Torture in the Gulag: Rush isn't the only one who thought it was a big joke

Josh Marshall quotes the following two paragraphs from the Nelson Report:

We can contribute a second hand anecdote to newspaper stories on rising concern, last year, from Secretary of State Powell and Deputy Secretary Armitage about Administration attitudes and the risks they might entail: according to eye witnesses to debate at the highest levels of the Administration...the highest levels...whenever Powell or Armitage sought to question prisoner treatment issues, they were forced to endure what our source characterizes as "around the table, coarse, vulgar, frat-boy bully remarks about what these tough guys would do if THEY ever got their hands on prisoners...."

-- let's be clear: our source is not alleging "orders" from the White House. Our source is pointing out that, as we said in the Summary, a fish rots from its head. The atmosphere created by Rumsfeld's controversial decisions was apparently aided and abetted by his colleagues in their callous disregard for the implications of the then-developing situation, and by their ridicule of the only combat veterans at the top of this Administration.

But the more I hear about Powell, the less I think of him.  Now, I'm sure he's a more decent guy than Donald Rumsfeld.  But that's not saying much at all.

A lot of liberals seem to be very reluctant to let go of the notion that Powell is some kind of restraining force on the worst of the Bush team.  The usually sensible Hesiod manages to get dreamy-eyed over the idea of Colin Powell running as John Kerry's Vice Presidential candidate.  This is kind of like the McCain thing.  Hello?  McCain and Powell are Republicans?  Why would a Democratic candidate for President want a Republican running mate?

But it seems to me that Powell has been more of an enabler for the worst policies of this Administration than any kind of restraining force.