The Silent Scandal

Sadly, Jane Mayer's blockbuster piece on CIA black sites made only a small ripple in Washington and in mainstream media circles. The best commentary about its shocking revelations came not from the editorial pages of the nation's top papers, but from human rights lawyer Scott Horton. In his blog, No Comment, Horton noted:

In one sense, Mayer is writing the history of the black sites. In another she is giving us the chronicle of the self-immolation of the greatest democracy that mankind has yet brought forth. It makes for painful, but essential reading.

Ok-- there was one high-profile reference to Mayer's article. It came during yesterday's White House press conference when Washington Post reporter Peter Baker asked Bush if he had read the Red Cross report referenced by Mayer. In her article, Mayer wrote "the Red Cross described the agency’s detention and interrogation methods as tantamount to torture, and declared that American officials responsible for the abusive treatment could have committed serious crimes."
Commendable question by Baker. Bush's response: "I haven't seen it. We don't torture."
Case-closed, no follow-up questions, no more questions on the issue. Bush gets a pass-- again. Perhaps he'll have the time to check out the report, or even Mayer's whole article, on his annual August vacation-- his 65th trip to Crawford thusfar during his presidency.