Happy Hour Discurso

Today's opining on the public discourse.

There's nothing I can add to this:

Yesterday evening, ThinkProgress spoke with Lieut. Gen, Harry Soyster and Ret. Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba, at a Human Rights First reception honoring retired generals who have spoken out against President Bush’s torture policies. Soyster criticized Bush’s veto of a bill banning the CIA from waterboarding — a veto Sen. John McCain supported. Soyster said one clear standard on torture was needed:

SOYSTER: Our position is, all of us, that we need one standard for the United Sates. And because the Central Intelligence Agency has authorized torture, then Americans are torturing. It doesn’t matter where your paycheck comes from.

I never thought I'd live in an America where our military brass had to rebuke our government over the American use of torture. Almost everything the Bush administration has done outrages me, but this is, hands-down, the worst: that they took America's good name and strong stance against torture, and destroyed it by playing 24.

We should not torture people. At one point, I could say we do not torture. The fact I can no longer say America doesn't torture human beings devastates me. That "one clear standard" Soyster speaks of should be "We do not torture. Ever."

And if you think McCain's the man to lead our foreign policy to new heights, you're right - as long as you're talking about new heights of stupidity and depravity:

In an interview with Time magazine this week, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) declared that Iraq “is a peaceful and stable country now.” ThinkProgress spoke with Reps. Keith Ellison (D-MN) and Robert Wexler (D-FL) at the Democratic National Convention today, and asked them their response to McCain’s assertion. Wexler was incredulous, declaring, “He’s just dead wrong”:

WEXLER: Sen McCain’s judgment unfortunately has become so mistaken on so many things, and this is yet another example of his apparently not understanding the facts on the ground whatsoever. There still is a totally unacceptable level of killing in Iraq. There has been in effect ethnic cleansing in Iraq where religious groups are totally separated from one another. How he can call Iraq — what did you say he called it?
TP: A peaceful and stable country.

WEXLER: It is the furthest thing from a peaceful and stable country. And I guess if in fact he’s right then why do we have 150,000 troops there? We ought to bring them all home as quickly as possible even under his logic. He’s just dead wrong.

Think Progress has a depressing little list showing just how wrong McCain is. We need a president who understands reality, not another one who thinks reality is optional.

Maybe Americans are finally starting to realize that:

There are competing reports on when, exactly, the McCain campaign is going to announce its running mate, with some rumors the news could
come tonight. (Obama communications chief Dan Pfeiffer sounds skeptical: "If they do it, I will pay all of McCain's mortgages next month.")

McCain is, however, set to roll out his selection at an event in Dayton, Ohio, tomorrow. The good news for Republicans is that the event will probably generate enormous media attention. The bad news, the interest from locals isn't nearly as great.

Barack Obama can fill a 75,000 seat stadium. John McCain, it seems, is having trouble filling a 10,000 seat theater in Dayton. They're giving away free tickets in several states and
plan to bus in supporters. The VP announcement can't be overshadowed by a less-than-capacity crowd.

[snip]

That is kind of embarrassing. It's a major event, in a swing state, in a city in which McCain has been advertising heavily. It's also McCain's 72nd birthday, when one might expect Republicans to come out and express their well-wishes. You'd think the interest in who McCain would pick for his ticket would be intense enough to draw an enormous crowd, but they're having trouble filling a theater.

I hope this means they'll be scrounging for votes come this November to ensure their defeat is merely resounding rather than humiliating.

These fuckwits have no business being in power anymore. I wouldn't even trust them to run a fast food joint, much less a nation.