Grilled Cheese

Yesterday, Senators questioned Attorney General Alberto "Torture? Big Fan!" Gonzales. He continued to defend the President's policy of illegal eavesdropping. (For a recap, go here, along with a sad-but-probably-true conclusion.)

I understand when neocons protect their own - such dishonorable displays are expected. However, when they suggest that the President is above the law, Repubs betray their own values and sink deeper into the mire that will eventually suffocate all of us and no doubt embarrass our children.

This clip sums up the issue perfectly. Of course, first you must sit through a whack-job caller who needs to lay off caffeine and non-stop Fox News. Quote of the day: "The scandal is about whether or not we live under the rule of law and that is not a conservative or a liberal debate. That is an American value and for that reason there are numerous conservatives-and I don't mean wishy-washy conservatives - I mean hardcore doctrinaire conservatives from Grover Norquist and Bob Barr... Nobody is against eavesdropping on the terrorists."

Oh, and what this guy said. Specifically: "What Patrick Henry once called 'the lamp of experience' needs to be brought into the shadowy space in which we have all been living since Sept. 11. My tentative conclusion is that the light it sheds exposes the ghosts and goblins of our traumatized imaginations. It is completely understandable that those who lost loved ones on that date will carry emotional scars for the remainder of their lives. But it defies reason and experience to make Sept. 11 the defining influence on our foreign and domestic policy. History suggests that we have faced greater challenges and triumphed, and that overreaction is a greater danger than complacency."

Through all the spin cycles, I have yet to hear an answer to the most important question: Why was it necessary to avoid the FISA court? Go ahead and tell us all, Gonzo. The President's men aren't the only ones listening.