There was an ocassion when the idea of the government restoring to black Americans their full measure of civil rights was not a given. Although whites were congnizant of the incongruities of black and white existence. knew that segregation existed in their own neighborhoods, they were by and large comfortable with it, because it was not something they saw on a daily basis, nor did it affect them directly, Because the grossest violations of civil rights (in their minds) occurred in the South, northerners were more or less convinced it was a "remote, Southern problem." Never mind that it was in their backyards. And front yards.

Similarly, the torture memos provide us with a similar disconnect: Some -- that's YOU -- are extremely disturbed by what you've read (and you've read the torture memos). Others are more apathetic. The don't want the country involved in torture, but believe "the bad guys" got what they deserved, that it was just an isolated event that will not happen again. Still others wholeheartedly and enthusiastically support torture -- that would be most Republicans (your Joe Scarboroughs, your Joe the Plumbers, your Newt Gingriches, etc.)

So to achieve what you what, you need to move that apathetic group to your side. And if you can move one of the more "dedicated" torture proponents to your side, even better.

First, let's take a look back at what has happened over the years to provide a sense of history and context. If you want to do something historic, you need to know what the precedents are that you will need to overturn:

Members of the Executive Branch

Let's understand first just how difficult this undertaking will be. In the entire history of the United States, only two Presidents (Johnson and Clinton) have ever been impeached, one investigated to the point he resigned (Richard Nixon). Of the vice-Presidents, only two have ever resigned from office -- John C. Calhoun to become a Senator and Spiro T. Agnew because of criminal charges against him. Only two (Aaron Burr and John C. Brecknridge) were ever indicted after leaving office -- for treason. Although the Attorney General is subject to impeachment, there is no record of an AG being impeached or indicted for a crime.

With regard to Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, although accused of heinous deeds was never prosecuted. However, student activism had its effect, as reported on Wikipedia:

Shortly after Kissinger left office, he was offered an endowed chair at Columbia University (in 1977). The position came with considerable funding and would have given Kissinger his first platform for rehabilitating his then shattered reputation. When news of the proposed chair leaked out, a small group of students immediately began collecting signatures for a petition opposing his appointment. The petition charged Kissinger with illegal actions in Vietnam, Cambodia, Chile, and in ordering domestic wiretaps of National Security Council staff.

The petition effort sparked wider organizing and the quickly formed "Ad Hoc Committee to Oppose Kissinger's Appointment" offered detailed substantiation of each of the charges in flyers widely distributed on campus. Kissinger's initial classes and meetings held on campus were dogged by protesters at every step.

The spectacle of the former secretary hounded and humiliated by his students was picked up in the popular comic strip Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau. The continuing strips detailed students attempt to challenge Kissinger in the street and in the classroom.

Columnists such as Anthony Lewisof the New York Times and Nat HentoffVillage Voice chimed in with opinions that denying Kissinger the chair would not be a violation of academic freedom and within weeks the story had become national news, breaking in NewsweekWashington Post Many of the news stories included a litany of the offenses Kissinger was alleged to have committed. Rather than a stepping stone toward rehabilitation, the appointment was spreading knowledge about Kissinger's actual record and rekindling student activism on the Columbia campus. After several months of pressure, the University and Kissinger mutually agreed that it was not the time to undertake such an appointment. Kissinger went to Georgetown University, where the students were less confrontational, to take a less prestigious and less permanent teaching and researching assignment.

And when the students finished with Kissinger, writer/author Christopher Hitchens of Vanity Fair took up the charge:

A revival of interest in Henry Kissinger came in 2001, when journalist Christopher Hitchens wrote The Trial of Henry Kissinger, a scathing critique of Kissinger's policy that accused him of war crimes, particularly for his policy toward Vietnam Cyprus Cambodia, Chile, East Pakistan (present day Bangladesh). Kissinger became a focal point of criticism from the political left and certain human rights NGOs. According to the book, his foreign policy was chiefly concerned with attaining allies that had valuable geographical and strategic locations, such as Turkey and Pakistan, and turned a blind eye when these allies attacked democracies and murdered countless innocent people.

The book was later adapted into a documentary entitled The Trials of Henry Kissinger. The film focused on Kissinger's policies towards Vietnam, Cambodia, East Timor, and Chile. (From Wikipedia.)

It will be an uphill climb.

Prosecution of War Crimes (World War II to present)

Iraq War I -- During the first Gulf War (again from Wikipedia), the two most widely reported incidents were:

HIghway of Death -- On the night of February 26 and February 27 1991, defeated Iraqi forces began leaving Kuwait on the main highway north of in a column of some 1400 vehicles. US Air Force and US Navy jets pursued and destroyed the convoy, subjecting it to sustained bombing for several hours. The Iraqi troops were not given any opportunities to surrender.

Bulldozer assault -- Another incident during the war highlighted the question of large-scale Iraqi combat deaths. This was the "bulldozer assault", wherein two brigades from the 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized) used anti-mine plows mounted on tanks and combat earthmovers to bury Iraqi soldiers defending the fortified "Saddam Line." One newspaper story reported that the US commanders estimated thousands of Iraqi soldiers surrendered, escaping burial during the two-day assault February 24-25, 1991. However, like all other troop estimates made during the war, the estimated 8,000 Iraqi defenders was probably greatly inflated. After the war, the Iraqi government claimed to have found 44 bodies. In his book 'The Wars Against Saddam,' John Simpson, alleges that the US forces attempted to cover up this incident.

Kosovo -- Slobodan Milosevic is the most notable person tried for war crimes in this conflict. Although NATO forces were accused of bombing civilian targets, no crimes (as yet) have been claimed against US or NATO forces against civilians.

Which brings us to Iraq War II. As you can see, even when there are clear-cut cases of atrocities, war crimes including torture, have rarely been prosecuted against US citizens. Of those who have been convicted, they tend to be US military personnel, are often characterized as "rogue" elements or units, and prosecutions never involve high-ranking officers William Calley of the My Lai massacre was a Lieutenant, Abu Ghraib's Lynndie England a Private First Class and Charles Graner a Sergeant. None of the other persons either court-martialed or dishonorably discharged from duty were in the commissioned officer ranks.

Lessons From the Movement

This is where the lessons from the civil rights movement can be helpful.

Create compelling political capital: Let us distinguish between "political cover" and "political capital." Cover, in its simplest form, is exactly that -- a blanket, an excuse, behind which one can hide. You do not want to create cover. Capital, on the other hand, is "currency" which can be spent to pursue what are often unpopular decisions. Creating a groundswell of overwhelming public opinion creates capital.

Create a compelling visual image. Reading memos, briefing papers, legal briefs does not a compelling visual make. And your visual is the most effective tool to create political capital.

During the civil rights movement, although administration after administration knew full well that segregation was wrong, did nothing until they were confronted with the imagery of children being turned away from schoolhouse doors, young men and women having police dogs turned on them, firehoses turned on them, billyclubs and axe handles used on them as the peaceably marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

Your most compelling image is a re-enactment of torture and waterboarding and abuses described in the memos and shown in the pictures from Abu Ghraib. Imagine:

In front of federal courthouses all across the country, in front of the Newseum, in city plazas, in New York's Central Park and similar prominent locations, there is a full size mock-up of one of the interrogation rooms at Guantanamo or Abu Ghraib (the same abuses occurred there). Every day for 30 days and nights, 6 times a day, every 4 hours, like clockwork, the torture and waterboarding of Khalid Sheik Muhammed is re-enacted. And 83 times during that 30 day period, the torture and waterboarding of Abu Zubaydah is re-enacted. The shackled prisoner, his captors methodically doing their "business." The cramped boxes, the stress positions, the head into wall slamming. Where there are transcripts, they should be read aloud. You should have Bush, Cheney, Bybee, Gonzales, et al from the Bush administration re-enactors portraying the principals involved.

This should not be a David Blaine-like stunt. Take it seriously, present it seriously,

Create a convert to the cause. This should be someone who was a vocal and visible supporter of torture, who has been convinced to change his or her mind. Frankly, it should be a him. And although Joe Scarborough would be my desired convert -- by way of enjoying a pleasant waterboarding session or a few hours in a stress position covered in insects -- Michael Smerconish, the Philadelphia talk radio host might be a better prospect. (No, he needn't be waterboarded, but perhaps seeing it occur in real time, up close and personal might change his mind.) You need a high profile convert to lend credence to your message. (Although Christopher Hitchens has changed his position, his personal demeanor makes him a less than effective messenger.

Avoid Code Pink. This is not the time for antics. This should be a serious and deliberate undertaking. Your goal is to change what is discussed as some abstraction into something real and powerful.

Avoid mixed messages. Your one and only goal is to create political capital. You want to shift the tide of public opinion so that support pushes your opponents into an impossible, unsustainable position. Your opponent is not the current administration. You need them. What you don't need is Republican pushback. (The Republicans are the Dixiecrats and segregationists.) What you want to create is environment where this unprecedented action you want can be taken. This is a single message protest which should lead to the punishment of those involved.

Now, the mission ahead of you is daunting. But, like those who fought (and continue to fight) the good fight for civil rights in this country, it can be done.