It's been a long day, and there's much to say that I wasn't able to get to. Perhaps there'll be time to better analyse tomorrow (God willing), but let me leave you with this link to the PJ Tatler, of the incomparable Rep. Allen West (R-Florida) in his Congressional interrogation of an Obama administration apparatchik concerning the DISCLOSE Act, a political pay-to-play scheme requiring corporations to report the political contributions of their employees.
I clearly don't live in Florida, but I supported West from the other side of the continent. A retired Army light colonel, he ran afoul of the legal watch-dogs when he saved his troops in Iraq from IEDs, when he finally convinced a prisoner to talk after firing his sidearm next to his ear. That made a compelling argument to the prisoner (now informant) and it saved American lives. But it served as a roman à clef for the Bush administration's borderline interrogation tactics (yes, that's what they were - borderline at best, not torture), so he had to be made an example, resulting in a demand that he resign just three weeks short of his retirement. He was able to weather that and retire with full benefits, and without an apology for his actions. There were no more attacks against his troops for the time that he remained, and as far as his conundrum about whether to protect his troops or follow the 'rules', his reply was, "I'd walk through Hell with a gasoline can to protect my men."
West's comeback was to be elected to Congress. We're going to see more of this great American - the more, the better. Check the video for a treat.
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