would almost be funny, if not so sad

Before heading [to Latin America], Mr. Bush had been ... threatening to cast the first veto of his presidency if Congress didn't scrap a spending bill amendment, written by John McCain and passed 90 to 9 by the Senate, banning the "cruel, inhuman or degrading" treatment of prisoners.

So when you watch the president stand there with a straight face and say, "We do not torture" - a full year and a half after the first photos from Abu Ghraib - you have to wonder how we arrived at this ludicrous moment.

'We Do Not Torture' and Other Funny Stories, by Frank Rich [nytimes]
Also mirrored here [truthout.org]