I think I've figured out the Bush administration's operating model: Good Cop, Bad Cop straight out of Starsky & Hutch.
Bush is the lovable idiot who tells you what you want to hear, then you both go have a beer:
PANAMA CITY, Panama (AP) -- President Bush vigorously defended U.S. interrogation practices in the war on terror Monday and lobbied against a congressional drive to outlaw torture.
"There's an enemy that lurks and plots and plans and wants to hurt America again," Bush said. "So you bet we will aggressively pursue them but we will do so under the law."
He declared, "We do not torture."
That's right, boys and girls, Unkie Bush says we don't, so I guess we don't. But did you catch that part where he's still for an exemption for torture? Course' you didn't. That's because that line would be
Darth "Bad Cop" Cheney's job:
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney made an unusual personal appeal to Republican senators this week to allow CIA exemptions to a proposed ban on the torture of terror suspects in U.S. custody, according to participants in a closed-door session.
Cheney told his audience the United States doesn't engage in torture, these participants added, even though he said the administration needed an exemption from any legislation banning "cruel, inhuman or degrading" treatment in case the president decided one was necessary to prevent a terrorist attack.
Note how they both say the same thing: we don't torture, but we'd like an exemption to do so. It's just like a Starsky and Hutch episode where Bush is the cute blonde guy sliding over the hood of the car smiling to the camera and Cheney is the guy in the bad pimp outfit pointing the big gun. Bush says we don't do it with a smirk and a wink. Cheney say, ya but give us the exemption or Huggy bear might get it upside the head.
Except this time it's not some strangely dated TV cop show, but real honest to goodness violation of the Geneva Convention, against International Law, not remotely America, strap em' down and hurt em' till they sing, good old fashion, get Medieval on your ass torture our President and Vice President are lobbying for.
I wonder if they'll work the Grand Torino into this routine next.