I wonder if it also has to do with the simple fact that for the most part, on average most men don't live up to the hype. How many hollywood actors would make the big time (ha ha) if in addition to all their charisma they also had to have big dicks? Most male hollywood stars are portrayed and hyped as being larger than life men. Manly men, men's men, etc... But if someone like, oh say, Brad Pitt, had a quarter-inch-killer, by our societies standards would, I bet, kill his career, if top men were expected to show their dicks as much as top women are expected to show their breasts or asses.

In Borat, I didn't realize it at the time, but because of the format you're kind of geared to think that you're laughing at Cohen's 'innocent' dupes, but looking again its clear that Cohen is what is funny. The movie may as well have been scripted for all the laughs the background players offer. The other people in the movie just provide him an opportunity to behave.

Haven't seen Brüno but I wonder if its similar?

I mean has ANYONE taken her story at face value? No one has. Everyone questions why she quit and what she's going to do next, even though she explained why she quit and said she's out of politics for good. And nobody believes her. Even her supporters question. Says a lot about her, doesn't it? Every news/media outlet that has asked, 'why has she really quit?' and 'what is she going to do in 2012' has been basically calling her a liar. Wish they'd report about that. I think its a story all on its own. Now here comes Levi with his own opinion and the pathetic media whips it up as something because of the inherent drama.

Palin is a liar, Levi is an opportunistic schmuck, and the media is a spineless sack of worthless excrement.

"-- is going to test the willingness of Democratic leaders to ignore the lawless Bush-Cheney years."

So far they've been passing that test with flying colors.

Clearly, doing permanent, painful harm to someone's body is torture.

Yes it certainly is. However other things are torture too. Many other things. I know if you're just imagining single activities being done to you, it may not seem bad, but imagine them being done by your worst enemy? Imagine being kidnapped, flown who knows where and held in a cell for years on end with no judicial process, for all you know for the rest of your life. That could constitute torture all by itself. Nonetheless, there is no need to argue such 'gray' areas because the issue has already been settled: The U.S. executed Japanese soldier for waterboarding after WW2.

We tortured. Only a desire to not admit could lead one to ask if we really did.

Nothing will come of this because when all is said and done, even with crimes discovered beyond doubt, because the perpetrators will kick the responsibilities up and up until it gets to the president. At that point it will become (bizarrely) a constitutional issue pitting the authority of the president against the congress which could only be resolved by the SCOTUS. Problem here is congress (and so is the pres) is afraid to take up that challenge because the loser loses power forever. No one wants to test their authority because losing the test means losing the authority. As long as its not tested everyone can go on pretending they have power and no one wants to upset the apple cart proving it one way or the other.

you mean how like in 2000 the head of the election commission in Florida illegally struck thousands of black people from the voting rolls be "mistakenly" saying how they were convicted felons? (They weren't) And after it was pointed out what they did wrong, they did it again in 2004? Or how bout the all the police stops set up in spots between predominantly black neighborhoods in FL and the polls to intimidate voters? Is that the kind of shenanigans you're talking about? ya, that equates to ONE incident of a black panther at ONE polling place who was led away by the police when someone complained.

"....Sorry, the vision of someone getting a little water up his nose, really doesn't rise to the level of "torture' in my view. I've had worse days at the beach."

A. You don't know what you're talking about. Its not simulated drowning, its drowning that is controlled. Controlled by people that have kidnapped you, hooded and transported you who knows where, held for months and eventually years with no recourse to the law, enemies whom you assume want you dead and then be waterboarded, over and over along with all the other techniques. I think you'll be a little more upset than having sand in your shorts.

B. What does 9/11 have to do with it? You've absolutely no way of knowing that the people we've tortured have anything to do with 9/11.

C. The U.S. executed Japanese for waterboarding after WW2. So irrespective of your glib beach reference, its torture.

Cause the higher up you go the more it will end up as a constitutional authority issue between congress and the presidency and no one is eager to dispute the other's claims in court because losing means losing that authority forever.

Its seems a no-brainer, but no one wants to discuss it. If our previous economic boom was based on shady business practices then there is no way to 'recover' without exposing ourselves to the same risk. Recovery will only happen if Americans become willing to accept a lower quality of life. Which is conceivable we'd be willing to do, except that no politician or business person is willing to pitch that idea cause they know its a career-ender.