Pardon me?

Attorney General Mukasey did his best Bill Clinton impression (or tried) today in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. According to the Attorney General, although he personally would feel tortured were someone to interrogate him using waterboarding techniques, he was not ready to call it torture.

So, it would feel like torture, but might not be torture? Excuse me?

The pesky problem is that we've banned torture as an interogation method. Calling waterboarding torture opens the interrogators up to civil liability. Wouldn't want to hold people accountable for the pain and suffering they've caused now would we?

The insanity went on. Senator Jeff Sessions felt compelled to point out that its not like the U.S. tortures much. Lame. The point is that any torture is too much. That's why its banned, Senator. This isn't like a game of "just the tip" where a little bit is okay, but going whole hog is bad. I think the last time the Senator's argument worked in my life, I was in second grade and had walked just a little bit on the new carpet with my dirty shoes.

I know these guys are trying to walk a legal tightrope and toe the administration line, but there's got to be a point where you have to have some self-respect and admit it when you're beat. You've got to hand it to Ted Kennedy on this one though. He basically summed up the Attorney General's arguments by comparing it to saying you're against robbery, but you're not sure if a bank heist fits the defintion. Awesome. Good ahead and pour yourself a stiff one, Teddy, you've earned it.