The Torture Debate, Cheney, Obama, and the First 100 Days

Our daily look at stories and topics that are lighting up the Internets:

The Coming Torture Wars

We've been talking about the torture controversy for almost a week now, and it's looking more and more like this is a story that's here to say. Many bloggers are using this op-ed by a former FBI special agent and this op-ed by Republican Congressman Peter Hoekstra as a jumping-off point for the debate. Thomas E. Ricks can't believe it's come to this (video). Conservative Mary Kate Cary talks hypocrisy. Liberal Kevin Drum throws the term right back in her face. Pete Abel argues for why the administration should release all the torture data. Conservative Mike Devine is plain old angry at Obama, and rants more than a little. Chris Rovzar explains the difficulties involved in prosecuting the Bush lawyers: "It will likely take months for lawyers, an irate Congress, distracted White House, and defensive Bush administration to pick through and parse all of this." And conservative Philip Klein discusses the morality of torture: "Even if we concede that waterboarding is torture ... not all forms of torture are created equal.... After all, the Nazis, like Americans, used guns, but they were used in different ways to achieve different ends."

Everybody Hates Cheney

So maybe it's not fair to say everybody, but more than a few find the former vice president's words repugnant. People like Meghan McCain. Or liberal David Quigg. Or Andrew Sullivan, who writes: "Torture is the weapon of cowards and bullies and monsters. Cheney is all three. Prosecute him." Liberal Jeff Schweitzer sums up Cheney's arguments, and then responds to them: "He believes, and has explicitly stated, that the ends (our security) justify the means by which we achieve that security. That perspective denigrates our history as a nation, and ignores the principled sacrifices of those who came before us." Liberal Steve Benen makes the case that Cheney is wrong. Greg Sargent thinks that the torture controversy has now ensured that Cheney and Bush will "continue to define the GOP in the public mind at a time when the party was hoping to rise from the wreckage of his personal unpopularity." Radley Balko thinks Cheney's own record makes his arguments seem hollow. The above being said, let's close with the (very, very small) minority of the blogosphere that's backing Cheney up. Conservative Warner Todd Huston whips back: "Cheney has not once been seen bellowing like a gored oxen at campaign rallies ... he has been engaged in calm, serious and logical discussions of policy. Cheney has been the very model of dignity and seriousness."

The First 100 Days

April 29 is the mark, and as the date draws near, everybody's going to be talking about the president's first 100 days in office. Here's a taste of what you're likely to see: polls that put Obama's favorables pretty high, despite the fact that the number of people who think he's a socialist is rising. Which isn't to say socialism is a bad thing. There will be photo galleries of all things President Obama, and retrospectives, and even comparisons to President George W. Bush. Some will be all praise for what the new president's accomplished. Others will take the occasion as an excuse to lambaste Obama's detractors. And don't forget about all the new political ad campaigns either.

... Meanwhile ...

The U.S. government gives up subscriptions to print newspapers... A tell-all?! By Levi Johnston?! About the Palins?! Quite possible... The solution to all of journalism's woes... And foreign money buys votes in Lebanese elections.