Marquis de Cheney

If Dick Cheney makes you uncomfortable, this is a good time to take in Georgie Anne Geyer's latest effort -- The Dark Heart of Dick Cheney -- because it will be a fun read. If Dick Cheney doesn't bother you, uh, oh, Geyer's piece is a must-read.

"[Cheney] rarely speaks, running things quietly and secretly from behind the White House's closed doors, where he maintains his own administrative staff (roughly 60 persons, almost as many as the president's). When he does speak, it is usually either a sarcastic observation or rejoinder.

"... this week, the vice president took a turn into the deepest heart of human darkness. This week, unprecedented in history, an elected vice president of the United States of America proposed that Congress legally authorize the torture of foreigners by Americans. The Washington Post titled its devastating editorial 'Vice President for Torture.' I would say that the deceptive man from sunny Wyoming has become the Marquis de Sade of America. Think about it -- he is insistent upon making torturers of many of our young soldiers -- your children."

('Toon by F. T. Rea)

Update (NOV. 2): And, speaking of the unspeakable, this Washington Post story suggests that what we already know about illegal/immoral tactics being used by the USA in prosecuting its War on Terror is but the tip of an iceberg. It seems the problem now is what the hell to do with prisoners who have been hidden in secret prisons and perhaps roughed up a bit along the way. If you decide they really don't know anything useful, how do you let them go?