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I spent a few hours tonight at BU's "Great Debate," a face-off over the teaching of Intelligent Design in high school bio classes (for the record, the ID side got KILLED), so I don't have much time to post tonight. Instead, one giant news round-up...

Nowhere else to start but here: The "Gang of 14" is busted. I like the Dems take on this - shouldn't Senators at least wait until his nomination is officially before the Senate Judiciary Committee before coming to any conclusions about the man? A fair hearing and all that, right? And more importantly - what do they mean here when they say this gives the GOP an advantage? I'm completely baffled by that interpretation. Completely baffled.

In other news, the spin from the Bush administration on torture continues:

WASHINGTON - President Bush's directive banning the torture of terror suspects applies to all prisoners — even if held in a secret prison reportedly set up by the CIA for its most important al-Qaida captives, a senior administration official said Wednesday. National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley would not confirm or deny the existence of a secret, Soviet-era compound in Eastern Europe that was described in a Washington Post account. The story said the facility was part of a covert prison system set up nearly four years ago that at various times has included sites in eight countries. Hadley said that "while we have to do what is necessary to defend the country against terrorist attacks and to win the war on terror, the president has been very clear that we're going to do that in a way that is consistent with our values." "And that is why he's been very clear that the United States will not torture," Hadley said, responding to questions at a White House briefing. "The United States will conduct its activities in compliance with law and international obligations." Asked about secret prisons, Hadley said, "The fact that they are secret, assuming there are such sites, does not mean" torture would be tolerated. "Some people say that the test of your principles (is) what you do when no one's looking. And the president has insisted that whether it is in the public or it is in the private, the same principles will apply and the same principles will be respected. And to the extent people do not meet up, measure up to those principles, there will be accountability and responsibility." Led by Vice President Dick Cheney, the Bush administration is floating a proposal that would allow the president to exempt covert agents outside the Defense Department from a Senate-approved ban on torturing detainees in U.S. custody or weakening the prohibition. In a statement Wednesday, Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, reiterated his call for a detailed congressional review of the "fundamental legal and operational questions" surrounding terror suspects in U.S. custody. "Once again, it appears to me that the White House has dictated that the Republican-controlled Congress not conduct oversight of an important national security matter," Rockefeller said. "They have made it clear that anyone who suggests that oversight is needed should be labeled as unpatriotic.

If they've forbid torture, there's absolutely no reason for Cheney's opposition to McCain's amendment. None. Zero. Zilch. And since Cheney outranks Hadley, that leaves only one of two possibilities: Hadley doesn't know what he's talking about or he is lying. Given that Cheney had no problem with Libby lying for him, and given that we know he has no problem lying directly to us, well... I report. You decide.

And if you haven't read the Post's account of secret US detention/torture centers that this administration has decided to open around the world, you need to. I don't understand. Is the goal of this administration to turn the United States into a rogue state? Because that's where we're very quickly heading - if we're not there already that is. Does it not bother these people that our allies - yes, our allies are making comparisons to the former USSR on this one? What the hell is wrong with these people?

Fortunately, it appears that each and every day more Americans are waking up to what many of us have known for years - this administration is a disaster. 35% approval rating in the latest CBS News poll. The only modern president that's anywhere near that level is Nixon. Keep on keepin on George. I've full faith that if you work hard you can indeed succeed in breaking that record.

And it looks like your boy Snatorum is utterly determined to follow you off the road and into the ditch. I have no explanation for why he just did what he did. None whatsoever. Could he possibly be that stupid? Wait. Don't answer that.

Former President Carter has a new book about an old theme - moral values and human rights. C&L has the full video of his appearance on the Today Show, and its an essential watch. What I love about this is that moral values and human rights was one of the cornerstones of his administration way back when. I know this might sound odd, but the more I research Carter's administration, the more I believe he could have been a truly great president had he served at a different historical moment. Or maybe its not crazy - much smarter men than I have already made that claim. But no matter what you think about his administration, please watch this in its entirety. And if you like it, add his new book to your Wish List at your bookseller of choice.

The Moose has some thought provoking advice for Dems:

While the war is increasingly unpopular, the Democrats should be careful that they are positioning themselves as a party that is gullible, feckless and indecisive on national security. It may provide immense partisan satisfaction to flummox the Republicans on a procedural maneuver, but beware of the long-term impact on the party which already suffers from a perception of being weak on national security.

Interesting, but I can't say I buy it. If this was all the party was planning I'd agree. But coupled with an argument about incompetence I think its a lethal one-two punch. And regardless of the short term outcome the truth matters more than the politics. Much more. This wasn't a small mistake. Thousands of volunteer soldiers have died. And there's only one way to honor that sacrifice - find out the truth about why we went to war.

More...

My man Obama continues to make news, and its all good. Check out his plans for a stronger grassroots based party. And yes. Duh. This means he's looking for a bigger role in the party. Hmmm.....

Meanwhile, on the other side of the fence, AmericaBlog points us all to Will Buckley's latest effort over at NRO. Give this man some credit - he has, and always has had, principles. And one of them is that his country comes first. According to one of the founders of modern conservatism, outing a CIA agnet is a very, VERY big deal. Read on...

We have noticed that Valerie Plame Wilson has lived in Washington since 1997. Where she was before that is not disclosed by research facilities at my disposal. But even if she was safe in Washington when the identity of her employer was given out, it does not mean that her outing was without consequence. We do not know what dealings she might have been engaging in which are now interrupted or even made impossible. We do not know whether the countries in which she worked before 1997 could accost her, if she were to visit any of them, confronting her with signed papers that gave untruthful reasons for her previous stay — that she was there only as tourist, or working for a fictitious U.S. company. In my case, it was 15 years after reentry into the secular world before my secret career in Mexico was blown, harming no one except perhaps some who might have been put off by my deception. The great question here is Robert Novak. It was he who published, in his column, that Mrs. Joseph Wilson was a secret agent of the CIA. I am too close a friend to pursue the matter with Novak, and his loyalty is a postulate. What was going on? If there are mysteries in town, that surely is one of them, the role of Novak. The importance of the law against revealing the true professional identity of an agent is advertised by the draconian punishment, under the federal code, for violating it. In the swirl of the Libby affair, one loses sight of the real offense, and it becomes almost inapprehensible what it is that Cheney/Libby/Rove got themselves into. But the sacredness of the law against betraying a clandestine soldier of the republic cannot be slighted.

See? I don't hate conservatives. I hate hypocrites.

More...

Via TalkLeft, a related issue. Denver citizens vote to legalize the personal use of marijuana. Maybe one day, perhaps before I'm old and gray, this nation will end its idiotic war on drugs and adopt a policy that actually makes sense.

And on that note, some sleep. Nite people...

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