I love Digby and look forward to the audio clip of your program, Glenn.

On the other issue, I love Wes Clark and would be thrilled to see him as the VP nominee, but is it a good idea for the net roots to try to encourage one nominee over another? After all, assuming that the VP candidate would have to work closely with the President, I would trust that the presidential nominee would choose someone based not only on qualifications, but also on personality and compatibility. I'm afraid that when Obama doesn't choose Wes Clark (as it seems unlikely that he will) it will be yet another moment when thousands of people will blog their disappointment when it is really essential now that everyone come together for the cause. It really is getting to the point where we must all "fish or cut bait" in the sense that we either are going to support this nominee, or he's not going to win. I choose to support Obama. I've been and aremain an enthusiastic supporter, despite the fact that he's made some pronouncements and decisions that I disagree with. Even if I weren't enthusiastic though, I'd try to muster whatever single minded dedication I could for this cause, which is after all a war that we are fighting to save this country from four more years of unmitigated collapse.

and I agree that most of it isn't in this article. As others have mentioned, I do think it's important for all voters to know how McCain handled his wife's criminal conduct, and I wish people knew much more about her finances, which after all could be covering up a lot of McCain's tawdry relationships such as those he had with Keating, those he has with gaming lobbyists, and "friends of the family" such as people involved with Cindy's inherited mob influenced family business. I couldn't care less about the sex lives of the McCains. In fact, they are both creepy enough that I'd rather not think about them at all. But if we're going to declare a moratorium on reporting on personal lives of candidates and their families, I'd prefer we start with a clean slate and exclude Democrats as well as Republicans from this ridiculous scrutiny. Because you know that Democrats' interest in the McCains will be a matter of a few snarky blogposts, whereas Republicans' interest in any unusual Democratic private conduct requires a federal investigation.

I have to agree that it's very unclear what useful purpose the release of these photos would achieve. For example, did we see every gruesome forensic detail of Lady Di's car accident? Do we see the child pornography that's presented as evidence in child pornography cases? Snuff films? The fact is there are a lot of gruesome things that aren't released to the newspapers.

On the other hand, it is likely that the photographs will inflame people in Afghanistan to our detriment. Remember what happened to the child actor who played the role of a raped child in the Kite Runner? What about the dignity of the people being tortured - although I'd want my torturers prosecuted, I'm not sure I'd want the picture of myself being tortured in the newspaper. Has anyone asked consent of the victims?

In what way would these pictures serve the ends of justice other to enrage the population to demand torture prosecutions? Shouldn't we be demanding them anyway?

The ACLU suit is a general freedom of information request, not a request for discovery in a court action regarding torture. The photographs are evidence and can still be used as such in a court proceeding. The issue is whether there should be an investigation, who should conduct it, and how it should proceed. I don't particularly trust American journalists to conduct it.

What's different about these pictures than those that have already been released that all of a sudden people are going to storm the justice department to demand that prosecution be initiated? If the American people didn't "get it" with the pictures of Abu Graib, why are they suddenly going to see the light now? Showing these pictures will strengthen the resolve of those who want to prosecute, but probably also those who really do hate Americans. True, Glenn, there are already plenty of reasons for Afghanistanis to hate Americans. Let's give them more. How are we going to solve the problem of the Taliban and Pakistan and the nuclear weapons that the Taliban might get hold of over there? (That really is a mushroom cloud scenario - except this time a plausible one.) I don't know that Obama's right in the way he's handing all of these issues, but he's sure got a lot of thinking to do - and none of these issues are being considered very carefully here.

We have to prosecute the torturers. Especially the designers of the torture regime. But we can't suddenly pretend that we can just wave goodbye to all of the problems that remain in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan. (And no, I'm not in favor of endless war in any of those places.) If temporarily withholding inflammatory photographs from the public (NOT the courts) is helpful to our people stationed there, then let's not make them public. I can live without seeing a photograph of a rape just as I can live without seeing the dismembered bodies of the victims of the September 11th attack.