USA

It's official: The United States has been torturing prisoners.

CIA Director Michael Hayden confirmed to the Senate Judiciary Committee that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Abu Zubaydah, and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri have been waterboarded, but that no other prisoners have.

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1. United States (FY08 budget), $623 billion
2. China (2004), $65 billion
3. Russia, $50 billion
4. France (2005), $45 billion
5. United Kingdom, $42.8 billion
6. Japan (2007), $41.75 billion
7. Germany (2003), $35.1 billion
8. Italy (2003), $28.2 billion
9. South Korea (2003), $21.1 billion
10. India (2005 est.), $19 billion

If you do the math, places 2-10 add up to just over half of what we spend. Does anyone else find this 1.) Inexcusable, and 2.) Slightly Stupid.

Breaking news! One of the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay has actually been charged with a crime!

This is news indeed. Once again I salute our completely uncorrupted and very watchful, vigilant media for spotting this kernel of justice. It is not every day that someone imprisoned is actually presented with the charges made against him or her. (How crazy would it be if that were the norm!) Soon, this lucky prisoner might even get his day with a kangaroo court!

** Technically, The Surge™ isn't working, because the stated purpose of The Surge™ is to provide time for the Iraqi government to fix Iraq. The government is actually splintering and decided to go on vacation during The Surge™ rather than accomplish anything, which it figured it couldn't do anyway. But hey, at least we're shooting at more people now! Everyone shooting at us is obviously a card carrying member of Al Qaeda and not an insurgent battling what they see as an occupying force.