Convenient Scapegoats

This country has outdone itself in recent years. This title is not a good one, however. Rather, it is one of pathetic blame-shifting, one where we can claim to have perfected excuse-making to an art. Every action is the result of some motive, granted, and politics has never been an honest arena. However, when every move is justified by a loose and vague reply, suspicion begins to arise.
The Bush administration has always made it a point to brainwash the general public, but poorly executed repetition has rendered it useless and failing.
The UN was persuaded to send weapons inspectors to Iraq, with Bush hoping to find a publicly-announceable reason to invade. When no weapons were discovered, he relied on pure nationalism to gain support. And now, as it becomes clearer and clearer that the invasion is a failure, this popular support is losing hold in all but the most fervent "patriots", with such a title being bestowed upon his few remaining loyal lemmings in order to captivate their sense of duty.
The use of torture is now becoming one of those issues, Bush contradicting himself by both claiming it is a necessary evil to find and eradicate terrorism and then denying any such interrogation techniques. How convenient that the tapes that would provide definitive proof have been destroyed. The very fact that they have been destroyed only proves the crime. And yet we are back to utter denial.
The question of using interrogation techniques classified as torture on known criminals is not much a question at all. Part III, Section I, Article 17 of the Geneva Convention explicitly states "No physical or mental torture, nor any other form of coercion, may be inflicted on prisoners of war to secure from them information of any kind whatever." Even in the case of peacetime, such measures exist. Part I, Article 3 says "To this end the following acts are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever with respect to the above-mentioned persons...Violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture..."
Perhaps it is understandable, however. We would only be keeping with the current trend of believing laws only apply in select, opportune cases. Even in cases of civil disobedience punishment is accepted for the lack of compliance with a specific law. Must our leaders perform this self-serving routine of applying only the most advantageous of laws to themselves and discarding all moral and just boundaries, skipping above the surface of reproachment?

-Modern Diogenes-