Gonzales sails through

I noted in a Tuesday blog that in my estimation, the Abu Ghraib prison torture scandal has been "quickly and effectively neutered in the U.S." as a serious issue. To prove my point, media outlets such as CNN are reporting that Gonzales "will be confirmed as attorney general despite concerns about his role in a Bush administration legal doctrine that critics said undermined prisoner-of-war protections and a law against torture." Do I really need to say it? If there was any real shame or contrition in this government and this country's media about what happened at Abu Ghraib and what is still happening at Gitmo and elsewhere, there is simply no way that someone like Gonzales could be allowed to be attorney general. I mean, I know at least he's not John Ashcroft, but still ... As Ray McGovern puts it: "Torture is counterproductive. But actually it's a lot worse. It's also just plain wrong." So is Gonzales' nomination.