with regard to torture

Mr. Bush claims that, "That's not the way we do things in America," and "They must also understand that what took place in that prison does not represent the America that I know." Well, of course not. It's not America at all. It's Iraq; even vague familiarity with a map will preclude such a misunderstanding. I wonder what America he does know, though. He further says that those who inflicted the abuse, "do not reflect the nature of men and women we sent overseas" -- I don't see how this can be true. They're there. You sent them there. They apparently have all this in their nature.

It dawned on me that I'm an elitist bastard. As a life-long Left-Coaster, it's really easy to simply dismiss backwater hicks, and what appears to be the commonality of the American South until they start showing up in the news as executors of our foreign policy. The sad truth is that generally Americans are poorly educated about tolerance and acceptance of other cultures. And as long as the backward billies stay in their prefixed hills, we can usually rest easy that our fellow citizens' ignorance and "charm" will remain a little dirty secret. But then we send them off as soldiers, sometimes the only Americans in any area will ever meet, and BANG, the cat is out of the bag. I mean, did no one see this coming? (via DPH)

Update: A Salon piece mentions that the torturers used the pics as screensavers and desktops. I feel like I'm going to puke.