Daily Kos has a very in-depth article containing a memo signed by President Bush that set policy exempting detainees from the Geneva conventions, an international law that affords basic human rights to prisoners. Not a law giving them nice, cushy amenities they don’t deserve – just protections from torture, and allowances for noncombatant organizations like the Red Cross to care for their basic health needs.

The Bush administration spin machine has been doing its best to prevent any blame from falling on current officials or anyone central to the administration. But here it is: a memo signed by the President breaking our commitment to international law and thus authorizing torture and other inhumane acts (page 1) (page 2).

I really thought we were above tactics from the middle ages. Everyone knows that torture doesn’t produce usable intelligence. We have failed the demands of being a world leader. We have failed our own standard of “justice for all.” We have endangered our own future by treating our enemies unjustly and inhumanely, inviting them to treat us with the same gross lack of humanity.

This is not a political issue. Every remaining presidential candidate will not continue this madness, but the damage to our reputation in the world and in history is done.