Torture by committee

Over the past few days we have learned, thanks to an ABC News investigation, that a group of highly placed Bush administration officials, including US Vice President "I'm a Big" Dick Cheney, approved the torture of terrorist suspects. (Note: they will claim that what they approved didn't amount to torture but it id.) Not only did they approve it; they directed it with an almost pornographic attention to detail. Despite what he now know many questions remain including:

• Will they ever have to face "justice"?
• Just exactly who was it that violated omertà?
• And, of course, why did they talk about torture in the White House?

More from the Countdown crew.

Today in Torturetapegate

Suddenly there is the appointment of an "outside" prosecutor, whatever that may mean, in the case of the obstruction of justice* relating to the destruction of tapes showing the alleged torture humane interrogation of a "high value evil doer" by the CIA. I am confident that Mr. Durham's enquiries will lead to the complete exoneration of any important.

*I much prefer the British term for this offence: "perversion of the course of justice".