As President Obama tries to steer something approaching a "middle course" on investigating the criminal actions of the Bush administration, the rhetoric used can be informative. Neither the president nor his spokespeople are using the word "torture" to describe the torture techniques used. Instead, they prefer "harsh interrogation."

The problem is that "harsh interrogation" connotes something perfectly legal, while it seems obvious that the methods used were not, by any legitimate stretch of the imagination, legal. Of course, Bush administration officials tried to rationalize the methods, and Dick Cheney is all over Fox TV saying that they were at least effective and kept America safe (meaning the ends justified the means). But we need a new phrase, one that paints a more accurate picture.

Enter the New York Times.  read more »

(Note: Reprinted from my website.)

At noon on Tuesday, George W. Bush's tenure in the Oval Office comes to an end. Until then, he still retains the constitutional "Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States." Putting aside for the moment whom Bush might pardon (because we won't actually know until he does it), let's ask if any pardons he issues can be undone, and if so, whether there is a limit to how long after a pardon is issued it can be revoked.

Recently, Bush "unpardoned" New York developer Isaac Robert Toussie the day after he issued the pardon. This provoked a lot of newspaper articles, but very little in the way of actual facts, based on actual history. There appear to be three Supreme Court rulings that may have some effect on this possible situation.  read more »

Note: This is an early impression, and there's probably a lot of information that either isn't out there, or hasn't reached me yet. But it's a start.

This is cross-posted from my website.

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Russia has invaded two so-called “breakaway provinces” that are officially part of the sovereign nation of Georgia. Now, despite of two cease-fire announcements, the Russians are not leaving. In addition, they are threatening to open up a second front by invading Poland.

So whose fault is it?

Clearly, there is a convoluted situation in the area known as South Ossetia. Both South Ossetia and Georgia were annexed by Russia in 1801, but the area has been Balkanized for centuries, and neither the Romanovs nor Soviet rulers were able to change that. Both North and South Ossetians have long fought for unification. North Ossetians tended to be willing to be, if not part of Russia, at least closely associated with that country. South Ossetians, on the other hand, have tended to prefer complete autonomy.  read more »

So this nice, little old lady was standing outside the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, where John McCain was ... performing, and she was holding a sign that said "McCain=Bush." No big deal. She wasn't approaching anyone, or shouting anything, or getting in anybody's way. She was just standing there, holding a sign.

Except that she was arrested by the Denver Police on the demand of the Waffen SS -- excuse me, the Secret Service.

The YouTube video is here.

Remember in 2004 when John Hall had to tell the Bush campaign team not to use his song "Still the One" (Billboard article available here)? McCain is now on notice as well. Yup, he used the song at a "town hall" on the campaign trail.

According to MSNBC, Hall stated, "This is yet another example of John McCain not learning anything from George Bush's mistakes. First, McCain adopted Bush's failed policy of an open-ended war in Iraq, then he wrapped his arms around the failed Bush economic policies that have put the squeeze on middle class families. Now, he's making the same mistake George Bush made illegally using a copyrighted song without asking either the writers or the performers for permission."

It seems the "third Bush term" line is getting more accurate every day.