It’s probably mere pedantry on my part, but the US were suggesting that Zarqawi was their most dangerous opponent in Iraq even when according to their figures his organisation was responsible for a measly six out of three thousands attacks.

And while Zarqawi may well be dead, hasn’t he been reported dead several times before too?

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From those crazed radicals at the Financial Times of London

Europe’s foremost guardian of human rights yesterday painted a chilling picture of how more than a dozen European countries became part of a global “spider’s web” spun by the US to kidnap and transport outside the reach of the law suspects in the “war on terror”. Such lawless practices, including the outsourcing of torture to friendly despots, are spreading like a lethal virus.

They amount to a moral capitulation by liberal societies and a surrender of the rule of law in the face of jihadi totalitarianism. If we behave like this, what exactly are we defending?

Many of the cases in the Marty report were known. But their presentation as a pattern called forth a storm of bluster and obfuscation from those implicated.

But rather than shooting the messenger they should look at the message the west is sending by betraying the values it urges on others, a hypocrisy in no way disguised by recourse to Orwellian legalisms such as “rendition”.

We should not need to make the case against torture. It is morally depraved. It corrodes the society that condones it. It elicits largely worthless information. As Craig Murray, the UK envoy to Uzbekistan fired for denouncing Britain’s use of CIA-supplied information extracted in Uzbek jails, put it: “We are selling our souls for dross.”

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Via Perspective in Scotland, who comments on these dimbulb right wingers, “Might want to run a spellcheck on your placards, dumbass.” They want everyone to speak English yet have problems with basic spelling themselves?

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In a major concession, world powers are no longer demanding Iran commit to a long moratorium on uranium-enrichment and are now asking only for a suspension during talks on its nuclear program, diplomats and officials said yesterday.

Perhaps even the Bushies have finally comprehended that an unprovoked invasion of Iran would  be a disaster, especially considering Iran has apparently said, if you do, we’ll shut down oil in the Gulf.

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The Independent gets it quite right

Iraq is going to hell in a hand-basket. The trade and budget deficits are spinning out of control, and petrol prices have gone through the roof. Yet the US Senate has devoted two days to a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage that everyone knew had not the slightest hope of passage.

But this was not an exercise designed to tackle the real problems facing the country. It was a cynical exercise in pandering by a beleaguered White House and Republican majority in Congress, intended to save their political skins.

In the meantime, the Senate is now to address the outlawing of flag-burning, another issue dear to the hearts of true believers, but of limited relevance to ordinary Americans.

Will Bush’s ploy work again this year? Given the general dimbulb Democratic response to such things, it could, except that Bush has fallen so badly and so obviously that even his base seems sick of him. Still, never underestimate the ability of the  Democrats to shoot themselves in the foot by cravenly doing nothing. God forbid they should take a principled stand on an issue when instead they can hide in the shadows and hope Bush destroys himself. Hint: That’s not working in California where Arnold is now ahead again in the polls due to the mindnumbing incompetence of the Democratic candidates.

Still, Bush’s bigotry is so obvious that it’ll probably backfire. Ditto for whatever nasty cynical racist gambits he’s planning against immigrant rights. Even a lunkhead like him and his true believer neocons are becoming aware that history is going to treat them very unkindly indeed, as in “worst president ever.”

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