Tom, I understand where you're coming from. But you seem to have taken what I said out of context. This is about the Abu Ghraib scandal in the context of responsibility of elected and appointed officials and the necessary connection to electoral politics.

It sort of ties in to a line you were taking earlier ("Vapors") to the effect that outrage about the scandals is hypocritical and anti-American. I disagree strongly. It's an apples-to-oranges comparison. The Iraqi rebels, not to mention Al Qaida and other enemies, aren't signatories to the Geneva Conventions, nor do Americans have the power to hold their leaders accountable (at the ballot box) and remove them from office if we judge their performance unacceptable. On the other hand, we do have the power and responsibility to judge Administration officials, and to expect them to honor the word of the US as given by the treaties we sign, and to uphold the national honor. Outrage over Abu Ghraib is consistent with that responsibility. I expect the United States to adhere to its obligations under the Geneva Conventions; failure to do so is a sign that we can no longer claim that we're a civilized nation, and I won't accept that. It's unacceptable, at a minimum, that these foul acts happened; and outrageous if they were condoned officially and perhaps even encouraged.