Walter Cronkite has lost his friggin' mind:

In his two and a half years in office, Attorney General John Ashcroft has earned himself a remarkable distinction as the Torquemada of American law. Tom?s de Torquemada, you might recall, was the 15th-century Dominican friar who became the grand inquisitor of the Spanish Inquisition. He was largely responsible for its methods, including torture and the burning of heretics - Muslims in particular.

Now, of course, I am not accusing the attorney general of pulling out anyone's fingernails or burning people at the stake (at least I don't know of any such cases). But one does get the sense these days that the old Spaniard's spirit is comfortably at home in Ashcroft's Department of Justice.

There was something almost medieval in the treatment of Muslim suspects in the aftermath of 9-11. Many were held incommunicado, without effective counsel and without ever being charged, not for days or weeks, but for months or longer, some under harsh conditions designed for the most dangerous criminals.

In the past few years, Walter Cronkite has earned himself a remarkable distinction as the Jimmy Carter of former respected journalists. Jimmy Carter, you may recall, was a peanut farmer and president of the US from 1977-1981. He became known, quickly, as the worst American President ever to occupy the Oval Office. He was largely responsible for leading the country into the worst economic times in the last 50-years and making America a laughingstock by allowing Iranian students to take numerous of his fellow citizens hostage and allow them to languish in captivity for 444 days. He also, in his retired years, allowed the North Korean government to dupe him and proceed with developing nuclear weapons.

Now, of course, I am not accusing Mr. Cronkite of being a poor politician and even poorer diplomat (at least I don't know of any cases). But one does get the sense that the old socialist's spirit is comfortably at home in the former liberal's column of weekly drivel.

Not comparing Ashcroft to a ruthless torturer? Old Torq was a fundamentalist, Ashcroft is a fundamentalist, therefore Torquemada=Ashcroft. That's exactly what you meant Walter. And for you info Mr. Cronkite, these men are some of the worst criminals. They are aligned with a group that murdered 3,000 American citizens.

This from the WSJ:

In April 1978 I accompanied Ceausescu to Washington, where he charmed President Carter. Arafat, he urged, would transform his brutal PLO into a law-abiding government-in-exile if only the U.S. would establish official relations. The meeting was a great success for us. Carter hailed Ceausescu, dictator of the most repressive police state in Eastern Europe, as a "great national and international leader" who had "taken on a role of leadership in the entire international community." Triumphant, Ceausescu brought home a joint communiqué in which the American president stated that his friendly relations with Ceausescu served "the cause of the world."em>