Empowering the Terraists II

The aggressive ignorance of the White House seems to be part of its general meltdown, as reported in today's NYT. Something of a deja vu quality is seen by Frank Rich, looking back on the breakdown in Nixon's regime.

But are we safe? As Al Qaeda and the Taliban surge this summer, that single question is even more urgent than the moral and legal issues attending torture. On those larger issues, the evidence is in, merely awaiting adjudication. Mr. Bush’s 2005 proclamation that “we do not torture” was long ago revealed as a lie. Antonio Taguba, the retired major general who investigated detainee abuse for the Army, concluded that “there is no longer any doubt” that “war crimes were committed.” Ms. Mayer uncovered another damning verdict: Red Cross investigators flatly told the C.I.A. last year that America was practicing torture and vulnerable to war-crimes charges.

Top Bush hands are starting to get sweaty about where they left their fingerprints. Scapegoating the rotten apples at the bottom of the military’s barrel may not be a slam-dunk escape route from accountability anymore. No wonder the former Rumsfeld capo, Douglas Feith, is trying to discredit a damaging interview he gave to the British lawyer Philippe Sands for another recent and essential book on what happened, “Torture Team.” After Mr. Sands previewed his findings in the May issue of Vanity Fair, Mr. Feith protested he had been misquoted — apparently forgetting that Mr. Sands had taped the interview. Mr. Feith and Mr. Sands are scheduled to square off in a House hearing this Tuesday.

So hot is the speculation that war-crimes trials will eventually follow in foreign or international courts that Lawrence Wilkerson, Colin Powell’s former chief of staff, has publicly advised Mr. Feith, Mr. Addington and Alberto Gonzales, among others, to “never travel outside the U.S., except perhaps to Saudi Arabia and Israel.” But while we wait for the wheels of justice to grind slowly, there are immediate fears to tend. Ms. Mayer’s book helps cement the case that America’s use of torture has betrayed not just American values but our national security, right to the present day.

How did all these unqualified high officials manage to ignore the wheels of justice? Perhaps the Nixonian insulation, fleeing from the public, had something to do with it, but I see the unleashed operation of ignorance. They never studied their subject.

Today I listened to Chris Matthews' panel describing McCain's 'stream of consciousness' methods, which necessitate a staff to keep him in hand and get him through simple tasks. I wonder if any of these people would ever be able to get through a day in my life, getting bills paid, taking care of a garden, watching out for an elderly mom (who also can't communicate very well what she does need), and the simple errands to get the things I need. I suspect not.

It's scary on many levels.