Answering Clift

Eleanor Clift wants to know why Kerry has come out bashing Bush on the prison abuse scandal.

If ever there was a moment for John Kerry to come out swinging, this is it. It is the biggest story of the war, and he is essentially silent.

Um, Eleanor? It's a little tough to ask the guy to occupy the moral high ground on a prisoner abuse problem when he has admitted to committing war crimes himself!

He could demand that the now infamous Abu Ghurayb prison be torn down and that the administration ban the use of mercenary contractors in prison interrogation. He should call on the administration to hold people accountable up the chain of command to the highest levels.

Now there's a bold vision. How does tearing down a building do anything to solve a problem? Are we to believe that Abu Ghurayb is the Iraqi version of Stephen King's Overlook Hotel from The Shining? And hold the people accountable? We are holding multiple investigations, so far seven have been charged, and we're not through yet. Would you happy if we re-established the Spanish Inquisition? Oh, never mind. All the Spaniards have gone home.