investigate the Executive branch of the government for authorizing torturing prisoners until they were dead, under what circumstances would it ever be appropriate to do so?

Failure to pursue this now answers that questions: NONE.

Failure to prosecute these people declares that law and the Constitution are arbitrary.

And with that, we should simply declare that we no longer have a country.

If we aren't going to prosecute people for this sort of behavior, what sort of behavior could possibly justify prosecution?

I wonder which of the waterboardings, if any, persuaded him to share information of value to his interrogators. The 15th? The 56th? The 123rd? The 183rd?

This bit of dialogue from Dr. Strangelove comes to mind:

General Jack D. Ripper: No, I mean when they tortured you did you talk?

Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Ah, oh, no... well, I don't think they wanted me to talk really. I don't think they wanted me to say anything. It was just their way of having a bit of fun, the swines.

Every pregnant woman in America is free, under the law, to choose not to abort.

When abortion becomes illegal and the government, in spite of that illegality, is forcing women to have abortions, your comparison to illegal torture will have some validity.

In the meantime, it just appears that you have an axe to grind in a forum ostensibly devoted to another topic.

You mean that thorny legal issue that the Republicans could have done something about when they controlled all three branches of government, but didn't?

And now they're going to object to the nominee because she supports the law that is currently in place?

The Republicans really need a primer on law and the Constitution.

Such an inquiry might actually result in limits being placed on what the Executive branch can do.

If there are no inquiries, then the answer is clear - the Executive branch of the government can do anything it wants without ever worrying about having to answer for it.

That, of course, is exactly why such investigations are necessary. Establishing a precedent that the Executive branch is not subject to U.S. law, ever, pretty much destroys everything this country stands for.

One would think that the Republicans would consider this, rather than simply conceding unlimited power to President Obama. Then again, they're kind of thick.

And an utterly worthless excuse for a human being.

Answer: Because they're right!

Gee, Salon, thanks for the insight into the inner workings of the Republican mind.

You've spared me the trouble of asking the question of some randomly selected five year old instead.

Would our leaders have to commit genocide before their actions would be deemed worthy of prosecution?

That depends on the target of the genocide. Wiping out Kansas would probably qualify. Wiping out the Castro District of San Francisco would probably earn a pass.

It's a health care issue. The Republicans don't want anything to do with health care.

She will take leadership role in the Obama admin where she will no doubt push for MORE abortions.

The last time I checked, the Democratic Party platform permitted anyone who is pregnant to carry their pregnancy to term.

The Party neither encourages nor mandates abortions for anyone.

...I'm waiting for all of them to become Democrats. Then they can kill legislation with impunity.

This will make it easier for GOP candidates in 2010 to ask to be elected to help restore some checks and balance in Washington

What are checks and balances?

...make you qualified to be a spokesperson for anything?

Failure to prosecute this means that the American public has effectively granted unlimited power to the president.

Failure to prosecute torture today requires that we do nothing about whatever the president decides to do tomorrow.

The people have spoken. We now live in a dictatorship.

I'm as much of a fan of hotties as the next guy, but what purpose to beauty pageants serve?

In what universe does it make sense that we should even know this woman's name, let alone her opinions or anything else about her?

If the man cured cancer with seawater, raised the dead, balanced the budget tomorrow, managed to get permanent peace between the Jews and the Muslims, stopped global warming, and discovered a cost-free source of unlimited energy, Hannity, Limbaugh, Coulter, Kristol and the rest of the Right Wing Slime Machine would still work overtime to criticize him for something.

That, sadly, is how the world currently works.

Then she can go to prison, too.

What's the problem? If 535 members of Congress knew, then they can all go to prison.

This isn't rocket science; it's law enforcement.

...I met a Russian couple who now live in Alaska. I asked them where they live, and they said they live in Wasilla.

I pointed out that Wasilla is a good place for them to live, as they can probably see Russia from there.

They responded with a hearty laugh.