As the torture story unfolds, and more people come forward with pieces of the whole puzzle,  the evidence is mounting that Cheney pushed the "enhancement" program for one reason; to find or forge a link between Ossama and Saddam.

Josh is all over it right here at TPM, and many others are beginning to see the pattern emerging.

They were desperate to convert our national outrage at 9-11 into a war with Iraq, and it sounds as if they nearly drowned more than one poor soul (for all we know, they probably DID drown more than a few) trying to pry out of them a missing link that never existed.

And for all the times they have told us how effective their torture was, we know now that missing link was never found OR forged. So, while the Cheney/Bush junta apparently torture innocents, they were looking for a fictional event. 

Imagine the terror those people suffered, especially when they realized that their torturers wanted info they couldn't give them. 

So no matter how much truth they choked up, all they got was more drowning.

Cheney's desperation was manifest in other forms around the same time. His outing of Valerie Plame was another chapter.  Considering Haliburton's haul from this war, and the fact Iraq's independent oil supply kept the multi-nationals from jacking up the price of gas to $4 a gallon, it is no wonder he was desperate for war.

When that truth committee of Sheldon's gets underway, it might be worth a trip down Haliburton Lane with old Deadeye before his pacemaker malfunctions.  Stop for a moment and ponder: All those other desperate acts, from torturing innocent people to outing a federal agent,  revolved around Cheney and his Haliburton "non-connections."

If someone wants to look closely into the "why" of it all, Cheney, Haliburton and Torture should all fit into that equation.

Just a short post to posit the thought that Pawlenty's beginning to smell a lot like Blagojevich.

We all know  Blago was fishing for a return on his appointment investment, and that he obviously assumed it was a political gift for him to hand out, and not a solemn duty to assure representation for his constituents.

Can someone differentiate for me what Pawlenty's doing from what Blago did?

Seems as if Pawley's the new Blago. He sure seems poised to deny due process,  and obviously he wants desperately to give it to someone he supports, the electorate be damned.

Seriously, what's the big difference between Pawlenty's and Blagojevich's tack?