Hard day to be an American

As I write this, I have my browser on CSPAN2, and I'm streaming the Senate roll call vote for legislation that gives the government the right to torture as it sees fit.

("Mrs. Landrieu... AYE, Mr. McCain... AYE)

What has happened to our country, when even saying "What has happened to our country?" has become a meaningless cliché?

("Mister Lieberman... AYE.")

The Democrats failed to stop this, and I don't know if it was a tactical failure or a moral failure, or both. And part of me wants to punish them for failing, but the smarter part of me knows that's futile. But 65 in favor of torture, and only 34 opposed. It puts a different spin on the statement that "the Senate represents the American people."

Am I only 34% opposed to torture, and 1% absent? Is my country?

(Mr. Nelson of Nebraska, AYE. Mr. Frist, AYE.)

Here in Canada, there has been little news of this, and no one has really asked me about it. I can only put that down to them being incredibly polite. As if they don't really want to come out and say, "So... your country is officially a psychopath, eh?"

In most cases, someone who is 65% psychopathic is more or less a complete psychopath, and a menace to society as well. But I suspect that those 65 could be broken down into more descriptive categories -- perhaps 23 cowards, another 28 fools, and only 13 who truly fit the description psychopath. But it doesn't matter, does it, since in politics as in life, "The wise man has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness; and yet one fate comes to all of them" (Ecclesiastes 2:14). So now my country is on the record as being ok with torture.

The ayes have it.

UPDATE: A good corrective to viewing this shit circus overly-apocalyptically was posted here.