How Do These People Sleep?
I've been looking around for the transcript to last night's HANNITY and colmes show, but haven't dredged them up. However, I was sitting watching this fine FoxNews entertainmet last night, minding my own business (as I always do) while preparing for a wonderful meal celebrating Peter Berley's new vegetarian cookbook, when Oliver North came on to comment on the developing story of the kidnapping of Lockheed Martin employee Paul Johnson in Saudi Arabia (which could end up as tragic as the Nick Berg kidnapping). To which he said (in paraphrase):

The American media will have blood on its hands if it continues to hype the Abu Ghraib prison scandal--which is confined to 6 or 7 ne'erdowells (and shouldn't reflect on the good work performed by the 140,000 other American troops in the region)--which will only add comfort to terrorists who want to take advantage of this internal American political split.

HANNITY vociferously and indignantly agreed (though he did up the number to 14 or 15). As usual, colmes sat on his hands.

When will the Right understand that this isn't just about a small group of bad people, that it's in our best interest as a nation that we have to figure out how this environment of cruelty was put into place. The "shining city on a hill" that Reagan so often referred to will be tarnished until we can make corrections and reparations. And let's get this straight. It's one thing to use leverage against those who really are involved in terror against the U.S.--but a very different message is being sent to the world when anyone who we feel is below our standing is treated in this fashion. And it's becoming obvious that a large percentage of these "abuses" were directed at Iraqis who weren't involved in terror activities.

BTW - the evening get-together, which was arranged by my new officemate Kim Ricketts and took place at Culinary Communion, was absolutely delightful. Great food, good conversation (save for the theatrical loudmouth at the other end of the table).