Two hundred military, diplomatic, religious leaders, legal experts, former presidential administration members, and others raised their voices in a declaration against the Bush torture policy.  While and admirable action, what took them so long? 

Unfortunately, it will make no difference to the Bush torture team and Wussacratic House leadership who took impeachment off the table, the only constitutional process that can hold this criminal president and administration accountable.

From the dynamic journalistic trio at McClatchy blog's Nukes and Spooks comes this: "Two hundred leaders ranging from former secretaries of state and counter-terrorism experts to religious leaders and legal experts issued a call today for a presidential executive order that would ban torture and cruel treatment of detainees.

"While President Bush has said the United States does not condone torture, CIA and U.S. military personnel have engaged in practices at the Guantanamo Bay prison, Iraq's Abu Ghraib, and detention sites in Afghanistan that are considered by many to be torture.

"The declaration calls on Bush to adopt a Golden Rule: "We will not authorize or use any methods of interrogation that we would not find acceptable if used against Americans, be they civilians or soldiers."

"It also calls for establishment of a national standard for interrogation practices, based on the U.S. Army Field Manual, that would apply to all U.S. personnel and agencies. Currently, the CIA has more authority to use harsh interrogation practices, although its precise guidelines and interrogation procedures remain classified.

"The declaration issued Wednesday was organized by  The Center for Victims of Torture, in conjunction with The National Religious Campaign Against Torture and a third group, Evangelicals for Human Rights.

Again, too little, too late. Platitudes and requests have absolutely no effect on Bush's imperial, authoritarian, arrogant executive branch. Torture is a crime against humanity, the Constitution, the Geneva Conventions, and a host of other laws.  Bush and his torture team should be impeached and/or in the dock at The Hague. Nothing else will bring accountability and exact justice for this heinous crime.