You are only as sick as your secrets

London's Telegraph is reporting that Donald Rumsfeld not only knew about onofficial prisons established to torture Afghans, he approved them. Several mercenaries are on trial in Kabul for hostage taking and torture, including Jonathan "Jack" Idema:

"The American authorities absolutely condoned what we did; they supported what we did. We have extensive evidence of that. We're prepared to show e-mails and correspondence and tape-recorded conversations," Idema said before the trial. "We were in contact directly with Donald Rumsfeld's office."

As this scandal continues to develop, reasonable citizens should rightfully sound the constitutional alarm. Acts that qualify as war crimes are being approved at the highest levels of American leadership. I know there is an argument for going to extremes in the pursuit of knowledge that can save American lives. I just don't think there is a justifiable use for sodomy in Abu Ghraib or hanging prisoners upside down by their feet as some of the captives in Kabul apparently were. In brief, the extreme should stop short of outright torture. The extreme should always stop short of constitutional gymnastics. It is imperative, for the future of the country and the future of our children, that we take the high road.

At this stage of the game, all voters should imagine themselves making the same decisions Bush and Rumsfeld made. They are willing to use torture, suspend the rule of law, and roll back civil liberties in the pursuit of the enemy and to consolidate power. Are you? Or more importantly, are you willing to give the power with your vote? When Bush puts out an ad that touts his values, such as "Priorities," (which I debunk here,) or "Family Priorities", which advances his slate of social issue positions, please refer back to the values that lead him to approve of the torture we see splashed across the Arab world in glorious color.