Unqualified Offerings

90-9! It is a bittersweet victory indeed when the country’s senior legislative body has to reaffirm the settled laws of war, basic human decency and the Army’s own existing field manual and customs – that the question even arises is dispiriting. But the available alternative to a bittersweet victory here was not unalloyed triumph but simple defeat. I’ll take the win, thank you.

And yes, I made my calls. I’m sure I didn’t need to, given my representation in the Senate, but it felt good.

UPDATE: Roll of Shame forthcoming. The Senate has to update its website.

And on the “don’t get too excited” front, there’s an important tidbit buried in the Reuters report:

[McCain] said he was concerned the detainee regulations could be weakened or stripped from the bill when a final version is worked out in a conference with the House of Representatives.

Alaska Republican Sen. Ted Stevens, chairman of the Defense Appropriations subcommittee, said he would press for some changes in the amendment in the conference because he said it could imperil undercover operatives.

It’s been SOP with this Congress to stack the conferences that reconcile the House and Senate versions of passed legislation and modify bills both to the President’s liking and in ways that could never have survived a full Congressional vote. Right now we have a trophy. We could still end up with a gutted carcass.

UPDATE UPDATE: Matt Weiner lists the Nine in comment two, below. The scurviest nonet since the Black Sox scandal.