Its sad, so sad
Its a sad, sad situation
And its getting more and more absurd
Its sad, so sad
Why cant we talk it over
Oh it seems to me
That truth seems to be the hardest word

What have I got to do to be heard
When truth seems to be the hardest word (*)

Elton's words remind me of the latest on the warmonger's list of places that need killing. A nation follows the rules and builds electric generating capacity built on nuclear energy rather than carbon/oil and the empire will now brutally punish them.

Obama may, or may not, go after those who tortured. But bank on the USA going after the latest "demon".

As macgupta tells adnoto that everything is just all right with the USA (sounds better to music); more and more war crimes are being committed. Will Obama investigate himself?

As for me, I will listen to Eric Clapton sing Cocaine for at least "she don't lie".

If you got bad news, you wanna kick them blues; cocaine.
When your day is done and you wanna run; cocaine.
She dont lie, she dont lie, she dont lie; cocaine.

(*) Elton's song modified with "sorry" replaced by "truth" --- may have been better in the original for my purposes today. (but, the hash, you know)

The timeless wonder that can be named is not the true timeless wonder. =:-)

Of course, "Jesus is just all right with me". (for the Xians out there) Nice guitar rift right in the middle of the Dobbie's song; gotta admit.

The Wussification of America accelerates.

And so the fight goes on. And yet India is profoundly optimistic. Through my lifetime, it has been a dance of one step forward, one step back, mostly, and yet there is an overall forward motion.

It must be the magic shoes!

If you were in India, I think, adnoto, you would have died of frustration, given the profound defeatism that you display here in this US of A, which in every level of governance, of law and of law enforcement, is more functional than India.

I am not in India. I am an American in America. I am unwilling to be placated by the trains running on time. I am not the one who is defeated. You are and you don't even realize it. Or perhaps you are not defeated. What is your station in life macgupta? Who makes up your peer group?

India can and does become better; the path for the US is not downwards either. Except in your mind. -- macgupta

Is everyone seeing this? Better for whom? The path for the US is an upward one. Upward for whom?

A perfect example of a change inhibiting optimist. And I am the with the faulty mind?

you get the rule of men.

if you want the rule of law, you must vote for laws, through referenda.

it's called democracy.

So it's still possible to invent settlement that legalizes torture under John Yoo's guidelines -- thus justifying the use of waterboarding. But if an interrogator is REALLY evil and deviates from OLC guidelines by insulting the detainee's mother from a fifth corner he might be looking at serious jail time.

Adnoto: Could be but I think people like King and GHANDI might disagree that it would take great destruction and mayhem.

Vs.

Adnoto: I am not in India. I am an American in America.

I just read the strangest thing at emptywheel. It's those darn dead-enders in the DOJ who make Obama and Holder do the things they do. I don't really understand this. Here's a quote:

“Next, the story reveals that the invocation of State Secrets in the Jeppesen suit was done without Obama’s involvement–presumably by dead-enders.”

The dead end theory was disproven a long time ago. Why is it believed now? Are we to believe anonymous officials of the DOJ or the DOJ's statments to the court? This definitely points to an "all hands on deck" attempt to spread propaganda.

There is no decision for Holder to consider. The law is unequivacable, he must prosecute. The administration bandied about prosecutions the last time people started getting angry. Now even many die hard supporters have made it known they won't go along with imprisoning the innocent, And there's that embarrassing information about the CIA. I think these leaks are CYA, attempts to cool down the anger about these other issues. We are supposed to hope that, oh this time Holder will do it. He's fighting those awful dead-enders and Rahm--oh dearie me! What can he do? Fire people? Bush did. Resign--I've heard that AGs did that in the past.

You wrote:

"I'd really like to know the mechanism by which this is supposed to happen. How -- exactly -- would Holder's decision to prosecute torture "complicate Obama's agenda big time"? What will happen in the event of those prosecutions that won't happen in the absence of prosecutions?"

That mechanism is as diabolical as it is simple.

If Holder prosecutes, all congressional Republicans will REFUSE TO VOTE for Obama's agenda. THAT'LL CHANGE EVERYTHING!!!

Or maybe not.

Considering that when India set out to be democratic, successful democracies tended to be white, rich, Christian and with a single dominant language, its success over 60 years is significant in two ways.

First, it demonstrated beyond argument that poverty, massive illiteracy and diversity on a sub-continental scale were not arguments against democracy, they were arguments for it.

Second, India's Republican democracy is premised on a national myth of pluralism, not the standard nationalist invocation of a shared history, a single language and an assimilationist culture.

...

The story is by the BBC; the local special snowflakes may have heard of that outfit adnoto. Well, even if the story is over a year old it is well worth a read after that madman claimed America was such a better Democracy than India.

Who has India tortured lately? How many "black sites" does India have around the world? How many countries have they invaded lately? Do they have as many men, women, and children locked up as we do per capita?

Adnoto, it is admirable to tell the local wildlife that we should, as Americans, be worried about what the country USA does and not India. Glenn does that sort of thing all the time --- he tells us that he is talking abut politicians or reporters here. But, you missed a great opportunity to tell the local America is Exceptional crowd from the local moose lodge that America may well be exceptional --- just not exceptionally good.