Message to the irony impaired

It's been a week of torture pictures. I go to the coffee shop, look down, there they are on the front page of an unpurchased newspaper. I go to lunch at the tavern, grab a burger, look up and Lyndie England is giving me the thumbs up as she points to the private parts of a nameless Iraqi. These are inescapable images.

What the hell are we supposed to think about that?

Rush Limbaugh tells us it wasn't anything more than a fraternity prank. Of course, he'a an idiot.

Rumsfeld waffled all over the place-- "I think that -- I'm not a lawyer. My impression is that what has been charged thus far is abuse, which I believe technically is different from torture."-- before finally apologizing today. He also says it will get grimmer.

Meanwhile, president Bush and his spokesclone, Scott Mclellan, seem to be sticking to the same lame talking points. But you'd think the President would modify his stump speech an iota or two. I mean is he completely irony impaired? The following are from an interesting chronology of quotes from Bush as the scandal unfolded:

"A year ago, I did give the speech from the carrier, saying that we had achieved an important objective, that we'd accomplished a mission, which was the removal of Saddam Hussein. And as a result, there are no longer torture chambers or rape rooms or mass graves in Iraq."—Bush, remarks in the Rose Garden, April 30, 2004

"There are those who seek to derail the transition to democracy because they want to return to the days of mass graves and torture chambers and rape rooms. But that's not going to happen."—McClellan, White House press briefing, April 30, 2004

"Because we acted, torture rooms are closed, rape rooms no longer exist, mass graves are no longer a possibility in Iraq."—Bush, remarks at "Ask President Bush" event, Michigan, May 3, 2004

He then went on Arab TV and said some of the same stuff:

"Iraq was a unique situation because Saddam Hussein had constantly defied the world and had threatened his neighbors, had used weapons of mass destruction, had terrorist ties, had torture chambers …"—Bush, interview with Al Arabiya Television, May 5, 2004

Yeah. Saddam's torture rooms are closed, but ours, apparently, are open. Is he really asking the Arab people to see the difference between being tortured by Saddam and being tortured by the US? I understand the difference between the US and Saddam. The difference is, at least in the US, this is a scandal. But I have to sit in stupified wonder at the sheer guts of the guy. How can he go on Arab TV and spout the same tired justification for invading Iraq in an interview in which he is supposed to be apologizing for US torture? As Rummy might say, "...oh my goodness gracious." Or as I might say, it appears to me that this is just another example of Bush's total disconnection with people, and how he will sacrifice you, me and any other human on the planet on the altar of his crappy ideas.

On a lighter note, maybe the best analysis of the situation was offered by John Stewart on the Daily Show. He asserted that the "Mess-O-Potamia" has now graduated to a "Gigantic Mess-O-Potamia." I swear, you'll laugh till you cry.