The Troglodyte puts The Durbin Maelstrom in perspective

right here.

In the dysfunctional effort to claim the political high-ground, Sen. Durbin has only become the latest US Senator to disgrace his party and his country. His rhetorical ridiculousness, dubbed "reprehensible by Whitehouse spokesman Scott McClellan, whether sincerely believed or cynically invoked, hurts the USA. It not only disgraces honorable troops by equating them all with a few pariahs, it puts soldiers and American civilians in Iraq at risk. Worst of all, Mr. Durbin completely butchers the truth.

The Troglodyte observes an authentic case of Nazi prisoner treatment, one that Catholics may find familiar:

Jan Jakub Zegidewicz takes up the story from there: "After the group of doomed men had already been selected, a prisoner stepped out from the ranks of one of the Blocks. I recognized [Prisoner 16670]. Owing to my poor knowledge of German I did not understand what they talked about, nor do I remember whether [Prisoner 16670] spoke directly to Fritzsch. When making his request, [Prisoner 16670] stood at attention and pointed at a former non-commissioned officer known to me from the camp. It could be inferred from the expression on Fritzsch's face that he was surprised at [Prisoner 16670's] action. As the sign was given, [Prisoner 16670] joined the ranks of the doomed and the non-commissioned officer left the ranks of the doomed. Fritzsch had consented to the exchange. A little later, the doomed men were marched off in the direction of Block 13, the death Block."

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Many readers will recognize the story of Fr. Maximilian Kolbe...

This is how totalitarian regimes with no regard for human life treat non-combatant prisoners.

To equate that with the professional treatment of hardened killers that were caught on a battlefield breaking every Geneva Convention regarding warfare is nothing short of arrogant and self-destructive stupidity. It will gain Senator Durbin and the screaming-mad hardcore left of the Democrats nothing. It only leaves reality as yet another casualty in the War on Terror.

People of goodwill may have legitimate concerns about how moral coercive interrogation may be. Mr. Durbin's disgusting comments are not in any way an appropriate manner of raising them.