Among the many depressing things about the current Iraq prison scandal is the way folks on all sides are treating it as just another campaign issue to be spun for votes. A lot of those defending Rumsfeld and Bush strike me as precisely the kind of folks who, if we currently had Democrats in those positions, would be citing this as the moral failings of men who have to be impeached. A lot of those expressing outrage strike me as being outraged wholly because they think it will hurt Bush and help Kerry. Senator Kerry's own statements sound fuzzy, as if he hasn't yet figured how to exploit it for maximum advantage. (A friend of mine made an interesting comment the other day. He said, "I used to hear John Kerry give these long, eloquent speeches on C-Span and I thought, 'What a smart man. He should be president.' Now that he actually has a good shot at the job, his speeches are sounding more and more like every other clown who ever ran for office." I think that may be true, especially in the kind of short sound-bytes required in current coverage.)
The scariest thing about Rumsfeld's testimony was when he said that there will be worse photos…and videos, even. So we're in for a lot more horrifying imagery, and a lot more spinning. Maybe someplace in there, we'll find a few politicos who'll react based on what it means for America and not what it means for their candidate in November.