TortureGate

Watched the Jim Lehrer Newshour on SBS this evening and it was fascinating to watch US Attorney General John Ashcroft getting a grilling from the Senate Judiciary Committee about allegations of a memo that suggests the President is not bound by International treaties prohibiting the torture of prisoners. A transcript of the program can be found here.

Juan Cole points out that;
A Republican Congress is most unlikely to impeach George W. Bush, even if it does become clear that he is the torturer in chief and that Lynddie England is not the mastermind behind Abu Ghuraib. But he could be prosecuted, even after leaving office, for breaking US law against torture.

American Media Icon Walter Cronkite had this to say about Ashcroft last september;
In his two and a half years in office, Attorney General John Ashcroft has earned himself a remarkable distinction as the Torquemada of American law. Tomás de Torquemada, you might recall, was the 15th-century Dominican friar who became the grand inquisitor of the Spanish Inquisition. He was largely responsible for its methods, including torture and the burning of heretics - Muslims in particular.

Ashcroft may be a hero of the Christian Right but he is not supported by all christians.