TORTURE: AS WITH EVERYTHING ELSE, YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW

Iraq war vet Paul Rieckhoff tries to tell the Bush administration and the Republican Congress why reinterpreting the Geneva Conventions is a bad idea, based on his own infantry training and experience.

It's a valiant effort, but he can hold his breath. The chickenhawks haven't demonstrated any desire or tendency to listen to military experts on any subject relating to war, counterinsurgency or the military in general. Torture is their own pet project -- they're certainly not going to consider the opinions or arguments of anyone who opposes it.

And as for the three "rebel" senators, John McCain, Lindsey Graham and John Warner, considering how quickly and how completely they caved to the administration's position, I think it's at least fair to consider that they never intended to buck Bush going into the midterms. They made a token effort to shore up their own "moderate" credentials, and that's the best that can be said for them. Now if the Dems don't stand up and make short work of this legislation, using the filibuster if necessary to delay it until at least after the next Congress is installed, they'll lose any claim to a spine as well.

Tags: torture, Geneva Conventions, Bush