The First Stirrings of Accountability

Finally! Looks like Rumsfeld and company are going to have to answer personally — before the courts — for officially endorsing torture and blanket mistreatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.

In the end, will anything come of this? Probably not — this regime has, to date, proven that it’s pretty damn good at hiding (or destroying) any evidence that could portray it in even the most slightly unflattering light. Granted, in a civil trial, the plaintiffs only have to prove their case by a preponderance of evidence (rather than the criminal standard of beyond a reasonable doubt), but even so, they’re going to have an uphill battle. After all, the War Department is holding any videotapes of the prisoner abuse — and given this administration’s demonstrated contempt for the rule of law (think “Enron meeting minutes”), I wouldn’t count on those tapes ever seeing the light of day.

But still, it’s one hell of a heartening sign; I must confess to being guardedly optimistic. Who knows? Maybe this will be the first step toward instituting criminal proceedings.

I can always hope.