1. If we simply cannot stand on principle to oppose torture - despite the inevitable - then there really is no calcium in the spinal zone. This should be a no-brainer
Will this occasion finally get the talking heads to discuss Orin Hatch's changes to the judicial nomination process? Anyone taking bets on whether the media will do their job?
If we intend to attack him, we have to neutralize his Hispanic-ness somehow. For example, does anyone know if he married an Anglo woman? Is Henry Cisneros rehabilitated enough to come out and attack him for us? What's going on with the immigration bill?
The sad truth is that no one cares about the torture memos, just as the didn't care about Padilla, nor Arar. If they had, that would have been the focus of the Kerry campaign, and we would have won convincingly.
We can't just go out and spend effort and political capital (and parts of the Hispanic vote) on a losing fight - we have to get something more back than pride in our principles.
I don't really think Gonzales deserves the scorn heaped on him for authoring the memos. The question that was asked of him was (something along the lines) of "here's what I want to do, can I make a colorable argument under the law that I can accomplish this" (or can you write me a CYA memo that can be used in case stuff falls apart). Gonzales wrote the memo. He was not the architect. The decision would likely have been made regardless of whether Gonzales wrote the memo. The memo is just after the fact padding. (DOJ was involved in this as well, the Berkley prof.) I personally would have said "no," "can't do this," but I think that's easier said than done, and someone who works for GW for many many years has already sort of cast his lot, so it's even tougher for him.
Um, no, it's not just that he should have said no, it's that he should have worked like hell to show Bush and Co. that it was a bad idea. Not to mention wrong. He would have been serving Bush better than he did by trying to put lipstick on Bush's pigs.
I suppose it is possible that he talked Bush down to the position they came out with, that Bush had much "grander" ideas. But having read the memos, that's not the sense I get at all. Especially the "quaint" language.