Everything’s swell
February 4th, 2009
This country is awfully depressing at the moment, isn’t it? The debate over the stimulus bill is nowhere what it needs to be and we need a major bill. No one in the Democratic Party apparently pays taxes and serious health care reform has taken a big hit because of it. We have a Commerce secretary who doesn’t even think the department should exist and is dim enough to play the lottery (but lucky enough to win 800k, so maybe that’ll be our fiscal strategy).
I’d be even more depressed if Mark were right about rendition, but luckily he isn’t.
Well, that makes two authoritative sources that say I’m wrong, and three counting you. But I’m not convinced. What’s that old saying about putting lipstick on a pig? Every heard that one? Eh? Eh?
The U.S. has been involved in torture during most of my lifetime (1950 forward), and it hurts my feelings to know that my country can be so evil. I’m quite a prude.
Since 9/11, we are open about it. That’s all that’s different. I guarantee you, if rendition were harmless, you would have known about it before 9/11.
It’s just a matter of reading the orders and knowing what the terms actually mean. Hey, maybe they won’t follow those executive orders, you’re certainly welcome to that opinion and I can hardly say you’re unjustified in that opinion. But the controversy the LA Times kicked off is about what the orders say. Those orders affirm that sending suspects to a state where there’s evidence that they will be tortured is illegal. And that’s what everyone has been objecting to about Bush’s use of rendition.
I don’t look for things to change under Obama, but I do look for better PR. Lipstick on a pig, as they say.
Right now, Mark, PR doesn’t appear to be one of the Obama teams strong points.