"Daddy, does the United States torture people?"

"No, son, President Bush says America won't do that."

"But waterboarding is torture, and the US waterboards people."

"Yes, son, sadly there are badguys out there who have ticking bombs we have to find. Waterboarding is how they do that."

"Daddy, isn't that torture?"

"No, President Bush says we don't torture."

"Well, what about Abu Ghraib? Wasn't that torture? Were there ticking bombs there, too."

"No, son, no ticking bombs but you see that wasn't the US doing the torture. That was rogue guards, army personnel, FBI and CIA agents."

"Were they Americans? Were they being paid by us?"

"Yes they were. It's past your bedtime. You need to go to sleep."

"Just one more question, Daddy, please!"

"OK. One more."

"Does the US live up to all it's international agreements?"

"My, that's a serious question for such a little boy."

"Does it, Daddy? I heard Secretary Rice say the US honors all international agreements."

"Yes, son, the US is the moral leader of the world, and certainly it's word is the absolute truth. Can't be any other way."

"Well, what about the Geneva Convention? Isn't that an international agreement? "

"It is, but you have to understand there are badguys out there who don't live up to the Geneva Convention."

"But does the US?"

"The badguys won't let us. We'd like to but there are people out there who would hurt us."

"So the US doesn't live up to all international agreements. Is that what you're saying, Daddy?"

"No, son, you need to trust Secretary Rice and President Bush. Now go to sleep."

Arf