According to the Washington Post:

There is almost no scientific evidence to back up the U.S. intelligence community's use of controversial interrogation techniques in the fight against terrorism, and experts believe some painful and coercive approaches could hinder the ability to get good information, according to a new report from an intelligence advisory group. [emphasis added]

In the interest of providing a space for measured debate about a hot topic, I thought I'd post a little background information on the noble (and not-so-noble) history of pies ... and pieing!

From Wikipedia:

The pie has been around since the ancient Egyptians from 2000 B.C. At some point between 1400 B.C. (Greek settlements) and 600 B.C. (the decline of Egypt), the pie is believed to have passed on to the Greeks by the Egyptians.

As Matt Stoler lays out over at MyDD, this was not a fun week to be a right-winger.

One thing that's striking to me this week is how the right-wing was utterly destroyed this week.  They lost HUGE on Bolton.  They lost badly on Specter's dishonorable FISA bill.  And the kickoff of the war on terror campaign, the ABC movie 'Path to 9/11', has been seriously derailed as a fraudulent piece of propaganda.

Over on AlterNet, the ever-insightful Joshua Holland gives us a good look at how the Repubs lip-service to "free market" economics plays out in Iraq.  In short, it plays out pretty much like it does at home, only even more so.

As Mr. Holland points out:

If you were to gather together the finest, most creative minds and ask them to come up with a plan to outsource the reconstruction of Iraq that would guarantee shoddy work, overcharges, unfinished projects and overt graft, they would probably devise a system very similar to what U.S. taxpayers have enjoyed -- to the tune of about $30 billion -- for the past three years.
...
The reconstruction of Iraq has become a boondoggle of historic proportions, but make no mistake: It's a boondoggle by design.

More ...

If the Bush League does attack Iran -- a big "if", though not nearly as big as I wish it was -- there are a number of possible scenarios.  The most obvious possibility is a limited strategic airstrike on suspected nuclear sites.  This scenario has the advantages of (possibly!) delaying Iran's nuclear program -- and giving the Admin a boost in the polls -- without committing troops and minimizing negative international reactions.

But an alternate possibility has been kicked around by armchair analysts that would be a more involved and longer-term commitment, but one that could also have longer-term benefits ... at least in the eyes of the people who brought us the mess that is Iraq.  Call it the Khuzestan Gambit.  

More on the flip side ...

Last December, Dottie Neeley, 87, was fingerprinted, photographed, and thrown in jail.  Why?  She was accused of selling drugs.  She denies doing so, but even if she did, she's evidently not unique.  

Since April 2004, Operation UNITE, a Kentucky antidrug task force created largely in response to rampant abuse of the powerful and sometimes lethal painkiller OxyContin, has charged more than 40 people age 60 or older with selling primarily prescription drugs in the mountains.

In the all the hoo-rah about the President (sorta kinda) "taking responsibility" for the poor response to Katrina, most folks are missing the classic Rovian strawman tucked into the statement:

Defending the people on the front line ... from what?  Who's criticizing them?  Nobody!

Does this sound familiar?  It should.  On of the classic Bush League responses to criticism on their bungling of Iraq is to pretend that it's the troops being criticized.

Gods, how I would love to see anyone call Bush out on this.  All it would take is one reporter.  "But Mr. President, nobody's criticizing the people on the front line.  They're criticizing you.  Stop trying to hide behind the people on the front line."

I just thought I'd try starting a (mostly) open thread for the folks who want to discuss something (anything!) else. This one's for you!

Me, I'm happy that it's spring in New England ... it's my favorite season. Lilac Sunday at the Arnold Arboretum is still several weeks away, but I can practically smell those sweet flowers now!

What's percolating through your functional cerebral cortex today?

The Republicans have controlled all three branches of the federal government for nearly 4 years, and they've controlled both branches of Congress for longer than that. Yet they still benefit from their (supposed) anti-government stance. Isn't it time to turn the great American tradition of distrust of government against them?

File this under Better-Late-Than-Never: According to Josh Marshall, Senator Kerry will be sending out a message this afternoon to supporters asking them to join him in a "fight for a national standard for federal elections that has both transparency and accountability in our voting system."

(If anyone knows of a good link to the complete message, please let me know!)

Over at The Nation, James K. Galbraith suggests that we Abolish Election Day.

Personally, I'd miss the fleeting but satisfying sense of community citizenship, but the idea of having everybody vote by mail has much to recommend it:

1) Verifiable paper trail
2) Heightened effect of voter reg and participation drives
3) No problems at the polls with bottlenecks (which are generally class- and race-linked)
4) No exit polls
5) Last-minute (and generally more dishonest) advertising would be less important
6) "October surprises" would also be less important