"After the publication of the long-suppressed pictures of Abu Ghraib victims and the United Nations finding that torture and abuse are still taking place at the US prison in Guantanamo Bay, America has fashioned its own nightmare. We now must ask ourselves, 'Where are the good Americans?'"

Our pro-torture administration openly discusses the loophole in the McCain anti-torture law.

NYTimes analysis of the surprising US-India nuclear deal.

More lies caught: videos show Bush being warned about the impact of Katrina. Today's must-read is the coverage by BAGnewsNotes.

FRIDAY NEWS:
* Why forcing democracy just doesn't work.
* So, uh, what if they did a really half-assed job checking the background on that port security deal? Also, checking out a second Dubai firm.
* Palestinian women wonder about the rise of Hamas.
* Tom Tomorrow with easy answers for tough questions.
* Mmmm. I'm all for fake blood, but you should really ask people before testing with it first.
* More awesome pics from Hubble, these of a pinwheel spiral.
* Did the Soviets order the shooting of the Pope?
* An archive of the last pleas from death row convicts.
* Hee. Local politician saves the life of his rival.

Steampunk Transformers?

A Darth Vader story, by one Alan Moore.

Fametracker.com on predicting future Oscars hosts.